id	What is your name?	Are you responding as an individual or an organisation?	The Scottish Government would like your permission to publish your consultation response Please indicate your publishing preference:	What are your views on the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum?	What are your views on the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements?	What are your views on the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants?
0	633076343	Fiona Smith	Individual	Individual	I have confidence in the polling arrangements and therefore am happy for them to contiinue . However, more scrutiny within the polling stations woul alleviate the fears of others. Also more checks should be done that people voting are actually resident and not using family addresses.	No Answered	The improvements seem sensible.
1	447847558	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Why more uncertainty? We don't know what's going on after brexit. We have just hit a bus. The first minister is trying to throw us under it.	I think this makes a lot of sense. It is the people of Scotland it would effect the most.	This seems fine
2	1018825847	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This appears to be satisfactory. There was a high degree of scrutiny and attention paid to the results in 2014 and I am content that the referendum was fair and transparent.	Given the significant issues facing British citizens resident in the EU, I feel that voting rights should extend to those living in EU countries and given permission to vote in Scottish constituencies under the 15-year rule, as the outcome could have a significant effect on their future plans.	No particular concerns
3	565446966	Craig Lynn	Individual	Individual	Proposals seem fair and abide by the normal conventions	No Answered	Appreciate the tightening of proxy votes, a huge concern during the previous referendum.
4	1050647939	Kieran Lennon	Individual	Individual	Words can't explain how much I want independence for Scotland.	Fine with me.	Much better and more clearer and have a very good chance of being Yes vote.
5	30389409	Matthew Angell	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Should report to the UK Parliament for transperancy and because we are still in the UK
6	135352288	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The purdah period was not respected last time and the UK government appeared to be able to unfairly influence the results by using public bodies such as the treasury as their own tools. This needs to be explicitly dealt with in the 'rules'.	I felt there was previoulsy widespread abuse of the postal vote system, especially in areas such as Aberdeen who have expats across the world. Even in my small circle I knew 3 or 4 people who had permanently settled in middle east and Australia who were casting votes for a country they had no intention of living in or returning to. This was due to having access to a local address. It didn't seem fair.	no opinion
7	206144742	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The First Minister signed the Edinburgh Agreement that laid the ground for the Independence Referendum 2014 was to be the decisive vote on the future of Scotland within the United Kingdom. It was to be a once in a lifetime vote. It proved to be destructive and divisive to Scottish society. This exercise and consultation means the First Minister is breaking her promise and should not even be considered. This is an SNP obsession and was not supported my the majority of Scottish voters.\r The Scottish Government has no constitutional authority to pursue a second referendum. It is for the UK Parliament to decide.	No Answered	If this disaster SNP obsessed referendum ever get off the ground a minimum turnout and majority must be defined.\r For such a drastic change in the constitution of the United Kingdom, an vote must have a substantial vote in favour of the status quo. A minimum of a 60% vote from a least 85% of the voting population should be required. A simple majority is not enough and resulted in the failed BREXIT vote.
8	41805859	Iain Paton	Individual	Individual	These seem appropriate and a referendum is necessary and urgent given Scotland's position with regard to Brexit and the evident will to remain in the European Union.	These seem appropriate and a referendum is necessary and urgent given Scotland's position with regard to Brexit and the evident will to remain in the European Union.	These seem appropriate and a referendum is necessary and urgent given Scotland's position with regard to Brexit and the evident will to remain in the European Union.
9	149754	Chris jones	Individual	Individual	No Answered	it should not happen. the people voted in a once in a generation vote. \r why are you wasting so much money on this.	none.\r this is a legal matters and should not be here.
10	196202048	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These seem entirely sensible and not contentious	I agree with all these proposals	I agree with these changes
11	496228697	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	International independent observers should also be employed for oversight. Perhaps from EU countries.	Agree	Agree
12	959039671	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would expect the management to be similar to the 2014 referendum	Happy with these amendments	Happy with these
13	863019184	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is unnecessary as we voted on this very issue in 2014. The current First Minister, when deputy First Minister said this was a once in a generation vote. Less than 5 years after said vote is too soon	No Answered	The must not knowingly appoint point is too loose. Far too many campaigners could easily slip through
14	547922264	George Wilson	Individual	Individual	I am very pleased to see these proposed arrangements. They concur with the Scottish Government's mandate further to the SNP manifesto commitment earlier in the year. Needless to say, this is within the context of the EU referendum, threatened Brexit, alongside Scotland's overwhelming Remain vote. \r Running a small business in Scotland I see that this consultation as an essential step in reserving Scotland's position should the UK government fail to respect Scotland's remain vote and their 2014 promise that we would be an "equal partner" in a family of nations. For Scotland to be dragged out of the EU and especially the single market against our will would not only be democratically indefensible but also extremely damaging to the Scottish economy as recently outlined by the Fraser of Allander Institute.	I see these as appropriate and correct.	I see these as appropriate and correct.
15	64398441	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would like to see better security for ballot boxes. They need to be counted out and in and receipted.\rI would like to see other/external monitoring of the count in addition to what us normally provided. I fear that attempts will be made to subvert YES votes.	I totally agree with the changes to postal voting, counting and staffing. Last time there seemed to be an unusually high number of postal votes. \rI would like to see photo ID. being a future requirement for voting. I would also like a stop put to activists collecting postal votes from old folks homes etc.	Does this go far enough to prevent undue influence from donors outwith Scotland.
16	308717329	Jamie Teilmann Watt	Individual	Individual	It is my view a shorter campaign period would be preferable in this instance as most of the issues have been aired and understood previously.	no view	Large individual donations by individuals should be restricted this time to £20,000. This includes auctions to raise funds for groups supporting and opposing the bill.
17	115253585	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree that the previous referendum was run successfully, fairly and effectively. Due to this, I agree that the next referendum should be run in the same way.	The proposed chanted appear to be in the best interests of ensuring that the referendum is run in without undue delays or will make the process more difficult.	Changes need to show full transparency. This will allow the public the have confidence that a fair process is underway with no party or campaigner abusing the system to help gain unfair advantages. \r I feel that any future campaign should be a wakeful campaign, like the last referendum. It is welcomed that any participants who attempt to be offensive are rejected.
18	420164050	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Only those in, training for or actively searching for employment should be allowed to vote. Those who are not fail to or at least fail to want to contribute to society, so why should they have a say?
19	529541110	Jon Kelbie	Individual	Individual	I have no problems with the proposals for managing the referendum but would ask that external (ie international), independent oversight and auditing be considered to allay potential concerns about interference.	No issues	No issues
20	605845887	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be one we voted in 2014 with clear answer was no	Same as answer one	Same as answer one
21	559124402	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The existing arrangements work well so the decision to replicate these is sound.	Changes will not have a detrimental effect on polling and counting.	Necessary adjustments.
22	754475037	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There shouldn't be any arrangements full stop. Putting aside that any vote without our real Government in Westminster's approval would be illegal, this proposed "Bill" is a disgrace - the SNP have lied to the Scottish people about the last independence vote being a "once in a lifetime" opportunity and are continuing to fail the country by focusing on continual anti-Tory rhetoric, stoking up resentment with unfounded claims of xenophobia following the Brexit vote and using a bullshit argument that the only reason Scots voted to remain in the UK was to stay part of the EU, (nothing to do with the lack of any SNP plan for an independent Scotland that is not utter fantasy!). \r The SNP should be ashamed of themselves. They have spent almost the last decade running this country into the ground and blaming "Westmonster". Given their economic arguments they obviously have no clue how to run a country and are LUCKY to be part of the UK and its ability to pay Scotland's way. Raising a new referendum is either an attempt to disguise that fact, or, purely an attempt by Sturgeon to cling to control of this cultist party - not exactly "Stronger for Scotland" is it? \r Saying that because "Scotland" voting to "remain" in the Brexit referendum is a reason for Scotland to have a re-run of the independence vote is like saying Dumfriesshire, Orkney & Shetland and Edinburgh South should have their own governments because they didn't vote for the morally corrupt SNP!	Voting in any referendum or election should be for those aged 18 and over - the SNP have only introduced voting for 16 and 17 year olds in an attempt to win the last independence vote. Just like the Nazis in the 1930's, the SNP are trying to brainwash the young and easily influenced. If they can fool 51 percent of the population and insult the intelligence of the remaining 49 percent to win independence, then that is exactly what the SNP will do.\r The SNP gave the vote to 16/17 year olds saying they should get a say. Bollocks. If 16/17 year olds were mature enough and had sufficient life experience to make an informed decision, then they shouldn't have an SNP Snooper, (aka Named Person), they should be allowed to drink, smoke and watch porn or violent films and they sure as hell should be named and shamed when they commit a crime!!	I don't think this will matter. When you see the SNP/Scottish Government ignoring the democratic will of the people per the last indy vote and ignoring polls showing that the majority of Scots DO NOT WANT ANOTHER REFERENDUM; if you also look at the various press reports about SNP members, (even elected representatives), breaking election rules and being investigated by the police for fraud, embezzlement, etc, then what chance has democracy got anyway? On the evidence I have seen the SNP will lie and cheat to get what they want anyway and screw everybody else.
23	296733986	Ross Whitten	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements as detailed in the paper	I agree with these changes	I agree with these changes
24	655645170	Iain Lowson	Individual	Individual	It's unfortunate that those Scots currently not living in Scotland do not get a say, but I appreciate the reasons why and am content.	Makes sense.	Fine. One thing that I feel needs to be stressed is the inclusive nature both of the referendum and the country. What also needs to be stressed is that all will be welcome once the process is completed, regardless of the result.
25	70111027	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This second referendum is completely unnecessary. The result two years ago was clear. Scotland wishes to remain in the UK in the same way that the 'Brexit' result is clear.\r Like it or not, that is how democracy works and it is time the Scottish Government accepted that.	I think the franchise is too wide and designed to capture as many pro-independence votes as possible.\r In the last vote, I was excluded as I then lived in England but European citizens and virtually every 'tom dick and harry' who might have voted 'yes' was free to vote and the Government still lost.\r The vote should be restricted to Scots born in Scotland, no matter where they live, inside or outside Scotland.	If these changes prevent the anti-English behaviour of some 'Yes' supporters then they are worthwhile.
26	170049133	Day Job	Individual	Individual	What don't you understand about NO?	SNP trying to bend the rules	Designed to make it easier for the SNP to win
27	546337856	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think as soon as we can get out of the UK, the better.	No Answered	It seems like an inclusive system.
28	231803096	Mark Houston	Individual	Individual	Great	Good	Good
29	982621501	David Dingley	Individual	Individual	The process is suited for this type of vote. however tighter security and background checks for all involved in the counting process must be achieved to prevent possible cheating or rigging of the vote, scrutiny is key.	Absent voting has been a concern of mine however most of what is proposed seems to elevate that, having checks on 100% of identifiers is a great improvement.\r Polling and Counting Staff has been a deep worry for the nation, it has been witnessed in the previous referendum of rigging taking place during live news feeds and nothing done. greater scrutiny during the counting process and outside of the UK observers is recommended as anyone from the UK will have some kind of interest in proceedings and are not beyond the element of cheating for their own intentions. i agree with counting officers being disallowed to employ anyone they know to have been involved in the campaign but recommend background checks to be secure in their selection\r Verification is a good addition.	These changes suit my views.
30	503858536	Kenneth Hutchison	Individual	Individual	I am content with the foregoing.	I am content with the current arrangements. I would add, however, that I was aware of at least one occasion during the last referendum where someone who had not lived in Scotland for the better part of a decade was entitled to a vote on the basis of being registered at a parental residence. \r These are the sort of technicalities which undermine faith in the whole system, and I am hopeful that the system is sufficiently robust to ensure that such instances remain isolated.	I am content with the foregoing.
31	32301529	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine	Scottish citizens in england and wales should be allowed a vote.	Fine
32	684898266	Hilary Finch	Individual	Individual	I agree.\rI seek reassurance that there will be independent observers, especially when postal votes are opened and counted.	Are EU citizens, resident in Scotland, entitled to vote?\rIf not, I would like to see the franchise extended to include them.	No views on this.
33	178621241	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with these. The eligibility should not be any different than the last vote.	I agree with these. The eligibility should not be any different than the last vote.	This is fine.
34	705232677	Christina Larsen	Individual	Individual	I am happy with these arrangements.	I am satisfied with the changes proposed.	I am satisfied with the proposed changes
35	760699698	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These arrangements are fair\r The sooner the better to effectively deal with Brexit	The proposed technical changes are fair	NA
36	436580131	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I strongly believe Scotland should have the right to a second referendum as Scotland could face being taken out of the EU against its own will. The only way for the democratic voice of Scotland to be heard is for it to be its own independent country.
37	858167050	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	this seems to be fair	a bar code for EACH AND EVERY SINGLE PERSON, or a unique identifier this time round please, the last ones were a disgrace, might as well have been toilet paper, they looked shabby and poorly designed, and were ripe for corruption due to the lack of anything that could tie them to the person voting, perhaps that was quite deliberate, like the rented ballot boxes for example...	a good move
38	619320304	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Our voting arrangements are as robust as any democratic country - no objection to a repeat of 2014 style.	Content with these arrangements	Content with these arrangements
39	754560360	Gregory John Hardy	Individual	Individual	All in order	Satisfactory	Excellent proposal
40	714506984	stephen buchan	Individual	Individual	forget it. I voted out. but since Brexit. ill vote in uk.	keep it simple. postal vote is key. I got my vote rejected because my signature didn't match. very unhappy about that. a web app is the way ahead	if you have been in Scotland for more than a winter and survived you deserve a vote
41	751475960	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Broadly successful management of the previous referendum serves as an excellent model for future referenda.	No Answered	The broad and inclusive franchise should be celebrated as a shining international example of an open civic national movement. This is important to set the foundation for the future Scotland we wish to see.
42	585627794	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am unhappy with the eligibility to vote criteria. I was born and raised in Scotland but am temporarily living in England. I was devastated not to be able to vote in 2014. Should I not be able to make it home in time for another referendum (if there is one) again I will be denied a voice. I am a long term supporter of the SNP and Independance and find the criteria unfair. If we are all Scotland why am I excluded just because of where I am currently living.	I am unhappy with the eligibility to vote criteria. I was born and raised in Scotland but am temporarily living in England. I was devastated not to be able to vote in 2014. Should I not be able to make it home in time for another referendum (if there is one) again I will be denied a voice. I am a long term supporter of the SNP and Independance and find the criteria unfair. If we are all Scotland why am I excluded just because of where I am currently living.	No view
43	883569253	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree	I believe the franchise should be extended to non-citizens with indefinite leave to remain. My American partner and her family could not vote in 2014, although being very engaged with the referendum campaign.	I agree
44	779534007	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As the proposed arrangements align closely with those from 2014, I can think of no real issues of concern regarding the arrangements.	I feel that all the changes proposed here, seem sensible and in line with concerns raised after the 2014. I would however raise the point on Emergency Proxy, it is obvious that the difference in the number of applications between the European Parliament and and referendum was in part due to turn out and an increased sense among the electorate that the vote mattered. I would therefore caution against reaction of access to emergency proxy on the grounds that it causes excessive burden on local authorities, while I accept some controls need to exist I would hope other solutions could be found.	These changes all appear sensible and in line with the expert advice previously given.
45	263919865	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think this is a ridiculous waste of time and money and divisive to the population of our country. The vote in 2014 was to remain part of the Union, this should be recognised and honoured.	I think this is a ridiculous waste of time and money and divisive to the population of our country. The vote in 2014 was to remain part of the Union, this should be recognised and honoured.	I think this is a ridiculous waste of time and money and divisive to the population of our country. The vote in 2014 was to remain part of the Union, this should be recognised and honoured.
46	76676700	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not wish there to be another independence referendum	I personally think that only taxpayers should be eligible to vote	I have no views.
47	1062885698	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This worked well last time and I believe would work well again.	I can understand why Scots born voters living abroad would want a vote, however if they plan on remaining domiciled abroad then they will not have to live with the decision to stay or leave the Union. \r This and the administration involved in allowing this group to vote makes it practically difficult to achieve. Ideally I'd like every Scot to have a say but I don't think this is realistic.	Makes sense and seems sensible.
48	577720333	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Satisfactory	Satisfactory	Satisfactory
49	964060798	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the arrangements for managing the referendum are well established, however the main point I want to share is that I voted for independence last time in 2014. This was when I believed Scotland would be great, but hearing about this referendum because it is against 'OUR' will, I would also like to flag that it is a majority in Scotland but not everyone. I believe this is just a tantrum because they didn't get their way. This is a democracy and we are part of the UK due to not winning a majority for the first referendum.	I have no comment on this	I have no views on this, it seems pretty straight forward changes.
50	240219446	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the way the previous referendum was run and think this referendum should align with that as proposed.	I agree that eligibility should be based on residency in Scotland. I agree that the minimum voting age should be 16. I agree that 100% of personal identifiers should be checked for postal votes.	I agree with this.
51	347810972	Andy Lippok	Individual	Individual	I'm happy with what is being proposed as it is all reasonably similar to that in 2014.	I'm content with these changes.	I am content with these.
52	755932140	Brian Cochrane	Individual	Individual	an absolute shambles. we voted democratically before and yet 1 party has failed to abide by "respecting the outcome". they have told us loud and clear our voices shall not be heard and will carry on regardless yet would shout and bawl "tories!!" if the result was reversed.\r we are in economic downturn yet more money has been set aside to have another go at this. how much is it costing when that money could be better spent on housing, education, health or FOOD BANKS!!	an absolute shambles. we voted democratically before and yet 1 party has failed to abide by "respecting the outcome". they have told us loud and clear our voices shall not be heard and will carry on regardless yet would shout and bawl "tories!!" if the result was reversed.\r we are in economic downturn yet more money has been set aside to have another go at this. how much is it costing when that money could be better spent on housing, education, health or FOOD BANKS!!	an absolute shambles. we voted democratically before and yet 1 party has failed to abide by "respecting the outcome". they have told us loud and clear our voices shall not be heard and will carry on regardless yet would shout and bawl "tories!!" if the result was reversed.\r we are in economic downturn yet more money has been set aside to have another go at this. how much is it costing when that money could be better spent on housing, education, health or FOOD BANKS!!
53	159151716	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think that all seems fine	I agree with the afore mentioned proposed technical changes	Agreed
54	458783441	Jamie Lester	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum.	I am happy with proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements.	I am happy with the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
55	53565146	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Can we find out when the vote will happen? We are excited to be able to run our own country.	I believe any person living in Scotland should have the right to vote on our future.	Its good.
56	349797955	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Scots living in other parts of the UK should be allowed to vote. There would need to be some residence criteria such as residence in the last 10 years. This is because this vote will have a significant impact on all Scots, irrespective of whether or not they are living in Scotland	Scots living in other parts of the UK should be allowed to vote. There would need to be some residence criteria such as residence in the last 10 years. This is because this vote will have a significant impact on all Scots, irrespective of whether or not they are living in Scotland	Scots living in other parts of the UK should be allowed to vote. There would need to be some residence criteria such as residence in the last 10 years. This is because this vote will have a significant impact on all Scots, irrespective of whether or not they are living in Scotland
57	294408279	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree with them. I see no need for another referendum. I voted Remain in the EU referendum and No in the independence referendum. Brexit has no bearing on my independence views. I would rather remain in the UK than remain in the EU. We get more trade from the rest of the U.K. Than from the EU. Why all the fuss about the single market.	I do not agree with them. Only people with residency to vote in UK elections should be allowed to vote.\r I do not agree that another referendum is required	I do not agree.\r I do not believe that another referendum is required.
58	659275299	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is a question about the future of the UK as a whole and on a constitutional point which is a reserved matter. The Scottish Government has no competency in these matters and seeks to exclude the vast majority of UK citizens from voting for their future. \r Eligibility should be the same as for UK General Elections.	Eligibility to vote should be extended to all British and other residents in the UK as this is a national question and they should not be excluded from voting on their future. Many Scottish people like in other parts of the UK and their views are being silenced by the Scottish Government.\r As the consultation does not appear to ask about this subject, I would like to state my opposition to a simple majority referendum. As we have seen with the EU referendum, a simple majority should never be all that is needed to make a large constitutional change. itt should be at least a 2/3 majority.	No Concerns.\r Again, as not asked in the questionnaire, i would like so state my opposition to the holding of another referendum. The 2014 referendum was divisive and negative and yet still produced an answer. Just because the SNP did not like that answer, does not mean that it should keep asking until we 'get it right'.
59	318531743	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	All looks fine	No Answered	Sounds good, glad 16 and 17 years olds are getting to participate again
60	880343755	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Seems fair	Fair	Fair
61	896900268	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A referendum should not take place. Respect the democratic outcome of the 2014 referendum.	Any referendum should operate under a "double majority" system although we have a parliamentary democracy and referenda should only be used once in a generation.	n/a
62	496669915	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My view is we should have another referendum on leaving the Union and staying in the EU.This should be a Scottish decision and rt Hereford Westminster and England exempt	As long as all votes are monitored and counted in Scotland ! No influence from Westminster	No views
63	1032749060	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Completely disgraceful that a second referendum is even being considered. The previous Scottish vote is being completely ignored!	See above. Do not believe there should be another referendum so irrelevant.	Do not believe there should be another referendum so irrelevant.
64	301513619	Eilidh MacQuarrie	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements.	I am happy with the proposed technical changes.	I am happy with the proposed technical changes to rules on permissible participants.
65	257011272	Robert seery	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The Draft Scottish Independence Referendum Bill is out today for consultation. You can add your voice to the consultation online (either as an individual or representing a business) via this link. I have just done so stating, as follows:\r"I am very pleased to see these proposed arrangements. They concur with the Scottish Government's mandate further to the SNP manifesto commitment earlier in the year. Needless to say, this is within the context of the EU referendum, threatened Brexit, alongside Scotland's overwhelming Remain vote.\rRunning a small business in Scotland I see that this consultation as an essential step in reserving Scotland's position should the UK government fail to respect Scotland's remain vote and their 2014 promise that we would be an "equal partner" in a family of nations. For Scotland to be dragged out of the EU and especially the single market, against our will would not only be democratically indefensible but also extremely damaging to the Scottish economy as recently outlined by the Fraser of Allander Institute."
66	438320091	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe that the previous referendum clearly set out that the decision was binding and thus a further referendum would not be carried out under any circumstances. It was to be a once in a lifetime event. This further referendum is a breach of that commitment to the people of Scotland and is thus driven by a few politicians rather than the people. I presume the intent is that if enough referendums are held then the chance of the 'few' politicians wishes being enacted becomes more likely. This is fundamentally undemocratic.	No Answered	Unconstitutional.
67	122827270	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As the Electoral Commission was set up by the UK government, I don't trust their impartiality, regardless of whether they have "independent status" or not. A better way to ensure complete impartiality is to appoint an Electoral Commission in another country which does not have a vested interested in the outcome of this referendum, which Westminster clearly does.	This all seems fair enough. However, I was very concerned in the last referendum at the number of people who suddenly decided to register themselves in Scotland just to get a vote - maybe if they had a second home here, for example, they registered it as their main domicile just so they could vote. I would hope firm steps will be taken next time to avoid this.	Acceptable.
68	734632476	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	This certainly seems to be "fair and transparent".	This certainly seems to be reasonable on the face of it.
69	60620486	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My view for this are that the responsibilitys as stated above should be kept in line with election and other referendums	No Answered	I fully agree with these proposed technical changes from the 2014 referendum. These will insure there is a more accurate result if another referendum was to take place
70	785369178	Karen Ray	Individual	Individual	I agree with all these proposals	I agree with all these proposals	I agree with all these proposals
71	1015061998	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with these.	I'm happy with these.	I'm happy with these.
72	636330923	Robert Brenchley	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The SNP should not be pressing for another referendum so soon after a clear majority of people voted in 2014 to remain part of the UK. It is a waste of taxpayers money.\r The UK voted clearly to Leave the EU in June, the UK will now leave the EU. Scotland is not a member state of the EU so cannot "stay in the EU" when the UK leaves in 2019 - that is a fact of life the SNP needs to accept.\r Holyrood does not have responsibility for constitutional matters nor for overseas relations. The proposed bill could not legally be put before Holyrood so this whole consultation is a waste of public money.
73	288859908	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think it should be managed the same as the previous referendum without scare tactics and much more respect.	I feel that by allowing 16/17 year olds to vote will be so beneficial to representing our future.	Theresa May shouldn't vote in anything. Ever again
74	183964583	David Jacobs	Individual	Individual	Quite happy with that, but have concerns on the postal ballot side of things.\rEspecially when a tory party member had access to results pre announcement.	Definatey for anything that improves and protects the integrety of the count.	Fine with this change.
75	738554405	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There seemed to be some discrepancies, let's say mistakes, at certain counts in 2014, so a more robust on site checking system should be considered, such as video monitoring. \r If the atmosphere around the referendum becomes heated, outside observers should be considered. \r Absolutely no tallying of postal votes by observers. Handle postal votes face down. Plus, no en masse collecting of postal votes from, for instance, care homes, by anyone whosoever.	No Answered	All sensible proposals
76	409533506	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think that the continued use of counting officers and maintaining the role of the Electoral Commission is the right thing to do.	I agree wholeheartedly with the idea that those who make Scotland their home have the right to vote on its future, it's their country too after-all, however I have two concerns.\r Firstly, I believe, though I may be wrong, (non British) EU citizens gain their ability to vote in Local elections and the Scottish Parliament elections through EU rules on reciprocity, I worry that this might come into conflict considering the very fact that the catalyst for this potential referendum is the vote to leave the EU, essentially I think safeguards should be put in place so that should there be a vote after the UK has officially left the EU, those people will maintain their right to vote.\r Secondly, I believe there around 200,000 people in Scotland not born anywhere in the EU who don't qualify for a vote whatsoever, I would suggest that the franchise be expanded to include them as that is in keeping with the idea that those who build a life for themselves here deserve a say on this country no matter where they came from originally.\r I am in absolute agreement with the continued provision for 16 and 17 year old voters, personally I fail to see why it is even considered an issue.\r I agree with the restrictions on an Emergency proxy vote as its function is to ensure those who can't make it to vote get a chance to do so.\r In terms of postal votes, I still worry about the potential for misuse and coercion and would suggest that the need for an individual to fill out their ballot themselves be more heavily emphasised on the form, even providing instructions should coercion be attempted, perhaps a look at safeguards in general for this is needed not just for this specific proposed vote.\r I do agree with 100% checking.\r I agree that the returning officer should not knowingly appoint those who have actively campaigned to count votes however safeguards should be made to ensure neither "side" can take advantage of this rule by flippantly identifying anyone they know to be supportive (though not a campaigner) of a particular option in an attempt to stack the decks themselves so to speak.\r I agree completely with the issuing of verification statements.	I agree with ensuring that a permitted participant should be required to be aware of the fact of what they're doing and the responsibilities they are taking on.\r I also agree that those seeking to use official campaigns to promote offensive names should be disallowed from doing so.\r i agree that a political partys campaign officer should be allowed to take on the role of a responsible person.
77	686123194	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the eligibility stuff and the rest of the management plans in terms of managing a referendum. I don't agree with holding the referendum at all. I feel you're not listening to the population of Scotland and have no justification for one.	The changes are ok by me. I don't agree with holding the referendum at all. I feel you're not listening to the population of Scotland and have no justification for one.	Not sure about the update to schedule 4 re campaigns officer but the rest f the changes are fine by me.I don't agree with holding the referendum at all. I feel you're not listening to the population of Scotland and have no justification for one.
78	835335745	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I was at the count for last referendum. People could come and go,fire doors left open,I could take my bag and coat in and was never asked for ID. It should be a lock down,counted in polling stations with representatives from parties there. No movement of boxes! No postal votes sent down south and postal only used if I'll,severe disability or in hospital. If people are given enough notice then shouldn't book holidays at that time,when making such an important vote on future of our country. Postal votes should be posted to Scottish parliament and kept in a locked cage in full view ,with cameras. Many people spoke on social media about getting a Scottish address to vote against independence. You need to sort that. We all have a national insurance number.Don't underestimate the Many Orange order faithfuls that work in councils,some that have worked their way up.Many left school and got jobs there through,who they knew. I'm now in my 50's and most are still there ,along with family members and would do anything to protect the union. I don't say this lightly and should be taken seriously 're the referendum. Councils,civic centres are no place to keep postal votes or using drivers ,security guards etc.I work for the council and we still joke about " jobs for the boys" \rIt's there,trust me.	No Answered	See above
79	993439163	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The Electoral Commission clearly stated that a YES/NO vote introduced bias into the EU membership referendum (BREXIT). It is clear that on this basis the question to people living in Scotland should be \r“Should Scotland Remain or Leave the United Kingdom?” rather than the clearly bias previous question “Should Scotland be an independent country?”
80	7772463	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I don't like them all. No justifiable reason exists for this referendum other than ignoring what people voted for in 2014 and following your own wishes.
81	456219688	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Need to know more about the arrangements, but procedurally all looks ok and anticipated that it will be run in much the same way as the previous independence referendum.	100% agree with proposals.	100% agree with proposals.
82	55786581	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A referendum should not be held	No Answered	n/a
83	1027904816	stephen kidd	Individual	Individual	I am very worried about the negative driving force of the remain side.\rI fear the postal votes can be manipulated as has been shown in London's Tower Hamlets.\rScot Gov must have as much info on issues the public worry about , with as much independent experts ready and willing to assist.\rThe BBC must be held to standards ! VERY IMMPORTANT \rI also have concerns over counting staff who also have links to councils	Seems fine	Seems fine
84	36317104	Pamela Hamilton	Individual	Individual	I would like the debates to be fair across the media and politicians regardless whether they are YES/NO the last referendum was lost because of scaremongering and biased media influence. I would also like to see polling stations manned as they're are suggestions that 'others' we're able to know results before polls closed that had to change,counting should only begin after 10pm even postal votes. Just recently the EU referendum repeated all the massive mistakes the Scottish referendum was exposed to media and lies.	Huge mistakes in 2014,I would like to see counting have stern security and for more people to get involved,I definitely will be.	I have faith in the up-dates what the Scottish Government has implemented,as long as its fair and equal.
85	892330414	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Individual	My concern is that, once again, Scots living in Europe will have no vote in the Referendum, while Europeans living in Scotland will. Is it not possible to allow Scots abroad to vote on the same basis as in the Brexit referendum? It seems beyond question that such a vote should be allowed, given this possible 2nd referendum is brought about by the outcome of the Brexit referendum in which people such as myself had a vote and surely it would be inconsistent that we now should not have a say on our country’s future.
86	41877227	Brian Cairns	Individual	Individual	This is acceptable, however I would ensure that there's absolutely no possibility for miscounting, discarding or altering of eligible votes.	I do not agree that members of the House of Lords should be eligible to vote unless they meet one or more of the other criteria.\r This is due to the simple fact members are unelected by the people of Scotland and therefore should not be given a vote when they themselves are not voted for.	This seems like a sensible approach.
87	1056190530	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	With regards to eligibility to vote, the right of "EU Citizens who have made Scotland their home" is too vague. For how long must they have resided in Scotland ? What constitutes "making their home ?" Can they vote and then exit the country ? It is wrong that the aforementioned are permitted to vote on the future of Scotland, and yet Scots born and bred in their native land but now residing elsewhere in the world do not have a vote. Why not ? They should be allowed the right to vote too.	No comment	No comment
88	471477510	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the best way is to consult with the people of Scotland. In my opinion it would be a waste of resources to run a referendum if there is no clear evidence that the people of Scotland want a second referendum.	No Answered	I support this. \r I'm happy to see that 16-17 year olds will be given the right to vote once again in the referendum.
89	60508253	Douglas Daniel	Individual	Individual	I disagree that eligibility to vote should be the same as for the Scottish Parliament and local government elections, but I will discuss this at length in the next answer. Everything else is fine, though.	Scottish Parliament and local authority elections are NOT based on residency. They are based on nationality. The clue is in the fact that people have to have been born in a country that has some sort of international arrangement with the UK, be it as a fellow member of the EU, or as a fellow Commonwealth member, which is effectively a list of countries that the British Empire invaded to extract their natural resources and enslave their people.\r This referendum (and our elections in general, but I'm going to be pushing that as an issue through my party's decision-making structures separately) should be based on residency, not nationality. Currently, residents hailing from our near neighbours Iceland and Norway are unable to vote in Scottish elections, just because their "home" nations have decided not to join the EU. Yet people from Vanuatu and Tuvalu on the other side of the globe can vote because their countries were once part of the British Empire.\r Open the franchise to every person who is permanently resident in Scotland, regardless of nationality or citizenship.\r As for postal voting, for such a critical vote, I don't think it's too much to ask people to ensure they make an effort to be available to vote on the day. Postal vote eligibility should be restricted to those who are physically unable to make it to a polling station. Postal vote applications have expanded to the point that some people get them simply for convenience. This is a vote with huge importance. If casting that vote in person is too inconvenient, then you are clearly not taking it seriously enough.	No views.
90	111267188	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I fundamentally disagree that another referendum should be considered after a clear response in the previous one.\rI was a 'silent' No voter last time. Should another referendum be called I will do everything I am able to make my opinion count, and be heard.\rI urge you to listen to the 55% who voted no, in what we were told was a once in a generation referendum in 2014. The call for another referendum will divide the nation of Scotland again, and should not undertaken.	There is no need for another referendum, and therefore technical changes are not required.	No one should be voting, as there should not be another referendum.
91	576396459	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for managing a referendum as it is a total waste of money and part of the S N P's ploy to stay in Europe which they have failed to prove they will get membership.	No Answered	They are Ok
92	616681013	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Look OK to a non-expert BUT we do not need another referendum abide by the previous one	Agree BUT we do not need another referendum abide by the previous one	Agree BUT we do not need another referendum abide by the previous one
93	215487098	Brian McAlpine	Individual	Individual	I am fully satisfied with the arrangements.	I am happy with the proposals.	I support these proposals.
94	416723227	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not so sure about allowing postal votes. Some controversy about them last time.	Happy	Happy
95	297607598	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	From video footage that emerged of the counting process I do not support a similar counting system. Votes that come out already in elastic bands straight from the ballot boxes ready to be counted is seriously suspicious to say the least. I also can't believe that not one single area in Edinburgh voted in support of the referendum, I was there and saw who was voting and how few people were with the remain camp outside the voting station.	I agree	I agree
96	813356670	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I completely disagree with any future referendum. this is not what Ms Sturgeon committed to the Scottish people	nil	nil
97	1003658122	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I happy with them	I believe they are fair.	I am happy with them
98	989554238	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	II feel very very strongly that it should not be a simple majority. In line with the First Minister's comments on the EU referendum, we should establish a minimum threshold - eg only binding on a 80% turnout and minimum 60% approval	Extra burdens being applied to the verification of all postal votes because of the tin hat brigade - absolutely unnecessary pandering to conspiracy theorists	No view
99	726720208	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I broadly agree with the proposed arrangements	On eligibility, while I appreciate that voters are tied in to electoral rules of eligibility with regards to voting in local elections I would like to point out that there are people who are resident in Scotland and have been for some time and who have a right to live and work (set out by the Home Office) due to their marital relationships with UK and EU citizens but are unable to vote due to not being a UK, Commonwealth or EU citizen themselves. While I don't seek for those rules to be changed (as this would require some legislative amendments at Westminster), it's worth pointing out that not all those "who reside in Scotland" are able to vote.\r On postal voting specifically, the last time around we heard many stories of people who had changed their minds after casting their postal vote. It may be useful to consider a rule whereby a postal vote may be overruled by the person turning up to vote in person on polling day if they choose to do so.\r On counting, the most important thing is to ensure the safety of all ballots to the counting place and make sure no one has access to those ballots until they are all fully counted. Again there were stories of certain politicians having gained access to ballots before they were fully counted which should never happen.	I broadly agree with the proposed changes.
100	1018119439	Sean Caldow	Individual	Individual	The arrangements for managing the referendum are well set out, and previously worked well during the 2014 referendum. This was a simple process for both the voters and the Electoral Management Board (to my knowledge). The 2014 referendum also had one of the highest turnouts of recent times for any such governmental election and I believe having such a well set out process aided this. I would be more than happy for the same arrangements to be in place for any future referendum.	I agree with the majority of the outline for eligibility to vote, with the following exception. I feel that those members of the House of Lords resident in Scotland may have a clash of interest with regards to their Lordship within the House and also being an active resident within Scotland. Although I believe they should be allowed to vote, as are all politicians, I believe they should not be permitted to use their stats as members of the House to attempt to persuade the general public to vote in a specific way. The exception to this would be if they were part of the official Yes/No campaigns and were therefore permitted to do so.\r I also agree with the decision to exclude counting officers who have been involved in campaigning during the referendum. I have full confidence in the counting process and this will go further to reaffirm the general public of a accurate and honest outcome.	I have no opinion on the changes to rules on permissible participants. I feel the stated changes are clearly required and will aid the election process as stated.
101	664594189	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would like to see the postal vote being closely monitored	Totally agree	Agree
102	188021157	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In 2014 there were some videos of potential mis-counting, votes being put on the wrong pile, etc. The entire count must overseen by persons who are not the counting officers, but are monitoring the counting. These individuals should be able to seek a re-count if they suspect the counting is flawed.	Polling booths should use ink pens NOT pencils.	No comment
103	1072577106	lawrence alexander	Individual	Individual	I can't see any problem with this	fine	fine
104	404899615	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe the wording of the proposed referendum is unfair. In the EU referendum, the electoral commission vetoed the use of a yes/no question, given the positive implications of a 'yes' vote and the negative implications of a 'no' vote. If the question read 'Should Scotland remain in the United Kingdom - Yes/No' this would be equally unfair. \rThe question should read along the lines of:\rShould Scotland remain in the United Kingdom or become an independent country?\r1) Scotland should remain in the United Kingdom\r2) Scotland should become an independent country. \r I think this would prevent the pro-independence side from being overly positive and optimistic, and prevent the pro-union side from being overly negative and pessimistic. This would allow the campaigns to focus purely on issues, rather than emotive issues of positivity/negativity. \r It should be noted that polling consistently shows that a majority of respondents oppose the holding of a referendum at this stage, and this majority is greater than the current majority in the polls for a 'No' vote. Therefore, across potential 'Yes' and 'No' voters, only a minority support another referendum. There should be no referendum until polling consistently shows majority support for the holding of another referendum, irrespective of which way people plan to vote.	No Answered	There should be a minimum turnout for questions of such constitutional gravity. If we are to be asked the same question again in such quick succession, there must be a minimum turnout to prevent voter apathy or electoral exhaustion being factors in the outcome, particularly after the large number of referenda and elections in the last few years (EU elections 2014, Independence referendum 2014, General election 2015, Scottish parliament elections 2016, EU referendum 2016, local government elections 2017). 50%+1 of all eligible voters should back constitutional change before it can occur.
105	472357988	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The issues are clear and the arrangements acceptable.	I am delighted that ALL Scottish residents are included and have the right to vote.	Fair and concise.
106	311535601	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The proposed arrangements are fitting and well explained
107	128317744	Savannah McKibbin	Individual	Individual	I agree	Ibagree	I agree
108	824801545	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Perfectly acceptable to me	Fine with ne	Fine with me
109	263049071	Christopher Bruce	Individual	Individual	Two points of dissatisfaction:\rPoint 1\rThis should be a secret ballot! The inclusion of the unique number makes each ballot paper traceable. \r This is the English way. \r I propose you remove this number OR remove the duty of the poll stations to record this number against the voter card. \r I further propose that this be widely advertise as 'A fair way, A Scottish way' \r Point 2\rThere is unquiet about the way the votes were counted. \r Therefore I propose that an independent non British body be asked to monitor the voting, the counting and the declarations. \r Finally\rThe Westminster Parliament, in considering giving lifetime voting powers to expats has identified the fact that expats are able to continue to vote in British elections for, I believe 10 years. \r I propose that this rule, applying the same timescale be extended to Scots who have left Britain to live in other countries. \r America, Canada and Australia have many Scottish immigrants. \r If London feels it is a good thing to allow expats to support the British system while living permanently in their tax havens then let Scotland call upon its sons and daughters, lost to us because they have been able to improve their lives outwith the British system, to add their collective voices in our onward journey to self determination	They are improvements.	Acceptable.
110	267079729	Andrew McCallum	Individual	Individual	I don't think a second referendum on whether or not the Scottish parliament should be independent of the UK parliament in its decision-making should be arranged in the form of a plebiscite. As we saw with the last independence referendum, and have seen more recently with the referendum on the UK's membership of the EU, plebiscites are socially divisive, are vulnerable to politically motivated misdirection and misinformation, and do not produce decisive results.\r There are other arrangements that governments can make to refer matters to its citizens, which are much less divisive, less open to political chicanery, and produce decisive outcomes. Something along the lines of having a citizens' jury (twelve angry wo/men, chosen by lot, to 'try' the proposal that Scotland should be an independent country (or whatever the proposal will be this time around), with advocates for and against the proposal (Nicola and Ruth?) presenting the respective cases and cross-examining their [expert] witnesses, under the oversight of a presiding judge to ensure the procedural rectitude of the solemn proceedings. And the whole proceedings would be live-streamed for public scrutiny. This is just one of a range of possible democratic alternatives to the blunt instrument of a general plebiscite vote.\r I would like to see the range of possible alternative arrangements considered in deciding how a second referendum would be managed. The last referendum was a shambles and a disgrace, for the reasons given at the head of this submission. We need to do better next time around.	No comment	No comment
111	136218077	Brian massie	Individual	Individual	Due to all the stories and uncertainty that circulated after 2014 Indy ref. Would prefer independent body from uk govt. to monitor proceedings.	Agree with proposed changes.	Agreed
112	103999607	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with arrangements except I think that Scots resident in rUK should be able to vote.	agreed	agreed
113	781192974	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The SNP are an embarrassment to the people of Scotland. There are no grounds on which to force another bitter and divisive campaign on the people of Scotland where the SNP just say whatever they like to further their narrow separatist agenda regardless of the truth of the matter. \r Many thousands of people put off buying their homes prior to the outcome of the last (once in a lifetime) referendum before then going ahead with purchases once the only sensible and patriotic outcome was secured. This is evidenced by the industry's own statistics and annual meeting minutes. Should the SNP now disregard the will of the Scottish people and hold another pointless referendum resulting in property values falling and sale completions slowing, thousands of ordinary decent people will be forced to sue the SNP devolved Scottish Government for losses incurred as a result.\r The SNP should stop pandering to the unintelligent separatist movement (SNP supporters), stop harming the reputation, economy and civic society of Scotland and start focussing on their devolved responsibilities which require proper attention.	The SNP are an embarrassment to the people of Scotland. There are no grounds on which to force another bitter and divisive campaign on the people of Scotland where the SNP just say whatever they like to further their narrow separatist agenda regardless of the truth of the matter. \r Many thousands of people put off buying their homes prior to the outcome of the last (once in a lifetime) referendum before then going ahead with purchases once the only sensible and patriotic outcome was secured. This is evidenced by the industry's own statistics and annual meeting minutes. Should the SNP now disregard the will of the Scottish people and hold another pointless referendum resulting in property values falling and sale completions slowing, thousands of ordinary decent people will be forced to sue the SNP devolved Scottish Government for losses incurred as a result.\r The SNP should stop pandering to the unintelligent separatist movement (SNP supporters), stop harming the reputation, economy and civic society of Scotland and start focussing on their devolved responsibilities which require proper attention.	The SNP are an embarrassment to the people of Scotland. There are no grounds on which to force another bitter and divisive campaign on the people of Scotland where the SNP just say whatever they like to further their narrow separatist agenda regardless of the truth of the matter. \r Many thousands of people put off buying their homes prior to the outcome of the last (once in a lifetime) referendum before then going ahead with purchases once the only sensible and patriotic outcome was secured. This is evidenced by the industry's own statistics and annual meeting minutes. Should the SNP now disregard the will of the Scottish people and hold another pointless referendum resulting in property values falling and sale completions slowing, thousands of ordinary decent people will be forced to sue the SNP devolved Scottish Government for losses incurred as a result.\r The SNP should stop pandering to the unintelligent separatist movement (SNP supporters), stop harming the reputation, economy and civic society of Scotland and start focussing on their devolved responsibilities which require proper attention.
114	656152749	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with this,	Again satisfied with this arrangement and agree it's important proxy voters identity is known	Not sure how it changed from last time
115	615061133	Francis Halligan	Individual	Individual	Yes would like all of the above however I would like all postal votes retained in Scotland and only opened and counted in Scotland with independent verification and all parties involved in the referendum to be present when they are opened and counted. \rI would also prefer that all ballot boxes be opened and counted in the polling stations with independent counsel and both parties involved in the referendum process present if this is not possible I would like to see both parties go with the people responsible for the ballot boxes transportation to the counting stations to keep the boxes safe to avoid any tampering with the boxes. \rI would also like that at any point bothe parties can independently verify and ballot papers.	I agree with all the technical changes	I agree
116	52050693	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	Please respect the democratic will of the Scottish people and accept the 2014 result.	These changes have been clearly made ro increase the likelihood of a yes vote. The referendum which should not happen again should be run on the same terms as 2014.
117	1035007730	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A generation has not passed. You should not be holding another referendum.	The UK has voted to leave the EU therefor EU citizens should not be allowed to vote on the future of the UK.\r Scots living elsewhere in the UK should be given a vote.	I support these changes.
118	64258588	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This seems like the most democratic and fair system to use as it is easy for members of the public to vote. It is very important that people aged 16 and above have the right to vote as they are the future of Scotland and this referendum affects them more than any other age group.	It is vital that EU citizens living in Scotland have the right to vote because the outcome of the referendum could be the difference between them living in Scotland or being forced to leave against their will.\rAs stated above it is vital that 16 and 17 year olds are eligible to vote as the outcome will affect them as much as anyone else.	All of these are sensible. If someone registers with and offensive name then why should their declaration be taken seriously?
119	959871048	Graeme Young	Individual	Individual	I do not believe that another referendum is needed, rather the constitutional question was decided in 2014 and should not be rerun. \rThe Government must focus on more pressing issues that are affecting the people of Scotland and another referendum is not one.	I do not believe that another referendum is needed, rather the constitutional question was decided in 2014 and should not be rerun. \rThe Government must focus on more pressing issues that are affecting the people of Scotland and another referendum is not one.	Similar to the UK/EU referendum, the proposal to include EU citizens is only being done so to bolster the SNP’s potential votes for this proposed referendum. Non-UK citizens should not be permitted to vote unless UK citizenship has been attained, granting them full rights to participation in electoral processes. EU citizens are being used as a political pawn.
120	815204417	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I do not wish to appear paranoid but having witnessed procedures at polling stations I am not confident that these procedures are secure and robust. Regardless of whether they are or are not, they need to have the appearance of being secure and honest if disputes and conspiracies are to be avoided after the result. The Crimean referendum highlights issues of trust, impartiality, and access even if a referendum has international observers. The absence of exit polls in the 2014 referendum added to the mistrust. I do not propose a solution to this but during the consultation phase it would be a good idea to take ideas from the more trusted democracies with experience of referendums such as Switzerland, Netherlands and Denmark. The UK has little experience of referendums (despite the recent EU referendum).
121	1035333192	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
122	798475659	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If this means that all votes are counted at each polling station and not transferred to other locations then i agree that these ammendments are the best way to ensure democracy.	Is there a time limit for the number of years residency in Scotland before being allowed to vote? I would prefer at least 5 years proven residency.	I agree.
123	40420562	Malcolm McGrath	Individual	Individual	I believe these proposals to be fair and just. Similar to the 2014 referendum. \rMy only concern is the speculation of vote rigging from the previous referendum and across the globe that seems to have been proven.	I am happy with the proposed amendments for the counting and polling staff, although recognise that this will be extremely difficult to accomplish.	Happy with these proposals. I believe our government should be as transparent as possible with the electorate removing chance of corruption and helping to create a fair society...
124	512122345	Al Eddie	Individual	Individual	I have little faith in the electoral commission - that organization has been reported as being infiltrated at the highest levels by British Labour.\rI al also concerned about the use of electoral services provided by companies reported as being owned by current UK government cabinet ministers.\rScottish Government should consider deployment of completely independent and impartial electoral services, possibly from EU partner countries or further afield.	I am unhappy about the inclusion of members of the house of lords being entitled to vote, irrespective of whether they are resident in Scotland. They are of an undemocratic institution, and should therefore be excluded from the democratic process.	Acceptable.
125	459662507	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The ballot question and possible answers are unfairly worded - "Yes" and "No" have an in-built positive and negative swing, enough that voters feel one choice is progressive and the other regressive as do words like "leave" and "remain".\r Therefore it is tactical and unfair to pose the question and answers in such a way.\r A fairer way to model the question would be something like : \r"What should Scotland's relationship with the UK be:"\r- Scotland should be an independent country\r- Scotland should be part of the United Kingdom	No Answered	Only registered British Citizens with an address in Scotland should be able to vote. \r If people from the Commonwelath or the EU wish to have a say in a decision this large, they should commit themselves to this country
126	436299542	Allan McNair	Individual	Individual	I have concerns about postal votes and how they can be manipulated. I would rather there were no postal votes at all but can see the issues with this. There were also quite worrying pictures from the counts of last referendum. I would prefer an electronic voting system to be used in this day and age. No need for postal votes, just access to an electronic device with an internet signal.	No issues with this	I agree with the rules on permissible participants
127	328174464	Susan Stewart	Individual	Individual	I liken Scotlands situation to someone being on a bus, where the driver and other passengers have decided to drive off a cliff. Scotland might raise her hand and object, but the others just nod and smile - safe in the knowledge that everything will be alright once we career off the edge. \rI welcome this consultation and cannot wait for the next referendum.	Fine. No issues with this.	Postal and proxy voting should be stopped. There is too much opportunity to vote fraudulently.
128	281484199	William Raymond Walker	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	We ( voters ) need to have an independent counting Officer to oversee the Chief Counting officer in order that we have a full and fair transparent count.
129	910023700	Alan Young	Individual	Individual	I have no issues with the proposals and management of any proposed independence referendum, nor with the voting franchise proposed.	I agree with the proposed technical changes ... most especially those designed to clarify the validity of postal/proxy votes.	No strong views
130	108271059	Anthony Richardson	Individual	Individual	It just should not happen !	Not required	With age comes maturity, life experience, mistakes and learning, 18 would e about the correct the age for voters.
131	856996269	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Disagree with this this referendum is divisive and could end up with very unintended consequences for the UK and Scotland. Almost waiting for Northern Ireland to "kick off" again and that wont be pretty. Then others follow.\r Why cant I vote ? I'm half Scottish, my grandparents turned in their grave last time this happened. If it went through I am a foreigner from that date and will treat the outcome as such and affects my future decision's regarding Scotland.	No Answered	Thinking of the consequences:\r An English Border\rTariffs\rI work for a multinational and suspect they wont go near the place for investment
132	130730283	Mark McNaught	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I am an academic in France who wrote extensively in the lead-up to the 2014 referendum, as well as drafting a written constitution for Scotland which I submitted to the Scottish government prior to the referendum. I spent last semester in Barcelona, and I translated a draft constitution for Catalonia drafted by Constituïm, a group of constitutional specialists. \r Specifically with regard to conducting a second referendum, I have given a lot of thought to instituting a new, modern voting system. In the previous referendum, even if there was not fraud, there was vast scope for fraud. There was also a major issue with postal ballots as you well remember. There is no reason why there cannot be a voting system using the most modern technology, where one can vote online, and the system has demonstrably, provable integrity. There can be automatic, irrevocable voter registration.\r I will be in Scotland from November 1-10. I would be delighted to meet with Derek Mackay or any others to discuss my ideas and formulate more detailed proposals. Even if this were not to be implemented for this referendum, it is something to seriously consider for a future independent Scottish state.
133	862770508	Robert Brown	Individual	Individual	I believe that Scotland should have the right to call another referendum, as the promises of 2014 have not been fulfilled.	I agree with these proposals	I agree with these proposals
134	1049812701	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am of strong opinion that there should be NO second referendum so close to the previous independence referendum where a substantial majority voted to stay in the UK. Leaving the UK would leave Scotland with far greater long term damage than leaving the EU...We were promised a once in a generation vote and now a couple of years later that promise is being broken and we are being forced by the Scottish Government to have to go through another referendum again that splits the county and forces friends, neighbours & family against each other...where does this end? A referendum every 5 years until the Scottish Government get the vote they want...no thanks! Can the Government please stick to the mandate that the people gave them as a collective and deal with health care, education, highways etc as priorities...!	Couldn't care less tbh, i will cast my vote as i did previously if needs be.	Couldn't care less tbh, i will cast my vote as i did previously if needs be.
135	10797324	Louisa Micallef	Individual	Individual	I think this is the best way to do it as it needs to be done fairly and openly.	I think theese are good policies and I am shocked that not 100% were checked before.	Not sure I follow this one
136	61492277	Kevin Hamilton	Individual	Individual	Scotlands interests within the EU must be protected, this was indicated by the majority of the Scottish electorate in the "Brexit" referendum \rIt is therefore right that all options should be available to the Scottish Government upto and including the right to ask the people of Scotland what they prefer to remain a part of in a referendum	It is good that everybody residing in scotland will be allowed a say however greater scrutiny must be used over people who will claim a s ottish address on a temporary basis for the purpose of voting postal ballots should be very closely monitored as there were allegations of abuse of this system at the last referendum and greater oversight and scrutiny should be used at all polling stations and counting stations to stop alleged abuses that happened at the last referendum	Happy with this
137	181921739	Carrie MacKay	Individual	Individual	I think this is fine to keep things the same as they were to ensure everything runs smoothly	I agree with this and think this is the best way to do this	Also agree with this
138	702053783	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements.	I agree with the proposals.	I agree.
139	563341047	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Seems fine. Don't see anything wrong with the current voting system, in terms of the physical mechanism to vote and count.	I would like to be able to vote - I was raised /educated in scotland. My parents still live there, with my sister, who is there dependant. My brother, who has left home and is a household on his own, is also residing in Scotland. \r I personally have a lot invested in Scotland itself, and have plans to return one day. and there would be others like me, but I understand how hard it would be to monitor. - people that use to be registered, but have moved away but still have connections, but also have ties to England or other countries - partner/spouse from other country with no intention to return. but others with intention to return. \r And you can't let the whole of other countries vote, as that nullifies Scottish votes - as in the general election.	I have no idea what this means
140	222912050	James Ross	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposal	I am happy with the arrangements	This seems to be very sensible
141	772559946	Alex Mitchell	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements are perfectly fair; they are largely the same as the provisions for the 2014 referendum which was run very well and it is only right that a 2nd independence referendum proceeds on similar terms. The minor changes that have been proposed will bring the arrangements up to date and into line with arrangements for other Scottish elections.	No Answered	The amendment regarding eligibility to vote does not have any practical impact, it is simply an update on wording to take account of the change in legislation when the Scottish Elections (Reduction of Voting Age) Act 2015 was introduced.\r An increase of 7,770% in emergency proxy applications caused administrative difficulties in 2014. Even if this level of emergency proxy applications could be managed administratively, there is no justification in allowing anyone to exceed the cut-off date where they could have reasonably been expected to submit a normal proxy application. The amendment addresses this issue whilst still providing for those who genuinely need an emergency proxy vote and it also brings the procedures into line with other elections. \r Increasing the checking of personal identifiers from a minimum of 20% to 100% will help ensure the legitimacy of postal votes and it will go a long way to improve public confidence in the postal vote system. \r Introducing measures to ensure those who have actively campaigned for any outcome in the referendum will also help to improve public confidence in the system. Whilst public confidence in how the 2014 referendum was run overall was very high, it is right that steps are taken to address concerns about specific aspects of they system where they arise. This amendment doesn't reflect on the integrity of those who campaign in the referendum but it is however a reasonable precautionary measure.
142	360847111	Roslyn Heaney	Individual	Individual	I believe the arrangements for managing and regulating the referendum in 2014 were effective and do not require reconsideration for a future referendum.	Polling and count arrangements which apply at all other elections must also be applied in future referendums. \r I support the proposed technical changes. In particular, the statutory requirement must be revised to ensure all postal identification checks are carried out on all postal ballots and counting officers must supply a copy of the verification statement to counting agents if requested.	I support all of the above proposals.
143	588360002	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum	There should be no referendum	There should not be a referendum
144	464324591	Colin Dawson	Individual	Individual	No comments.	The availability of postal and proxy votes should be severely restricted to those who have good reason to require them and recipients should be audited to ensure there is no fraud. Wherever possible, voters should have to attend their polling station in person.\r There needs to be a detailed audit of the electoral register to ensure that there is no fraud. \r All voters should be required to produce identification at polling stations.\r Postal votes must remain in Scotland at suitably secure locations. When checking the voter statements, there should be no need to open the second envelope. The second envelopes must not be opened until after the polls close. Postal votes must be opened and envelopes separated to a secured place before ballot boxes are opened.\r Those who own property in Scotland but are not ordinarily resident here should not be entitled to vote and an audit of this aspect of the electoral register should be carried out.\r Service personnel whose families reside outside of Scotland should not be entitled to vote unless they can prove that they themselves permanently reside in Scotland. By way of example, a submariner whose family lives outside of Scotland and who is shore based at Faslane for brief periods between deployments and shore leave should not be entitled to vote. Only those whose principal place of residence is in Scotland should be allowed to vote and an audit of this part of the electoral register should be carried out.\r The procedures for sealing and transportation of ballot boxes needs to be considerably tightened. At least one representative from each side of the campaign must observe the ballot boxes throughout the election and count process.\r Independent international experts should review the Referendum Bill and related procedures to identify any potential weaknesses, based on best practices in other countries, before the Bill is passed.\r Independent international observers should witness the conduct of the referendum and have the authority to request the police to intervene if they witness any breaches of procedures. They should produce a report following the referendum detailing their findings.\r Training of all officials and observers that will be on duty at every part of the referendum process needs to be greatly improved. Their competence needs to be assessed before and during the referendum process by examinations prior to the referendum and by independent and anonymous auditing at any point during the process. By way of example, an auditor should be able to ask a question of staff at polling stations and the polling station staff should be assessed based upon their response. During the 2014 referendum, far too many staff were inadequately trained and did not understand the rules and procedures. Complaints about this to officials after the referendum were dismissed with the suggestion that any complaints required a petition to the Court of Session. The unwillingness of officials to investigate legitimate concerns was disturbing and the fact that these officials made no reference to such concerns in the final report into the conduct of the referendum is a significant cause for concern. This despite the fact that these officials admitted widespread breach of procedures during the counts.\r In summary, the UK electoral system has significant weaknesses and many of these are well documented. The next independence referendum needs to comply with best international practices.	No comments.
145	500196960	Dale Buchanan	Individual	Individual	Not sure what the minimum required residency is to vote but i think a minimum of 5 years should be set. Other than that the referendum last time was carried out very fairly and should remain that way.	As above.	Agree
146	110632917	Ian Nelson	Individual	Individual	I am not satisfied that the wording of the referendum question, as proposed in section 1.6, is the fairest and most accurate wording that could be used. Instead I propose that wording in line with the recent EU referendum should be used: \r "Should Scotland remain in union with the United Kingdom or leave the union and become an independent country?". \r This is a more accurate description of the voters' decision and removes any possibility of a positive or negative connotation that exist in a "Yes or No" question. \r A leave / remain decision would be in line with the question that was used recently for the referendum on EU membership.	I am satisfied with the proposed technical changes from the 2014 referendum procedures.	I am satisfied with the proposed technical changes from the 2014 referendum procedures.
147	757332557	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Acceptable	Consideration should be given to persons normally resident in Scotland but who are temporarily resident elsewhere, for purposes of study or work.	Acceptable
148	861690805	Robert Ramsay	Individual	Individual	Article 50, will be adhered to by the Scottish Parliament and time schedules for another referendum before the UK exit of the EU has to be followed, so that there can be no excuses from Westminster as to how the proposal for independence has been structured.	Counting must be scrutinised and monitored very closely and triple checked. The numbers need to be exact on every count, so that there can be no plausible deniability with regards to numbers voted.	This is a big sticking point for me. I am Scottish, was born in Glasgow and above all else, have Scotland and its people at the heart of every political decision made for Scotland, yet because I live in Northern Ireland, I do not get a vote on Scotlands future. I AM SCOTTISH!!!! I will always BE Scottish and I would travel to my homeland to cast my vote. \r SCOTTISH BORN PEOPLE DESERVE A VOTE!
149	290223330	Robert Shannon	Individual	Individual	I am in agreement with the proposal	I am in agreement with this proposal, especially with the 100% verification of postal votes.	I am in agreement with this proposal.
150	582903907	Tony Williams	Individual	Individual	Absolutely fine.	No more than required.	Agree.
151	1025846062	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is vital that any referendum should be conducted with impartial foreign observers to ensure that the result is not rigged. It is also necessary to remove postal voting due to the many cases of electoral fraud throughout the UK in recent years. People who only come to stay for short term breaks in their second/holiday homes should be excluded as should those who have only been resident in Scotland for a short time, eg 3 months or less, as we were all aware of people coming to Scotland for a short stay in order to obtain a vote in the 2014 referendum, and these people do not have any stake in progressing Scotland. Finally, it is essential that the Scottish Parliament take some action to counteract the tsunami of dreadful unionist propaganda and smear campaigns in the media including television. This has to be made illegal, and must be enforced.	This goes some way towards addressing my concerns but I still believe that the postal vote can be used to manipulate the result. I would also prefer the Electoral Commission to be removed from having any control over the referendum.	I have no faith in the integrity of the electoral commission, but there does need to be some control over who finances what in campaign spending - big business donations should be disallowed, as should large donations from non-residents.
152	445718357	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Satisfied with proposed arrangements	Satisfied with proposed arrangements with only minor concern - re alleged tampering with returned postal votes as rumoured to have been discarded before reaching postal address. Is there no means of electronic voting system with password protection (as is the case for annual confirmation of voters roll details?) or is this unlawful because of anonymity?	Satisfied with proposed arrangements
153	738548691	Colin Campbell	Individual	Individual	I think the proposed arrangements are fair and in justice to the people of Scotland and the UK as a whole.	No Answered	The changes feel fair.
154	601739544	Michael Figures	Individual	Individual	Looks perfectly reasonable.	Definitely progress from the 2014 referendum - I'm just not convinced this is enough make the voting secure - so many rumours of fiddling the postal vote within carehomes for example.	Fair enough.
155	721261034	Cris Thacker	Individual	Individual	An EU delegation should monitor and be final arbiter.	No Answered	Being able to voting by text & web, and perhaps at supermarkets and football matches, this would demonstrate an innovative and inclusive extension of the franchise.
156	241153805	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe there is cause for a second referendum, particularly this soon after the first. The main reason for revisiting being the result of the EU referendum is unjustifiable. The fact remains that in the first referendum the majority of the voters in this country, Scotland, exercised their democratic right to vote to remain as part of the UK and in doing so, voted to agree to remain part of that national democratic process. I was one such individual who voted to remain in the UK and in doing so accepted that any future UK level democratic votes would be won or lost based on the majority view of UK citizens as a whole, not only those living in Scotland. I voted to remain in the EU and the fact is that compared to other citizens of the UK, I was in the minority. That is democracy. \r I accept that the majority of people living in Scotland also voted to remain in the EU, however this cannot be viewed as a reason to hold a second referendum without grossly undermining the democratic process that the majority of people living in Scotland voted to remain part of only two years ago.\r On the day following the announcement of the result of the first Scottish referendum, the then First Minister Alex Salmond stood before the nation and stated that those Scots who voted to remain part of the UK should, "be ashamed". That comment alone, showed a shocking level of contempt and disrespect for democracy and it is no surprise that two years on, the SNP Government are positioning to run a second referendum.\r I voted to remain in the UK and in the EU. What of democracy if the situation is to arise where if find myself living in an independent Scotland as an EU citizen, despite being in the majority when I voted in the first Scottish Referendum and in the minority when I voted in the EU referendum?	Clearly they are aimed at securing a Yes to independence vote.	As above
157	437789103	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believer there should be another "once in a lifetime" referendum.	I believe the voting age should be raised to 24 - as this is the age at which the brain is fully developed. Any other age (especially younger) is arbitrary.	No opinion.
158	109823743	Craig Bell	Individual	Individual	More care has to be taken as I believe during our referendum in 2014, there was evidence of vote rigging, postal votes etc. There should also be exit polls at every polling station.	Just tighten it up.	No views
159	71446342	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I approve of the suggested arrangements.	I approve of these changes.	I approve of these changes.
160	747665950	Iain Macrae	Individual	Individual	I support the proposal	I support the proposal	I support the proposal
161	476070850	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There shouldn't be a second referendum, therefore the proposed arrangements for managing this unnecessary exercise are improper as they will divert much needed funds away from essential public sector services in order to satisfy the whim of Ms Sturgeon.	If the unnecessary vote does go ahead, it should be open to Scottish expats. Fairly straightforward to have a system where proof of birth in Scotland, or significant residence in Scotland could allow that individual to vote. As an example, allowing someone from an EU country who has been in Scotland for one day to vote but not a Scotsman who has lived out of Scotland for one day, makes a mockery of the process and undermines the result.	No comment.
162	128281040	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	electoral commission and their rules is best practise	franchise describes the people of scotland and reflects those contributing and living here\r process around absent voting proves very controversial, work and implementation to improve the accuracy of these systems in relation to completion of voting by the identified person and ensuring voting accurately reflects the voters role on the day of the referendum	permitted participant bodies (PPBs) should be the only ones who can broadcast, mail or pro-port to be an organisation during campaigning , this will aim to reduce confusion and unregulated claims of legitimacy by groups aiming to undermine the democratic process\r permissible donors and permitted participants should be on scottish electoral register....other UK donations should be held the same as foreign donations to elections\r broadcasters, publications and eMedia should be held to report only PPBs and balance broadcasting with even reports from the sides of a one question two option referendum (6 of our main political parties formed No and Yes campaigns in a 2 to 4 split, creating broadcast dis-proportionality)\r broadcasters, publications and eMedia should register as PPBs if not adhearing to these balanced rules
163	227059830	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree with the proposed arrangements	Agree with it	Agree with it
164	886506279	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum vote.	I agree with the proposed technical changes	I agree with these proposed changes
165	621474333	David Brawls	Individual	Individual	We MUST ensure that the vote will be fair. Postal voting should be overseen by an International group to prevent fraud. All ballot papers and forms to be kept for scrutiny should any objections be raised.	Why not set the pace and use electronic voting?	Agreed.
166	930774209	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Votes should be counted where they are cast, not moved around in vehicles, the polling stations are already staffed.\r Every polling station results published.	No Answered	Postal voting should only be used where absolutely neccesary and should remain sealed until polls are closed
167	322904378	garry burgess	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I can state this quite simply. There were allegations of postal vote rigging, (Ruth Davidson knew about postal voting intentions by opening ballot papers), and by ballot paper rigging through the use of various methods.\r How she was able to do this was not explained to the Scottish people..\r This may or may not have occurred but the security & verification process must be enhanced to ensure that any allegations of fraud can be proved either way. This has not been addressed in this draft proposal.\r I have fought long and hard for my countries Independence and I believe it was Stalin who said, "I care not who votes", I only cares who counts the votes". \r i would recommend that exit polls at all polling stations are put in place as a pre requisite of any future vote. Why this was not implemented previously is beyond me and every other yes voter that I have spoken to?.\r Any ballot papers being transported between polling station and counting station should be accompanied by both YES & NO voters, (in addition to police/security) to their final destination and they should verify the integrity & security of the process at each step..\r I would prefer no postal voting whatsoever as this is the most easily manipulated aspect of the system integrity.. If people feel strongly then they will reach a polling station. However, as this may be impracticable then every postal vote must be counted in Scotland and a cast iron security verification system put in place to ensure that no one, (even Tories) have access to how people voted until the night of the vote.\r 24 hr security by both yes & No voters and international observers must be with all ballot papers until they are counted.\r International observers from western & non western aligned.nations should be included in the security & verification process of both postal and polling station votes.\r Should any future result go against YES by a very small % then the Scottish Govt should not officially immediately accept the vote until all systems have confirmed that they were satisfied that the system integrity had been maintained.\r Saor Alba...
168	65991437	james muray	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	not needed we do not want another referendum
169	639978929	Declan Blench	Individual	Individual	Fully support.	Fully support	Fully support
170	113009298	Kevin Campbell	Individual	Individual	I would agree with this	Procedures should be in place to assure that the "Corbyn Effect" is managed appropriately to prevent people becoming resident in Scotland purely for the referendum.	This is acceptable.
171	307209778	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not wish a second independence referendum in Scotland. The last vote in 2014 caused great division across the country and was, prior to the vote a "once in a generational opportunity". In Scotland we have also been to the polling booth 5 times in just over 2 years. This is too much.	I do not wish a second independence referendum in Scotland. The last vote in 2014 caused great division across the country and was, prior to the vote a "once in a generational opportunity". In Scotland we have also been to the polling booth 5 times in just over 2 years. This is too much.	I do not wish a second independence referendum in Scotland. The last vote in 2014 caused great division across the country and was, prior to the vote a "once in a generational opportunity". In Scotland we have also been to the polling booth 5 times in just over 2 years. This is too much.
172	773778991	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with those arrangements.	I think they are sensible.	I am happy with them
173	103006626	Scot Wed Photos	Individual	Individual	The selection of counting officers, Local Returning Officers, CCO's and anyone who will be present during the count, will be of utmost importance and a major priority from the outset. There can be absolutely no question of the neutrality of these people.	My concerns with regard to eligibility, whilst I accept it may be difficult if not impossible to remedy.\r At the time of the vote, there will be people resident in Scotland who are not making Scotland their home country and have no wish to see Scotland independent eg, Students, employees of English companies, property owners who live outside Scotland but have an address in Scotland and presumably, many other such people.\r Members of the Armed Forces swear allegiance to the Queen and are indoctrinated into the mindset of the British Empire.\r This group of voters may (or may not) make up a sufficient % to alter the result.	Agree
174	83589482	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no 2nd referendum. The people made a decision in 2014 and we chose to remain in the UK.	There should be no 2nd referendum. The people made a decision in 2014 and we chose to remain in the UK.	There should be no 2nd referendum. The people made a decision in 2014 and we chose to remain in the UK.
175	188910242	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the 2014 referendum was run very well, and so doing the same thing here is a very good idea.	I think this is very good, and I am especially pleased with the fact that EU citizens would be allowed to vote. This referendum will impact them too and they deserve the chance to have a say.	I don't have much of an opinion on this. It seems fine.
176	1045544932	Christine Love	Individual	Individual	The comments made by Ruth Davidson re the number of postal votes before the count has not been resolved so how can we be sure that this sort of thing won't happen again.	I don't have a view on this.	There must be total transparency and accountability regarding donations and expenses.
177	596209570	Avril Young	Individual	Individual	I think that there should definitely be exit polls which are broadcast regularly.	Rigorous checks on who is making the postal vote and identification to be produced at polling stations to tally with voting card.	I am happy with those proposed changes.
178	83160644	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is very opaque as to the timing of the referendum. It seems to be inherently biased towards only being held if the Yes side believe they can win, even if that only poses a narrow window.\r Whilst the split of responsibilities seems to remain fair, there must be procedural questions on the proposed timing or lack thereof.	No objections, however the country has now experienced referendum burnout, with 3 major referenda in 5 years. There must be a genuine concern that turn out is likely to be lower. With this in mind, a minimum turnout threshold should be included.	No objections
179	20306274	Martin Starke	Individual	Individual	The whole idea is undemocratic and a needless waste of time and money. The question was asked two years ago and the electorate answered. The question of the EU was also asked in the UK, the Scottish government (snp) are again showing their undemocratic attitude. \rIt's time that the Scottish government (snp) got on with the day job and put aside any further divisive nonsense of a further referendum.	This is ridiculous. The snp has no remit or legal right to hold a referendum.	No to any further referendums. The snp are undemocratic, decisive and destroying Scotland.
180	873815486	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	That the wording of the question be subject to agreement with the UK government.	No Answered	That to reflect the outcome of the previous referendum, that 50% of the electorate would have to agree to change the current constitution rather than a straight majority.\rThat there be a two-year "cooling-off" period prior to making any changes in the constitution after the vote lest there be changes in either support for independence or in events that would effect Scotland.\rThat in the event of a vote to remain part of the UK the Scottish Parliament be stripped of the power to request another referendum on independence for 50 years.
181	887650530	Mhairi Ferguson Burns	Individual	Individual	These seem fair and democratic.	These seem fair and democratic.	This seems fair.
182	54519958	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a referendum. There has been one. SNP lost. Get over it	There should not be a referendum. There has been one. SNP lost. Get over it	There should not be a referendum. There has been one. SNP lost. Get over it
183	302826023	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No views	No views	Happy with changes
184	611481292	hugh devlin	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Only British citizens resident in Scotland should be eligible to vote. It is insane that EU citizens and commonwealth citizens are eligible.
185	362433827	russ manson	Individual	Individual	We have already made it clear: no more referendum.	No changes are needed, or even advisable	No changes should be made
186	317212284	Les Common	Individual	Individual	I think it is wholly appropriate to repeat the process followed in 2014	I fully concur with the arrangements except for one area - I felt previously that the number of non permanent voters such as students could affect the results . I also feel the very high "no" vote in Edinburgh was as a direct result of this- in particular the high number of English students who by and large would not remain in Scotland post referendum. \rFrom my own personal experiences my European friends who did live here elected not to vote as they thought it a matter for the Scottish people alone.	I feel this is acceptable
187	1009036426	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Polling stations, polling cards, counts etc should be closely watched and verified by outside UK sources. I believe the last referendum was rigged and I want a fair fight	Scottish citizens abroad not on permanent residency deserve the right to vote. Just because we're not there right now doesn't mean we won't spend the rest of our lives in Scotland - it is completely unacceptable to me that an english student at a scottish university can decide the future of my country, but because I'm short term working abroad I don't get any say. That is absolutely sick.	Ok
188	948167271	Greig McArthur	Individual	Individual	There was and still is a lot of debate about ballot paper fraud, I'd like to see a more robust system in place to guarantee one ballot paper per eligible voter with possible passport/driving license or other photographic proof of identification being used.	No Answered	Resident status must mean that the person has been living and working in Scotland for a minimum of 5 years and for persons unable to work, they must be actually living in Scotland also for a minimum of 5 years. There would no doubt be disgruntled ex pat Scots around the world unable to vote but if you aren't living here and contributing as part of Scottish society then you shouldn't be allowed to vote.
189	387455075	Andrew Gibson	Individual	Individual	The Yes side in the last referendum made claims that aspects of the result were questionable and ridiculous photographs were published on social media to 'substantiate' these claims.\r My comment is that all effort should be made to prevent such ridiculous accusations to be run again by the Yes side.	See answer to 1.	No comments.
190	567718643	Joe Smyth	Individual	Individual	Where possible, I think that there will need to be a higher level of supervision or inspection of the vote counting. This will greater reduce the aftermath of rigged vote conspiracy and regardless of the outcome, giving the people peace of mind that the handling of the vote count was looked at closer is very important for people accepting the results this time round.	I agree particularly that postal votes are checked more closely - in that the personal identifiers should be checked. My views on this are again linked to my earlier response to allow no avenue for 'conspiracy theories' to arise after the results. Measures should be taken and stressed to assure the people that votes will be checked more closely to ensure peace of mind.	This seems clear and I have no comments to make.
191	429099176	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There has been no clear indication by the Scottish people that independence is preferred option. \r Again money that would be better spent on health service and education and the poor is being used to fund a nationalist agenda. The people had spoken in the first independence vote and there views are being ignored.	The vote should not include 16 and 17 year olds as they to\rImpressionable and are easily groomed by social media with a false sense of national identity without an idea of how these changes will effect majority.	No comment
192	543109212	John Wilson	Individual	Individual	Better security is required for all postal votes and they should be checked in Scotland, not sent to England where all sorts of chicanery can be employed to defeat the true will off the scottish electorate	Recorded figures should be available for all voters to see	OK
193	1046461990	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	I strongly believe we should not be holding an independence referendum so soon after a comprehensive no vote just 2 years ago. Also, after the Brexit vote yet another referendum would be deeply confusing and unsettling for the majority of the public.	I believe 18 should be the legal age to vote as it is an incredibly complex issue that very few people understand.
194	555330675	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The rules on Purdah were breached by various unionist parties, the BBC and other media last time, and strict control must be enforced.\r Likewise, the impartiality of the BBC and other media must be ensured.	No Answered	There is a very serious potential problem surrounding postal votes, proxy votes, and personation. The opportunity for fraudulent use of these is present, and in such a serious matter, cannot be ruled out. Effective controls MUST be put in place to safeguard the democratic basis of the count. E.g. Votes from nursing homes, HMOs, Holiday homes, second homes, army bases, etc.\r There are also issues, easily controlled around the integrity of transferring ballot boxes to counting centres.
195	142811672	Liam donaghy	Individual	Individual	I do believe that Scotland should have the right to hold another independence referendum. Scotland as a nation should not have its policies and actions dictated to by the few especially	No Answered	That all sixteen and eu citizens should vote
196	568144250	Michael Howes	Individual	Individual	I appreciate that the counting and verification of postal votes has been proposed to cover 100%, and thorough checks on the results of such are adhered to.	Ref the 28-day referendum restricted period, 2013 Act and PPERA. I hope there will be restrictions on the media from promoting articles of falsehoods, promises, and vows similar to 2014's fiasco?	Any changes added to the forthcoming referendum must be made clear that breaching these regulations will return in criminal convictions being made. As in, any expenses NOT included that should be or are listed under a false heading should be classed as a criminal offence and the resulting votes gained by doing so held as void.
197	208587278	Gordon Mackie	Individual	Individual	Don't want another one!	Don't want it!	Don't want one!
198	418023214	alison parker	Individual	Individual	I don't agree with a new referendum as I voted No the first time and there promisde was once in 20 years They should be running this country instead it's going to the dogs . I hope that Teressa May does the right thing and vetto this draft	They should be kept the same	None
199	439375057	David Boath	Individual	Individual	I feel the referendum shouldn't go ahead as we already had one in 2014 and the snp have lied aboht respecting the result.If they are supposedly the party for scotland then they should stop focusing on independance and do the job they are paid to do.If they can't do the job then they should call another election and let another party look after scottish affairs	I feel if people don't vote then it should be put in the side of staying within the uk	Maybe make it 18 and over like most electiobs.
200	698629432	Oscar Smith	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum, Scotland belongs in the Union and this blatant attempt by the SNP to monopolise their power over the Scottish people further only serves to distract from all the other problems they have made for Scotland, from our failing economy to the catastrophic mismanagement of our education system.\r The only management necessary for the referendum should be its immediate cancellation.	Citizens of foreign countries, particularly European Union countries, have no right to decide on the fate of the Union, be they resident or not. The vote should be limited to British citizens and British citizens alone, anything less is an obvious attempt by the SNP to manipulate the outcome of the vote.	N/A
201	171094214	Simon Brooke	Individual	Individual	One of the features of the 2014 campaign was that several groups, including but not limited to the Radical Independence Campaign, ran voter registration drives especially in poorer urban areas, resulting in a significant number of people who had not been registered choosing to register.\r Towards the end of the campaign we received advice that this wouldn't be permitted in future, because of new electoral registration legislation. I am not certain of the validity of this advice.\r It is essential if the people of Scotland are to vote that civic society voter registration drives are encouraged, and not prevented.	I'm concerned that '100% checking' may make it more difficult to register homeless people to vote. There are particular problems with helping homeless people to register anyway - many are vulnerable and may have literacy of other problems, and many are exceedingly wary of any interaction with the state. I'm also not clear what '100% checking' would mean in their case.\r I'm also not clear why 'persons over the age of 16 who are normally resident in Scotland' would not suffice. Why, for example, should Syrian or Afghani refugees, settled here, be excluded from this vote?	Schedule 4, para 2, reads:\r "For the purposes of this schedule, each of the following is a “permissible donor”—\r(a)an individual registered in an electoral register,\r(b)a company—\r(i)registered under the Companies Act 2006,\r(ii)incorporated within the United Kingdom or another member State, and\r(iii)carrying on business in the United Kingdom,"\r The referendum is a matter for the people of Scotland. It is not at all clear to me what standing a company registered outside Scotland has to seek to influence the outcome.\r I believe that item (i) should be amended to read 'Registered in Scotland under the Companies Act 2006' and that item (ii) should be struck out.
202	193183629	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Opposed	Include expatriate Scots	No view
203	404023057	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This proposal is acceptable.	I find this proposal acceptable.	I find this proposal acceptable.
204	881059495	Siusaidh Ceanadach	Individual	Individual	I agree that a referendum should be run in the same way as the last one, to approach other Yes organisations as before to work together in the run up to the election.	I agree with all of this, that anyone who is living in Scotland or who's main home is in Scotland has the right to vote. Members of the forces who's family home is in Scotland should also have the right to vote.\rI agree that 16 and 17 year old's should have the right to vote. Our young people are the future and should be given a voice.	I would agree with all of this.
205	806537551	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	i absolutely stand with socttish people to attain freedom from UK and be recognized as country where we can take decision about all matters according to our needs not by people sitting in different country try to impose their choices on us.	i think all people residing in scotland and paying taxes should be allowed to vote either eu or non eu.	i absolutely agree with changes
206	408172850	Rosemary McCardle	Individual	Individual	Waste of resources	waste of resources	Why should it be changed? Is it a political ploy?
207	786557935	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These meet my expectations and are fair as they match those used during the last independence vote.	I have no issues with these changes	I have no issues with these changes
208	204402081	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Quite happy with this	Quite happy with this	Quite happy with this
209	487896392	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not support any proposed arrangements for management of a referendum and beyond that have no comment.	Once again I do not and would not support any proposed arrangements for a referendum and beyond that therefore do not wish to offer any view	Once again I do not and would not support any proposed arrangements for a referendum and beyond that therefore do not wish to offer any view
210	146794976	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Sounds fair.I think it is important that the two choices remain as Yes or No as these are recognisable political brands which people understand. Changes to this would be confusing.	Fine	Fine
211	820553384	Sheryl Hepworth	Individual	Individual	The Electoral Commission are toothless! They allowed 'purdah' to be broken consistently during the last Referendum with WM politicians in government canvassing the electorate and with the 'Vow'. We need to arrange 'watchers' and exit polls run by our own members or from Iceland/Russia/Greenland or anywhere that is un-involved with our parliaments both Scottish and UK.	The 100% of identity checking on postal/proxy voters is a very good idea. The verification is also needed. As is a person who is not of any party collecting the postal votes from Nursing Homes, hospitals and Care Homes. This person should be unimpeachable! The amount of postal votes in the last ref. were ridiculous! The opportunity for fraud was to high and this MUST be counteracted. The counting should be at the polling stations and the totals should be sent by phone, text or email to the main count. OR the vehicles taking the SEALED boxes to the count should be escorted by security staff to ensure no interference or box swapping takes place en route.	Personally I believe donors should be eliminated completely
212	323218161	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	NO to any referendum	N.a.	N.a
213	1027673237	Scott robertson	Individual	Individual	Paghetic, disoganised and offensive to those who voted last time	Feels very close to vote rigging	Offensive and cheating
214	452126162	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	What does once in a generation mean?	My Remain vote was not a vote on Scotland leaving the UK	Why don't you just get on with your day jobs like education and health
215	146450285	donna pickett	Individual	Individual	please make sure that 16 and 17 year olds can vote, and that postal votes dont go into England.	No Answered	please ensure secure people follow the polling boxes from stations to counting stations, and ensuring no postal votes leave Scotland. I had a number of people that registered to vote within the time period and yet refused at the polling station\r could we ensure that people are registered to vote in a timely period to the vote
216	789331511	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No to any future referendums!!	Not applicable	Not applicable
217	793690519	Dave Mckay	Individual	Individual	I do not feel there is any need for a referendum. The last independence referendum clearly indicated the people of Scotland wished to remain in the UK. The present SNP Government's total disregard of the people of Scotland's democratic vote to remain part of the UK would says to me and all other supporters of the Union that the SNP will not rest until it's narrow divisive independence agenda has been achieved. Whatever arrangement the Scottish Govt propose will be loaded be to give what the SNP perceive as an advantage to their cause. \r I would also add that this so called consultation leaves a lot to be desired. the vast majority of ordinary voters would read the consultation paper and go "Eh! whit's ah this crap aboot' to use the SNP's chosen Scots' language and if they go as far as reading these questions be left thinking 'jings, crivens help ma boab', are people actually paid for churning out this guff. \rForgive my total cynicism about this exercise but it really does cause me to have serious doubts about the Scottish Govt's ability to actually govern for the greater good of the people of Scotland.	Those entitled to vote should include all Scots living in EU countries. The vote should not include 16/17 year olds as they have neither the knowledge or experience required to take part in such a serious vote as to whether or not Scotland leaves the UK.	No comment to make on these changes.
218	641208223	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	None	None	None
219	316192015	Desmond Henaghen	Individual	Individual	I agree with these proposals.	I agree with these proposals.	I agree with these proposals.
220	479026231	Lewis Maclean	Individual	Individual	This shouldn't be a question as the SNP don't have the right to have another referendum as they promised they would listen to the Scottish people. Not only have they broken this promise but they are also going back on their word of a 'once in a generation'	This shouldn't be a question as the SNP don't have the right to have another referendum as they promised they would listen to the Scottish people. Not only have they broken this promise but they are also going back on their word of a 'once in a generation'	This shouldn't be a question as the SNP don't have the right to have another referendum as they promised they would listen to the Scottish people. Not only have they broken this promise but they are also going back on their word of a 'once in a generation'
221	131121094	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements are good and in keeping with the 2014 Referendum and the political interest in the younger generation. I do not see any reason to change the over-arching question. I also welcome the arrangements for inclusion of Non-Scottish voters such as EU citizens who were not given the same opportunity in the EU Referendum in May.\r I would like to see additional questions underneath the main Yes/No question (not binding to the result). Maybe along the lines of which situation in the event of independence would the voters wish to happen i.e.\r 1. An Independent Scotland as a full member of the EU (retaining the UK membership)?\r2. An Independent Scotland as part of the EEA with Norway… etc?\r3. An Independent Scotland outside the EU but with a strong customs union with the EU and the UK?\r I’m conscious though that this will probably form part of the debate on Scotland’s future.	I am happy with the proposed technical changes however I would be interested to know if there is a minimum residency time before they are allowed to vote. For instance someone with a holiday home in Scotland but is normally resident in Wales would not necessarily have the understanding of Scottish Culture and it’s issues in the same way that an EU Citizen who has made permanent residence in Scotland and has integrated into Scottish society.	I have no strong feelings on the technical changes.
222	810609777	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The referendum doesnt need to be held so the arrangements for managing it are irrelevant.	The referendum doesnt need to be held so the arrangements for who are eligible voters is irrelevant.	The referendum doesnt need to be held so the technical changes are irrelevant.
223	958678653	Angie Barclay	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the arrangements put in place and hope everyone will adhere to these changes.	I am pleased with these changes and am delighted that everyone in Scotland including EU citizens and especially our young people have a say in our destiny once more. I was concerned last time that some of the counting locations were not suitable for effective supervision of staff and personnel, though i am confident that this will be addressed before the next vote.	I am glad that lobbying has been brought up as this is an important issue. I am confident that these changes will help to ensure a more democratic result.
224	653515999	John Murray	Individual	Individual	Not sure that local counting officers are impartial or trustworthy, I know for fact the counting officers at my local polling station who also happen to be a husband and wife team were openly seen as having a negative view on the last referendum in that they were no voters and therefore in my view not trustworthy.	Same as the point I made previously the husband and wife team in my station were known and vocal NO voters. No one should have known what they were voting.	no opinion
225	433040861	Ritchie Birnie	Individual	Individual	For me the two main points must be \rPostal votes counted in Scotland at the correct depot. Not transported or posted to England. \rThe right to recount as per not male rules and not the same as 2014	As the end result (ie if independence is gained) it will effect every Scottish born person no matter where they are in the world so these people should have the vote. Westminster has said after brexit all UK born citezens will have a vote in elections. This must stand for Scots outside Scotland. When 5he independence started in 2012 I was living in England and I was not happy to be excluded. Luckily I was present by the time of the vote...All Scots must be eligible	I agree
226	104069103	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine	No Answered	I'd consider making voting mandatory. This is such a big decision we really need to put it to bed this time.
227	261682186	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Following the failure of Westminster to include the views of non-British EU nationals I believe it is not beyond reason to only allow those born in Scotland to vote on Scottish Independence. As is well documented the majority of Scots voted for Independence in 2014 yet ex pat English voters probably swayed the vote to No. Sorry but this is unacceptable. I firmly believe in Inclusive Nationalism however only Scots should be able to vote o the future of Scotland \rThe rules regarding length of residency for eligibility should be reviewed and the length of residency extended .\rI do not believe members of HM forces should be allowed to vote unless they were born in Scotland
228	91056102	Michael Kirkbright	Individual	Individual	It should be handled in the same manner as election	I have no views on this point	I have no views on this point
229	297097028	david ramsay	Individual	Individual	we the majority of scots said no to independence and NO MEANS NO	what part of NO dont you understand	NO NO NO NO
230	433870481	Douglas Snell	Individual	Individual	I would feel more comfortable if postal voting were disallowed. Voters should either attend the poll or make their own arrangements for a proxy vote.	I welcome the restriction on counting staff to those who have not been actively involved in campaigning, but I have concerns as to how this can be implemented reliably. Also, the term "during the referendum" is imprecise here - prospective counting staff need to know during what time they must abstain from any campaigning activity.	I welcome the change requiring all personal identifiers on ALL postal votes to be checked. If postal voting is to be permitted at all, I would also want postal votes from institutions such as retiral homes to be scrutinised most carefully to ensure that there is no possibility that such votes could be completed on behalf of, rather than actually by, the residents of those institutions.\r In view of the current UK process of removal from the EU, I suggest that it be specifically stated that residents who were EU citizens at the date of introduction of the referendum bill should be entitled to vote irrespective of their residency status on the date of the poll.
231	525062031	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm content with the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum.	I wholeheartedly agree with these proposed technical changes to polling amd count arrangements.	I am happy to support these changes to rules on permissable participants.
232	659849493	Dr Lorna M Sharpe	Individual	Individual	I agree with them	I agree with them	I agree
233	229602282	Sean mulvey	Individual	Individual	Would like to see closer scrutiny of count particularly with the postal votes	Seems fair	Seems fair
234	249319536	Richard Clark	Individual	Individual	Not convinced that the Electoral Commission is impartial or that it can not be influenced by the UK government.\rRemain uncertain as to if the 2014 referendum result was correct given the feeling in the country prior to the vote so would prefer to see more safeguards in place so that no corruption can happen.\rThe UK government clearly need Scotland not to leave and so will use any and every opportunity to get the result they want to see.	Slight improvement.\rHowever in this day and age a computer based identification specific system should be available. Everyone gets a unique log in and if unable to vote from home can do it at the polling stations. Eliminating the need for hand counting and possible fraud.\r Why does no one have to show ID at a polling station?\r Why no exit polls for the 2014 vote, the biggest constitutional vote for decades?\rVery suspicious as an exit poll may have shown a realistic result.	Good.\r Those working and living in Scotland - those effected directly by the referdum should decide.
235	869414540	Keith Turner	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	HoL members registered in Scotland is a joke. None actually stay and contribute to Scotland so I don't believe they should get a vote. They should be actively residing in Scotland to qualify for a vote
236	554110410	Marc Crowley	Individual	Individual	The referendum question needs to be less leading to a leave answer than the 2014 question:\r'Do you think that Scotland should remain part of the UK?'\ror similar to the EU question\r'Should Scotland remain a member of the United Kingdom or leave the United Kingdom?'.	Appear to be fair	Appear to be fair
237	572851774	Duncan Sillars	Individual	Individual	If you want a referendum on trying to join Europe and a Scottish Entity - negotiate with EU and present the electorate with what is on offer\r As far as another referendum on leaving Britain - not in my lifetime please	If you are resident in scotland and contributing - you should have a vote	Politics are such a twisted and dishonest subject personified by the people and methods used to fund\r Rather than regulate - self regulation should be used. If discovered that dishonesty has been employed the judgement of the people at the ballot box should be the only sanction ( unless illegal)
238	951304530	Gareth King	Individual	Individual	It seems reasonable and to have worked in the past without issue.	Whilst the change regarding identification of postal votes appears logical, it may be time consuming and cause delay.\r I welcome the restriction on those who campaign being precluded from working as counters, as it would limit potential for allegations of ‘rigging’. However, the definition of 'campaigning' would need clarifying - Are social media posts supporting a side classed?	There does not appear to be any issue with the changes
239	710463606	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Unhappy with current postal voting arrangements. Fraud a real possibility	Still not happy with postal voting. Heard lots of stories of fraud, cant all be wrong.	Ok with that
240	619634967	Lorna McAllister	Individual	Individual	I would prefer it if the electoral process were to be overseen by an impartial group such as the EU. This would ensure that the entire process was kosher.	These procedures seem adequate.	I approve of the rejection of the registration of any name which is obscene, offensive or could be contributing to the commission of an offence.
241	854307935	Ian King	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum, the Scottish people spoke very clearly during the 2014 referendum process and a clear majority voted to remain part of the UK. It is my view that the SNP built this campaign on spin, half truths and with no clear plan on how an independent Scotland would work. \r I firmly believe that the SNP are using the UK/EU referendum result in an opportunistic fashion to further their relentless, ridiculous and so far fruitless campaign to plunge Scotland into the abyss. \r If the SNP really respected the will of the Scottish people, they would wait to see the outcome of the upcoming Brexit negotiations that will be performed by parliament - where the SNP are the third largest party and will have the opportunity to contribute, prior to launching and wasting the public's money on another Scottish independence referendum. \r If the SNP spent less time worrying about their political ideologies, and more time on making the NHS and education system work, on attracting business and opportunity to Scotland and on improving the lives of those willing to contribute to society rather than drumming up votes in council estates by offering something for nothing, I would be able to get behind them.	British citizens do not have the right to vote in other EU countries, so I do not believe EU citizens should have the right to vote in Scotland. I believe this is another attempt for the SNP to increase their vote and massage the result of a referendum - in their favour. If the vote is to reflect the changing view of the previous referendum voters, how can it possibly be acceptable to introduce new voters who will clearly have significant motive to vote Scotland out of the UK due to the Brexit vote?	This seems sensible.
242	470179407	William Imrie	Individual	Individual	Makes sense. The last referendum was manger fairly. I do think the ability to cast votes online would lead to an increased turnout.	Again fair. Although I think due to the nature of one event is that we. Lose EU membership that Scottish citizens now living within the EU should have voting rights.	Fair
243	398997313	George owenson	Individual	Individual	Un necessary bureaucracy	Should be open to Scott's voters outside Scotland	No effec,t
244	927285094	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Acceptable	Acceptable	Acceptable
245	867358275	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There seems nowhere within the consultation to comment on the question "Should Scotland be an independent country?", which is not right. The original question with its Yes/No answer leads to the tribal divisions that occurred during the 2014 campaign. It would be better mirroring the EU referendum with a question "Should Scotland remain a part of the United Kingdom or leave the United Kingdom?" With a "remain" or "leave" response. This is not as confrontational as the previous Yes/No type question and is more balanced for campaign teams as there is an implied negative in trying to promote a "No" vote in any binary campaign.	If the UK, have as expected, triggered Article 50 I don't think that EU citizens should be eligible to vote in a subsequent referendum.	This is acceptable.
246	487874946	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should certainly be an exit poll in place for this referendum. This should be conducted by an impartial third party country, and not subject to either Scottish Government or UK Government influences.	Postal voting should be more secure; I agree with the proposal to ensure 100% checking of personal identifiers, and there should be additional random spot checks in place to ensure postal ballots come from a valid voter (i.e not somebody recently dead, or otherwise incapable of voting). In the event any invalid voters are identified, the entire postal vote should be checked for validity.	Seems fine to me.
247	61403852	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I approve of this.	I agree with this.	I agree with this.
248	261585268	Lesley McGilvary	Individual	Individual	I am satisfied they are being managed correctly	Sensible revisions	Sensible changes
249	952488295	Brian Penn	Individual	Individual	Agree, but would limit postal voting.	No Answered	Armed forces resident in Scotland should not be allowed to vote.
250	14811657	B R Seatle (aka Matt Seattle)	Individual	Individual	I am concerned about the use of postal votes and the potential for tampering with them and rigging the result, which would not be beyond the capability of the intelligence arms of the UK governent. Some form of safeguard against this should be in place, for example the collection of sealed postal votes by an accredited party such as Police Scotland.\r Campaigning on false information, including blatant distortion of facts, by individuals and organisations should be illegal and liable to prosecution.	No comment	No comment
251	212104283	Peter Mirtitsch	Individual	Individual	I am generally in agreement, but I would recommend a few additions;\r Any and all security seals on ballot boxes MUST be recorded and signed off, otherwise no point in having them. I believe that in areas like Highlands, staff were specifically instructed NOT to do so. Not recording them, and matching with box numbers negates the entire reason for having them, as a measure against tampering. I feel this is of utmost importance.\r The public should be made fully aware of the layout of the ballot slips, front and back, in order to deal with the uncertainty about barcodes. Any without barcodes should be discarded. Ideally all should be sourced from one print company only. There still seems to be a lot of confusion and debate over this. It may seem petty, but an official poster notifying people of this at each voting place should be displayed prominently.\r It may be an idea for people to be able to note the barcode number, if they wish for their ballot to be reexamined at a later date.\r Ballots should be held for longer after the referendum, possibly 3 to 6 months, bearing in mind the importance of the vote.\r I would like to see an external body, such as the EU or even the UN involved in oversight in some manner, possibly providing observers, since it effectively involves the status of a country on an international level. Failing that, some sort of body of international observers should be required.\r Would it be possible to install one or more webcams at each counting centre giving an overview of the counting hall? This need not be able to clearly show votes on ballot slips, but could give a greater idea of what is happening, and be available to anyone interested.\r Requirement for identity verification should be much more stringent. Either the polling card or two forms of ID would help combat any possibility of misrepresentation.\r Postal ballots should NOT be taken away for "verification", or whatever, as there is no reason for the boxes to be opened more than once. They should either remain secure until counting at a predetermined site, or they should be counted immediately as soon as the deadline has passed, and the results stored securely somewhere. \r With regard to observation of postal ballot boxes being opened, controls should be tightened up with regards to people attempting to ascertain the results, especially if they are likely to brag about it on television. (Yes, this is a deliberate dig about a certain person)\r Much tighter security should be given to transportation of ballot boxes to counting centres, or they should be opened and counted at the ballot centres where possible. Where there is any reason for a venue to be evacuated, cctv footage should remain live and available for all to reduce opportunities for tampering.\r During transportation of any ballot boxes, security should be stepped up. All boxes, and associated security tag numbers should be signed for by a driver/pilot, and a separate guard of some sort. Any transport vehicles should be accompanied by another. Special arrangements or dispensation could be made where transport is by water or air, as this adds its own complications, and would be expected to be of minimal effect.\r In addition to, and separate from these recommendations, I don't know how feasible it would be to compile a centralised list of all irregularities associated with the vote, and how they were addressed. This would give an idea of actual issues present, and also where some people feel reported complaints have been ignored, then they could check for themselves, and how they were handled.\r I would also like to see some sort of exit poll carried out, in order for us to be able to compare with the declared result. \r Much more stringent regulation of presentation of information in the final weeks before the count should be in place. In the case of 2014, one of the excuses I heard was that the government, as a body did not present additional information, but INDIVIDUALS, who were, coincidentally MEMBERS of this government or associated with them, presented evidence. This should be addressed at the outset.	No Answered	I agree with the changes to proxy voting, but I would still like to see tightening up on recording of security numbers on ballot boxes.\r Is there a specific reason that postal ballots cannot be kept sealed in secure boxes and counted at a counting station with the other ballots, or counted immediately after the deadline? If so, then would it be possible to NOT have them sent elsewhere for "validation"?\r I agree totally that proxy votes should be restricted to those who have a valid reason, such as mobility, or service personnel.
252	234192922	Paul McCabe	Individual	Individual	They seems similar to the referendum in 2014 which makes complete sense. Tried and tested and effective.	It makes complete sense to have them consistent with other Elections which takes place in Scotland.	It is right and proper that they are in line with recent appropriate legislation.
253	187564295	Ian mcnaught	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
254	867947937	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Can some consideration be given to Scots people who are resident abroad?\rI was born in Scotland of Scottish parents, grandparents and heritage that can be traced back to 1700's. I moved to England in 1984 and maintained a property there, despite being moved abroad by my employer in 1988. I have worked and lived overseas since then but maintained my vote in UK elections due to my tax status.\rWhilst the conditions in 2014 did not allow for me vote, this was reluctantly understood. Just as the prevailing conditions have required the referendum to be reconsidered, these same conditions (ie; Brexit) leave people like me wishing to have our vote and a choice for our future citizenship.\rShould Scotland become independent and remain a member of the EU (which I support, as I now live in an EU country), I would wish to be identified as a Scot rather than whatever remains in an isolated UK system.\rI will be taking whatever steps necessary to ensure I qualify - once I understand the criteria. An advisory for people in my circumstances would be informative.
255	86968603	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	All the technical details seem fine to me, though I have no expertise in this area, however there is one issue that I think hasn't been addressed. \r Even as an independence supporter, it seems clear to me that many people, No voters especially, found the previous independence referendum highly stressful. Furthermore, there is a perception amongst a significant minority of voters in Scotland and in the rest of the UK, that independence has become a 'neverendum' issue. This perception is often expressed in a level of bitterness, anger and polarisation in parts of our national political culture, which are not conducive to the compromises required in a healthy democracy. \r My suggestion aims to address this polarisation, while also respecting the following principles:\r - that the people of Scotland are sovereign\r - that the people of Scotland have the right under international law to self-determination\r - that neither of these rights can be or should be relinquished\r - that the 2014 independence referendum did not, and does not prevent the people of Scotland revisiting the issue of independence at a time of their choosing.\r I believe Scotland can usefully take inspiration from Northern Ireland's constitutional arrangements with respect to a border poll. Namely that such a poll cannot be held more often than once every 7 years. In taking inspiration here, I note that Scotland does not (thankfully) have Northern Ireland's history of community violence, nor its levels of political and sectarian polarisation.\r I suggest that the referendum bill should contain a clause along the following lines.\r That an independence referendum must not be held unless one of the following conditions are met:\r - at least 7 years have passed since the last independence referendum\r - or there has been a significant change in the constitutional order of the UK\r An independent body, set up by the Scottish Parliament, should be responsible for determining whether such a "significant change" has occurred. \r The bill should also note that the UK vote to leave the European Union constitutes such a "significant change".\r I believe that such a good faith clause would benefit relations amongst the nations of the UK, which would be beneficial even if Scotland were to vote for independence. Furthermore I believe it would help reduce some of the polarisation of Scottish politics around the question of independence, and therefore promote greater harmony in Scotland.
256	477887079	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There shouldn't be another referendum \rScotland voted in 2014 and it would be nice if the snp respected Democracy and the settled will of the Scottish electorate!	There shouldn't be another referendum \rScotland voted in 2014 and it would be nice if the snp respected Democracy and the settled will of the Scottish electorate!	There shouldn't be another referendum \rScotland voted in 2014 and it would be nice if the snp respected Democracy and the settled will of the Scottish electorate!
257	357643427	CARA STEWART	Individual	Individual	It all seems fair and we'll managed.	All looks fair and reasonable	Fair and reasonable
258	702725	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am perfectly happy with it. The previous referendum was fought in a fair and inclusive way, with people from other countrys who reside here as well as 16/17 year olds also being able to vote. It makes me proud to know that we do this right.;	hmmm...Im a little concerned with postal voting. As we have recently seen in the American election, Postal votes can begin and start to arive for counting when some massive piece of new information comes out that dams one side (see donald trump) This information then cannot be responded to by the postal voter as there vote has already been sent.\r This same senario happened in the last refarendum with the introduction of "The Vow" which was droped on Scotland after postal voting had begun. I feel this is unfair.	I dont fully understand this so would be wrong of me to comment.
259	409274888	colin w coupar	Individual	Individual	i agree	No Answered	i agree
260	829371316	Tracy gaitens	Individual	Individual	I believe that the electrol commission should be overseen by a external body or country with no ties to electrol commission\r as the amount of times I called the electrol commission in Aberdeen to be told there would be no referendum vote in 2014 was ridiculous \rOn 3rd phone call I was told yes there was a vote and the other calls could not be traced funny business	I do not believe that postal votes need checked before count after 10pm on poll day \r It is a disgrace that politicians look at votes posted and can change peoples votes to suit there wishes without voter knowing \r No votes checked removed before vote day after 10pm	Agree with the person should sign a declaration but also they should be strictly vetted by police and independent of electrol commission as they could be related to local people that work for electrol commission who can't be trusted as they work for UK government
261	695595874	Eric Spence	Individual	Individual	I believe that we need to have impartial international observers to oversee this referendum. This would dispel issues relating to tallying of postal votes prior to the referendum. I am happy with the arrangements otherwise.	I am happy with these arrangements	I am happy with these arrangements
262	372940772	David Reid	Individual	Individual	un sure where to place this ... broadcasters must become neutral with out placing heavy bias	No Answered	Ensure that polling stations are managed in the same way as other elections in 2014 polling stations i attended had different officers that normally manned them \r Postal votes must not be removed from he mail system at any point they must be delivered to the point of delivery by Royal Mail .. transport of ballot boxes must be monitored using reference tags as well as this international impartial witnesses must be present to oversee the vote and the count is conducted in fair manner
263	837074492	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	satisfied with the arrangements in place.	I agree with proposed technical changes.	I agree to these changes.
264	388478661	Bradley Booth	Individual	Individual	I agree with how the Scottish Government plans to manage the referendum	Again I agree and have no issues.	No opinion.
265	226305103	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No objections. The referendum in 2014 was well-organised and an exercise in electoral democracy.\r I especially agree with granting 16 and 17 year old as well as EU citizens the right to vote as was the case in 2014.	No objection.	No objection
266	424886909	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I support this proposal.	I generally support this but some questions were raised after the 2014 vote with regards to absent voting and possible abuses. I believe that every effort should be made to ensure that only eligible voters permanently resident in Scotland should be able to vote and that independent electoral observers (possibly from European nations) should be present at every stage and in particular at every count to ensure all rules are followed without interference.	I support this proposal.
267	1115824	Robert Mack	Individual	Individual	The SNP must Consider; \r1. This referendum is doomed to fail as many Scots people want to leave the EU. These voters will increase the Stay part of the UK Vote.\r2. The SNP must consider how much Scotland would have to pay to the EU. At the moment the UK BORROWS £350 million each week, increasing debt every week. Can Scotland afford to do the same or being a member of the EU bankrupt Scotland.\r3. The EU opened their door to illiterate migrants who have no intention of working. They come to Europe expecting Free housing, food, school, clothes and spending money... When England UK Refuses entry, they will be sent to Scotland. Most Scottish people don't want this.\r4. The EU will send tens of thousands of Muslims who do not want to integrate into the Scottish way of life... They look at women not wearing a Niqab or Burqa as not-being respected... This is extremely divisive. Many employers will not employ a person wearing a Niqab or Burqa so the state will end up supporting them and their kids.\r5. England and Wales is Scotland's largest market... Not the EU... The EU could force the UK and Scotland to apply customs duties to each others goods.... No Winners.	No Answered	You should make sure voting cards are numbered, so they can be verified.
268	45260413	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I know the answer already but I fear that a narrow vote in favour will lead to a divide after the vote. There is already more of an edge being English living in Scotland after Indy one . perhaps each part of Scotland should have to vote yes ? Perhaps each CPU cil? I realise that if I suggest a 60 40 vote it would ignored	Seems fine. People who don't live in Scotland shouldn't vote\rAs avteacher I would hope that we would get guidance on how to hold a proper debate with children about this vote	Na
269	175975492	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	the proposed arrangements appear to me to be intact and concise.	these changes should be applied	they are appropriate changes
270	624551682	Alison McGinley	Individual	Individual	Everything seems to be fair.If this has to be the route.Then so be it.	Iam very happy with it.	Change is sometimes needed.This will be a good one.
271	217069923	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is disappointing that this consultation takes it as read that there is actually support for another referendum. I voted to remain as part of Europe and I voted for the SNP after the last Scottish referendum on independence but I did not want my vote to be used to justify another referendum. The referendum that resulted in 'Brexit' did not ask if Scotland should remain as part of the EU, but if the UK should. Just because a high majority of Scots want the UK to remain in Europe does not mean that we want Scotland to remain in Europe alone.\r The cost of a referendum is high; both in terms of finance and in terms of emotional/societal expense. Please do not put us through another referendum again so soon after the last. The good work that the SNP has done in managing the country should continue but do not be a one policy party. One day there will be independence but let it be at the right time. Walking out on the UK whilst there are uncertainties over 'Brexit' will damage the position of our friends, neighbours and families. It is irresponsible to make such a move at the moment as it could have catastropic consequences across the region.\r Please take a few years to demonstrate that Scotland can support itself financially and build a robust case before we are put through the divisive debates that undermine everyone as there is a lack of facts when they are needed. We are exhausted by the continuous process and the bombardment of shallow arguments from both sides. People are passionate and want change but I am unsure our society is ready for the debate again so soon after the last; the wounds are still healing.\r The SNP are a good party and Scotland is envied across much of the wider UK - don't undermine our standing by being stand-offish with our neighbours and don't undermine your citizens by asking us the same question again so soon after we gave you an answer. If the vote was to become independent last time, would there be a scramble now to ask if we wanted to rejoin the UK rather than be left alone in Europe?\r If there must be a referendum, which I hope there isn't, the terms in the consultation are sound.	I truly hope there is not another referendum but if there is the proposals seem fair.	This would appear fair.
272	997785415	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no problem with these arrangements.	100% checking of postal votes a must.	I am in agreement with these proposed changes.
273	89155228	Jamie Dyer	Individual	Individual	Good. Should be the same terms and question as the last referendum.	Sound	Sound
274	1010258733	Kevin briggs	Individual	Individual	I would like to see more security to avoid the doubt around postal votes and voters being turned away from polling stations in 2014	This should inspire confidence in any future referendum	Fair
275	334719482	Donald Fisher	Individual	Individual	There should be a drive for electronic or online voting as a way to modernise the voting system and include more people. A huge drive towards getting the under 25s out to vote should also take place as they are often the least interested section of society.	No Answered	While I agree that the referendum is about people in Scotland, there must be cast iron guarantees that EU citizens can take place after the brexit process begins. They cannot lose the right to take part as it will further alienate them from the country as so much damage has been done by the UK Government so far. \r Also, I do think that people abroad should be able to take part in this. Many Scots overseas were dismayed that they could not take part in 2014, yet they can register to take part in elections. A system whereby someone has lived in Scotland in the past 5 years, still owns property in Scotland or is working abroad but still resides in Scotland otherwise should also be part of the franchise if they can prove this and are willing to vote. For many Scots abroad, independence may bring them home.
276	202398210	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	no more referendums
277	651489522	James Anderson	Individual	Individual	I broadly agree with the proposed arrangements.	I mostly agree with this. Though I do belive that Scottish citizens living abroad should also be able to vote.	These are acceptable.
278	421938532	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe this is completely acceptable.	Again these all seem perfectly reasonable.	I have no real views on this matter.
279	435996147	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think it worked well last time so the proposals seem appropriate	I think they make sense and 16 & 17 year olds should be allowed to vote.	I think the SNP used the leavers of government far to readily in the last referendum and that should not be allowed in any future referendum. Using Scottish Government officials etc to develop their white paper is a huge waste of resource when those officials should actually be doing something productive.
280	92910798	Caroline Drinan	Individual	Individual	The Scottish Government was elected with a clear mandate for an independence referendum if there was substantial constitutional change. Scotland being taken out of the EU against the will of the Scottish people is a clear and substantial reason for another Independence Referendum and i welcome the decision to have this consultation	I think the changes are satisfactory although i would like to see some additional security from polling stations to the actual count.\rThere were many reports of dumped votes en route to the count at the last referendum and i feel that to avoid any doubt additional security may be necessary	I am happy with the changes proposed
281	724696048	alex west	Individual	Individual	Very happy with these arrangements	Very happy with these arrangements	Very happy with these arrangements
282	738217052	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Very happy with these arrangements	Very happy with these arrangements	Very happy with these arrangements
283	778845962	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The management of the last was excellent, so I don't believe any changes are required.	These proposals will ensure a fair and unbiased result is guaranteed, leaving no room for speculation about irregularities.	Any amendments to increase transparency are welcomed.
284	597533466	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Only thing is we have voted so much over the last two years so people maybe tired and sick of a vote. So with that in mind the turn out could be lower than hoped.	I don't see why we added 16-18 to the votes and if you ask me that was the reason we missed the last Yes vote. The younger the voters are the vote will never go the way as we/they don't know any different. \rSNP need to show us and prove to the younger voter that we will be safe as we are voting for our future and kids where as the older groups really set and ready to move to a independent Scotland.	N/A
285	800277042	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't believe there should be one	Don't believe there should be one	Don't believe there should be one
286	451519987	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I find the proposals only SNP led.\rNeither does Scotland need another change nor any more unease. This referendum proposal will ruin everything Scottish..and definitely does not guarantee access to EU. \rManaging the referendum.Manage the country effectively first!!	It is just to ensure you get the votes!!	No comment
287	676063669	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am strongly of the opinion that any constitutional change of this magnitude needs to require a more than “50% of votes counted” threshold.\rMost corporations have super-majority requirements to enable significant changes to their Memorandums of Association and constitutions; likewise with clubs and societies.\rGeneral elections, where the result can be reversed at the end of a term do not require such super-majority thresholds; but essentially irreversible decisions such as a country’s constitutional arrangements need to have the over-whelming support of the nation to be acceptable. \rThere are clear reasons for this – not least a super-majority decision disallows the perpetual dissatisfaction with close results – as we are seeing with the Brexit referendum and indeed the 2014 Independence poll.\rThose calling for Independence should have the confidence that they can win a 2/3rds majority of voters to their cause if they really believe in it. Winning Independence by a slim margin will create a hugely divided nation – and as with the Brexit poll also leave room for ‘voters regret’ when clarity appears after the smoke of the electoral battle. That is bad for democracy and bad for the country.\rIf the Independence lobby is prepared to put a 2/3rds majority pass rate – I will wholeheartedly support their position to run a further referendum.	There are a large number of Scots who consider themselves Scottish to the core but have spent their working lives outside of Scotland, many of whom plan to return to Scotland at some stage. The future of Scotland is as precious to them as to those currently resident here.\rIt would seem appropriate that these people be allowed to vote; their right to do so being at least equal to those of EU citizens currently resident in Scotland but with no long-term attachment to the country who are eligible to vote.\rThere should be a provision for anyone born in Scotland with UK citizenship to be eligible to vote, regardless of their current residential location. \rThis is easily checked as place of birth is shown on all passports - so those Scots not currently resident in Scotland would then be able to apply for a referendum vote as long as their UK passport states they were born in Scotland. \rThis is not an unusual provision - see USA as example.	I have no specific comment on this section.
288	98155747	Piet Ceanadach	Individual	Individual	I'm quite happy with any arrangements that are fair, transparent and above board.	I think the changes were necessary to give all who would or could be affected to have their say. I agree with the proposed changes and amendments.	If these procedures improve the mechanics of the voting system then I have no objection.
289	727712448	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	I am in agreement with all of the above.	Agreed.
290	835264903	winifred mccartney	Individual	Individual	make sure there are plenty of observers checking and rechecking - I would not trust fully any WM organised input into the count and would like verification at every stage with reporting per consituency.	No Answered	There should be proof that citizens are resident in Scotland and not just for holidays. Postal voting must be looked at closely. I believed there was no 'sampling' of these before the day of the referendum but Ruth Davidson proved me wrong with her expose on TV, when she admitted sampling should a good no response. I complained but was told no offence had been committed - therefore no sampling should be allowed. I thought this was the law.\rPostal voting is easily open to misuse - eg old people's homes and long-stay hospitals where, I have heard, they were done en mass after visits by those of a Unionist persuasion.\rI am not sure if there was a number on my ballot form last time-I will certainly be checking this time. I know rumour abounds but I would not put anything past the Unionists as I do not trust them.
291	793417482	Frank Dunsmore MSyI FdA	Individual	Individual	I have real concerns the way the 2014 referendum was conducted I truly believe that the westminster security services had a hand in using underhanded tactics and vote rigging. This is not a conspiracy theory and pie in the sky ramblings the services have been proven to spy on SNP members in the past and no doubt the present and will again in the future. The next referendum must be airtight as westminster has too much to lose not to play dirty. The SNP need to realise that they stack the odds against the Scottish government at every opportunity and they will not play fair or by the rules.	The process should also be monitored by Amnesty International or close allies of the European Union to ensure fair play and accuracy.	See above comments.
292	806324467	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am largely in agreement with the stated proposals, but would wish 16 to 18 year olds to have a vote, as in 2014.	I am in agreement with the proposed technical changes	I am in agreement with the proposed changes on permissible participants
293	500869306	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It should be made safe, secure with clarity and fairness throughout.	Polling proposals seem fair.	The proposals all seem fair.
294	303623527	Robbie Michie	Individual	Individual	This seems like the most effective way to manage a referendum and think it will work well, just as it did in 2014.	The changes make sense based on the last referendum and see nothing wrong with them.	I don't see anything wrong with these changes; they seem both necessary and sensible.
295	896830901	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	no permision req from westminster. no interference from westminster. all claims to better together or indy, to be publicly verified.....not by mainstream media	ok	ok
296	257614126	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Please think of reviewing what 'Returning Officers' are paid - this money could be put to better use in the local community.	No Answered	EU citizens resident in Scotland should be entitled to Vote, in my personal opinion. They bring a lot of wealth to the country (intellectual and economical).
297	87042840	N/A	Individual	Individual	I believe you could spend this money better elsewhere. I voted for Independance before but I will vote NO now. I would rather remain in the UK than the EU.\r Overall I believe you will manage it well - Sounds as good as before.	No comment, along as its fair and whiteout bias to one side or the other.	I believe this should be a decision not only for Scotland but for the Scottish who also live elsewhere in the United Kingdom or abroad. I also do not believe foreign/EU nationals should be eligible to vote as was the case last time. It embarrassing they can vote on an I deodorant Scotland when they are not even Scottish.\r Only let UK citizens Vote
298	786152022	Richard W Skinner	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
299	1013868959	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements.\r I believe the referendum was conducted in a fair manner in 2014 and would be happy to see the same arrangements used for any future independence referendum.	I have no issue with the proposal.\r I believe it is important that all residents in Scotland regardless of nationality have a chance to decide if they wish Scotland to be independent.\r I have minor concerns about the ever increasing use of postal voting but accept that people seem to enjoy the convenience of this. I do not wish to see anyone dissuaded from casting a vote and only expect that postal voting is conducted as securely as possible.\r I support the amendment to place stricter requirements that counting staff are not involved in campaigning.	I have no issue with these amendments.
300	18810525	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposal.	I am happy with the proposal	I am happy with the proposal.
301	1044169958	Karl Nordstrom	Individual	Individual	I believe the 2014 referendum was a great democractic event and am happy for the arrangements to mirror those used back then.	No Answered	I believe these to be fair.
302	435951739	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with the proposed arrangements	Happy with the proposed changes	Happy with the proposed changes
303	707446810	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Firstly we need no referendum. Scotland gave her opinion already..\rI have no wish to be dragged into the EU having voted along with the rest of the UK to leave.	Irish citizens should not be voting on a purely Scottish matter. Likewise European citizens. Obviously their vote would be partisan and not necessarily in Scotland's favour.\rAgree with 100% verification of personal identifiers and all identifiers from postal votes.	Ok.
304	992620449	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am in full agreement	I am in full agreement	I am in full agreement
305	369652848	David Munro	Individual	Individual	If, as I read it, this means that 16 and 17 year olds are permitted to vote then I am happy with the arrangements.	I am concerned with absent and postal voting misuse - I worry that this facility is being abused.	No objections
306	451902316	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As a polling station agent and a count agent, I saw lots of opportunities for electoral fraud. The referendum should include\r- clear guidance for managers of residential settings on access to residents by campaigners\r- proof of identification required at polling stations before casting a vote\r- international observers at all counts\r- stricter arrangements for closing, accompanying and emptying ballot boxes\r- stricter criteria for postal ballots e.g. Disability, working patterns	I agree with all of these changes. I would like to also see the changes noted above.	I agree with the above changes.
307	12782300	Michael Noble	Individual	Individual	If they are to be the same as the first referendum that that is fine	Happy with that	No view
308	1059955847	Keith Farrell	Individual	Individual	Only big changes, postal votes must remain local, stamped received and unopened until counting. Must be compared to the postal voting register. With the option of a family member depositing it in the postal voting box on the day.\r Identification of all voters required.photo ID	Require proof of voter identification	Include normal residents of Scotland who are away for study purposes
309	691787482	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The last referendum was filled with controversy after the result so full transparency needs to be available this time. Reassurance to voters on both sides that their vote won't be tampered with.	No Answered	This seems fair and representative of the people, however both sides of the age spectrum need to be represented. Last referendum didn't reflect young voters views very well so perhaps this needs to be looked into
310	952591671	Christopher McEvoy-Barton	Individual	Individual	I believe that the proposed management arrangements are sufficient.	all Arrangements are fair and correct for for that nature of a referendum	Changes are fair.
311	633364	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They are appropropriate	I agree with the changes.	I agree with these changes.
312	249407518	Joseph woods	Individual	Individual	I would like a vote for expatriate Scots.	Postal votes be kept in safe place and not open until the count .	Agree
313	876236923	Colin Storrier	Individual	Individual	They are broadly in line with the franchise for the 2014 referendum and I'm supportive of the continuity.	I am supportive	In respect of permissible participants, I do think those allowed to vote should be required to have been resident in Scotland for a period of time, i.e 3 years, to be eligible to vote.
314	820152485	Calum Simpson	Individual	Individual	Good	Good	Good
315	942289635	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The desire for this referendum lies solely within the bigots of the SNP. There is NO desire for this referendum among the majority of the population of Scotland.\r I therefore view the proposed referendum as an unnecessary waste of public resources and object to any use of Scotland's publicly funded organisational infrastructure to support a purely party political aim.	If this farce is ever to go ahead:\r I object in the strongest terms to non UK nationals being permitted to vote in a referendum which affects the UK as a sovereign nation. If foreign nationals resident in the UK wish to participate then they should seek to acquire UK citizenship. \r There should be some scope for UK citizens born in Scotland but currently resident and/or working elsewhere to vote on such an important matter.	Admin
316	213874118	Huseyin Akgocmen	Individual	Individual	I have no problem with the proposed arrangements, it seems to me that the delivery of the referendum was not the issue, more the substance of the campaign.	I have no problem with these proposed changes, they appear to me wholly sensible and transparent.	I agree with the Electoral Commission's report and wish to see their recommendations implemented in full.
317	732208052	Sandy smith	Individual	Individual	No probs to do same again	As above	All acceptable
318	548774910	Grace Chilles	Individual	Individual	As above	Good	Pleased
319	255550053	Charles Dunn	Individual	Individual	We got cheated and lied to in 2014... surely people have opened their eyes this time around	Fine	Fine
320	683294874	Steve McLaughlan	Individual	Individual	I would like to see the count monitored by an independent body to ensure a correct and truthful count.	I am happy that all people resident in Scotland should vote.	Happy with that.
321	551277819	Sandra kane	Individual	Individual	NO MORE REVERENDUMS, WE GAVE OUR ANSWER IN 2014. THE COUNTRY IS GOING TO THE DOGS EITH YOUR NONSENSE, GET ON WITH GOVERNING.\rALWAYS AND FOREVER NO TO SEPARATION FROM THE UK.\rWE DO FOUR TIMES AS MUCH TRADE WITH rUK AS EU.	NO MORE REFERENDUMS.	NO MORE REFERENDUMS
322	292358276	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Great. Independence is by far the best option for the country and I believe there is enough support to gain it. The past 2 elections since 2014 prove that.	I agree with them	I agree with them
323	377771732	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This question assumes we should be having a referendum in the first place.\r I firmly believe we shouldn't be!\r The question you should be asking is whether we want another vote. There is no proof that this is what the people of Scotland want to see happen!! \r Manage Scotland's Education, health care etc well first, lower the national debt, then come back to this.\r I am appalled at the state of things in the First Minister's constituency...she needs to get her house in order first!!	This question assumes we should be having a referendum in the first place.\r I firmly believe we shouldn't be!\r The question you should be asking is whether we want another vote. There is no proof that this is what the people of Scotland want to see happen!! \r Manage Scotland's Education, health care etc well first, lower the national debt, then come back to this.\r I am appalled at the state of things in the First Minister's constituency...she needs to get her house in order first!!	This question assumes we should be having a referendum in the first place.\r I firmly believe we shouldn't be!\r The question you should be asking is whether we want another vote. There is no proof that this is what the people of Scotland want to see happen!! \r Manage Scotland's Education, health care etc well first, lower the national debt, then come back to this.\r I am appalled at the state of things in the First Minister's constituency...she needs to get her house in order first!!
324	50848074	Scott Shaw	Individual	Individual	I oppose the use of the Electoral Commission as I feel they are an arm of the Westminster government and therefore biased and impartial. I would prefer the use of the EU or UN to oversee this referendum and report to the Scottish Government. Local counting officers are ok.	This is ok.	Ok
325	204176583	martin greig	Individual	Individual	That's fine!	I live in England and not Scotland for one reason! My son! He is now 16 and I am planning to return to Scotland within the next year! I see you have not addressed the time frame a brittish citizen that is a resident of Scotland must have been a resident in Scotland in order to vote! I know my personal case is honest but I can believe that some brittish citizens may change there place of residence for the 2nd referendum. So what measures are you taking to prevent this from happening? And will I be able to vote when I return?	That's fine!
326	659816549	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Seems OK 'though I do not trust the Electoral Commission.	Seems OK, 100% checking sounds good.	Seems OK
327	819585266	Allan Jon McPherson	Individual	Individual	Postal votes must not be used, it's very open to election fraud. Extra protection for voting ballots transfer to counting halls, for example party reps travel with them.	Positive changes but could go further, I personally would like votes to be registered and checked afterwards, so every vote slip has names with contact details to double check their vote was valid.	Positive
328	441427900	Gary Stacey	Individual	Individual	In theory I agree with the democratic process that the referendum would be managed. However due to speculation and conspiracy from 2014 the system may need tightening up insuring a fair and accurate account can be taken	I agree with these changes	I agree with these changes
329	301021195	Matthew Garrett	Individual	Individual	It should be made law that everyone should vote\rAs this is so important for all in Scotland.\r Also this referendum should be scrapped as we voted in 2014 to stay as part of the UK	It should be made law that everyone should vote\rAs this is so important for all in Scotland.\r Also this referendum should be scrapped as we voted in 2014 to stay as part of the UK	It should be made law that everyone should vote\rAs this is so important for all in Scotland.\r Also this referendum should be scrapped as we voted in 2014 to stay as part of the UK
330	405830649	Catherine Welsh	Individual	Individual	I am happy with these arrangements, however postal votes should not be allowed to be commentated until after the ballot is completed.	I am in agreement of this.	Agree
331	269302452	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No more referendums. Great Britain must stay united.he SNP administration ate destroying the Scottish economy. Focus on health , education, health, policing and everything else you have messed. Do the jobs you are paid to do.	Focus on the devolved tasks we the taxpayer pay you to do. No more referendums! .no more referendums as a waste of money. More people will vote No this time round.	As above.
332	534916166	Dave Devine	Individual	Individual	Fair. Reasonable. Professional and incontrovertible.	Changes involve the counting and verification of the votes cast, and should contribute clarity to the fairness of this process, badly needed after the apparent inconsistencies of the 2014 referendum.\r The disclosure of sampled results from postal ballots or whatever, should not be made available to political parties until the count.	I'm still unclear what a 'permitted participant' is in a referendum.\r The rules appear fair, but the amount any one donor can make should be capped, in attempt to prevent one side gaining excessive financial advantage.
333	963739983	William Grier	Individual	Individual	I agree that the arrangements are satisfactory in general. However given the controversy over postal votes and the unexpected fire alarms in counting centres I believe that there should be greater scrutiny by independent observers and better security on the transfer of ballot boxes to the counting centres.	These seem adequate	Good
334	281747523	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with this	I agree as since more rigour needs to be applied to ensure there is no counting of postal ballots as happened in 2014. This was used to the advantage of the better together campaign.	OK
335	73692189	Gemma MacDonald	Individual	Individual	In agreement with the proposals, however stricter governing at the count is required in order to prevent any wrong doings, bias etc.	In agreement with the proposal.	In agreement with proposal.
336	910345491	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My only issue would be the management of postal votes. These should remain sealed until the polling stations have closed.	There are many Scots who live outside Scotland who retain an interest in Scotland, such as those who have retired and reside mainly in another EU country. Scotland leaving the EU will have as big an impact on them.	No comment
337	652680443	David Crossan	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I would like to see European observers oversee each count.
338	620610686	Alison Barclay	Individual	Individual	I think it's fine, but each voter's attention should be drawn to the barcode on the back of their ballot paper. More scrutiny is required regarding postal ballots - certain opposition MSPs have already proved they are untrustworthy on this front.	This is all good, the more checks that are made the better. It is good to see things being tightened up to prevent abuse of the system. I also think it is of the utmost importance that all those who have made their lives here should get a say in where we go next.	I think these changes are all fine and make sense.
339	795362391	Robert Taylor	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Extra security is needed for votes travelling from polling stations to the count. Postal votes should be sealed until the count.
340	238348732	Teresa Bryant	Individual	Individual	I am happy with them	Technical changes meet my approval	They appear fair
341	926790844	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Can't be soon enough please	Totally trust snps plans	Totally agree with snp proposals
342	910424860	Sandra Ballantyne	Individual	Individual	I'm quite happy with this	I accept these admendmants	I accept these ademendmants
343	242276287	Stephen McConnell	Individual	Individual	I strongly disagree with non British citizens being allowed a vote on the future of the UK. Particularly as this could load the dice in favour of an exit vote. Which ultimately would see non UK citizens having a say in breaking up the UK. I would call for legal action should non UK citizens be given the power to vote. \r As with the Brexit referendum I believe the age to vote should be raised to 18.	No Answered	I strongly disagree with non British citizens being allowed a vote on the future of the UK. Particularly as this could load the dice in favour of an exit vote. Which ultimately would see non UK citizens having a say in breaking up the UK. I would call for legal action should non UK citizens be given the power to vote. \r As with the Brexit referendum I believe the age to vote should be raised to 18.
344	82496809	James Mcgroarty	Individual	Individual	I am happy for my government within the Scottish parliament to proceed with the referendum bill. I believe that the Scottish government have a very clear mandate to consult and run a second referendum on independence. as it it clear that after Brexit the circumstances and the threat to force Scotland to leave the EU against the decision of our people is unacceptable. Therefore I'm asking the first minister to bring ng forth a second referendum on independence.	I a man happy for the Scottish government to proceed with the proposed technical changes. As during the last referendum some sections of the population living in Scotland were denied the right to vote.	I am happy with the proposed changes on permissible participants
345	1009072234	Raymond Hewitt	Individual	Individual	I would like to ensure that an independence referendum is held which includes some rules around broadcasting biast and includes consequences for downright mis-information by government or government connected bodies.	If 50+ percent is enough to take us out of the EU then it's enough to take us out of the UK	Na
346	68693250	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Proposed management worked well last time so no change is required as is implied	No Answered	Should ensure that those with "holiday homes" do not register to vote as they do not live there for long periods of time
347	988047159	James Davis	Individual	Individual	The arrangements on the whole are good but we need to ensure that there is no tampering with votes during the counting process as was seen after the 2014 referendum.	If you live in Scotland you are entitled to have your voice heard.	Seems both fair and sensible.
348	276045376	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	What I do not understand is -----Scotland has never ever joined the European Union /Common Market /EU so how can it stay in a club it has never joined? UK joined the EU ,UK voted to leave the EU and we in the UK will be leaving the EU .Scotland was not voting to stay or leave the EU ,UK was .Scotland,s deficit is 9.5 to join the EU for the very first time ,first it has to be a sovereign country ,have a deficit below 3 .0 and accept the Euro ,like all newcomers have to accept on joining. That is if they would even consider Scotland to be a member. Scotland then will be dictated too by EU and not have any sort of independence. It was embarrassing for Nicola,Sturgeon to ask Obama for allowing a tax from ex-pats that now live in the USA (History The Boston Tea Party )Obama told her and must think she is mental and desperate for money to want to tax every born Scots that now live else where in the world. Police Scotland and central call centers have been a disaster ,and a danger to the police in Dumfrieshire .NHS I worked for 42 years with them and staffing has deteriorated . Food Banks for starving children in Scotland .My Mum locked away by force without being sectioned for mental health and her property and savings taken from her ,her bungalow sold and her savings drained ,family now have to pay for her personal needs as her pension also claimed by social services . Can Scotland financially be independent ,I say not for the foreseeable future . I will vote to stay in the UK .	NOTHING HAS IMPROVED ,IT HAS DETERIORATED VASTLY IN THE LAST TWO YEARS AND THE OIL PRICE BEING LOW WITH TALK OF RE-ROUTING OIL AWAY FROM Scotland,s area TO Norway and the people who put money into the oil platforms are within their right to do so .Hopefully out of the EU the Fishermen will be free to open up their business ,along with the farmers able to produce without restriction.Big world out there to trade with and the future as part of UK is more promising .EU is finished ,it had its time the ideology of one country with mongrel nations into one with forced migration on the plan of one sovereign state with no border is finished .Thank Goodness we are leaving ,the money can then be spent on debt clearance and on the people of the UK.	DISGUSTING YOU ARE REALLY SCRAPPING THE BARREL TO GET YOUR OWN IDEOLOGY .
349	796427779	John Robertson	Individual	Individual	I have 100% faith and trust in Our Right Honourable First Minister of All Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon MSP and all Her Elected MPS along with all her Elected MSPs and Councillors. Whom are fighting hammer and nail against a Draconian outdated out of touch Westminster Elitist Self-serving Victorian Government Whom are "Better Toether",for self gain purposes only and not in the Interest of the People or the Country they are Elected or in Scotlands case Unelected ,by that I mean We have a Westminster Draconian Establishment and Government that does not listen to the people they represent . \r They Consistently Fail to deliver on there Manifesto promise pre-election but instead LIE to the people they are supposed to protect and serve.Fail to deliver on their Elected promises but instead break their promise an implement new laws to suit themselves.\r This is no longer a Democratic Island made up of 4 Separate Sovergn Country's, But One "Westminster Dictatorship", that cannot be Trusted with our National Interests or acting in our Countrys best Interests.\r This is in total contrast the extreme opposite of that, thank fully we have with Our Elected Parliament here in Holyrood in Edinburgh .\r We have an Elected Government in Scotland Elected on their Manifesto that they are holding fast to and delivering in an open and honest "INCLUSIVE", transparent manner a Democratic Mandate being delivered to the people of All Scotland Democratically and fairly.\r Unlike Westminster Again Not Open and Inclusive. Instead kept closed and hidden in the Closets of Westminsters alongside the many Skeletons of that Era. \rOur Holyrood Government Lead By the World's most Trusted Politician for the Fourth Year in Concession. Unlike the Unelected Undemocratic selected Ms May and her in house cabinet of Ministers and not elected by the people.\r Two very clear differences between two countries. One Democratic Parliament at Hollywood and the other being a "Dictatorship at Westminster".\r Our First Minister is conducting herself with open and honest Proffesionalism at its best, doing with Heart and soul in what is best to protect the Peoples she feels Honoured to Serve.\r I struggle to aggree with considerable degree, the same about Ms May and her side kick Brexitears, out to Destroy not just England, but drag down the other 3 Separate Sovergn Country's that make up the UK and not One Country that I am more than tired being dictated to that we are One Country the UK (Nation of 4 Seperate Sovergn Countrys that make up this Island "United Kingdom of 4 Sovergn Countries).\r Here in Scotland and General across the UK there is a strong feeling of mistrust in the "Westminster Establishment".And I refer to any future Referendums/Elections.\rWe are Very concerned ,Deeply Concerned about the "Intergrity of our Votes not being Rigged Again", alike what clearly did happen in the last Scottish Independance Referendum.\r There was over Whelming evidence of corruption Ballots being tampered with Ballot boxes being Rigged Postal Votes Tapered with, and even Ruth Davidson Torrie MP Openly admitting she new the outcome of the postal Ballot votes "Long before the Polling stations had even closed??", and any Democratic Election being "properly accounted for.!!!Serious concern".\r We want our Democratic Votes to be 100% Secure and more strict observation put in place to protect our Votes and to be "Cast by Pen and Not a Pencil", that can be Rubbed out and changed .Yes What happened the last Time and recorded and filmed by "Sky Broadcasting Station", to name one of several observations recorded and broadcast for us to see before our very own eyes.	I am very glad to read above the changes being put in place that will cover many of my concerns stated in the box above regards Voting ,securing and transportation under strict control and 100%Ballot boxes and postal votes being accounted for accurately and securely removing the risks I mention in my comments above regards a very large ammount off the population having the same shared concerns.	Any changes that add security and more scrutiny over our Democratic Votes being Accounted for Truthfully and Honestly without any illegal interference taking place.I.E The Rigged Referendum of 2014 that was all to clear and open to the public eye to seen and whitness.
350	429685630	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am quite happy with the proposed arrangement.	I am happy with proposals particularly that young people 16-17 years old will be voting.	I agree with proposals.
351	256969971	Morag Mcdonald	Individual	Individual	I do have a few concerns regarding the security of the vote count. Will there be any way of ensuring a neutral third party to oversee?	Happy to see more control over proxy votes.	Satisfactory
352	769536461	Annette Johnston	Individual	Individual	I'm happy with the proposed arrangements	I am happy with the changes proposed, all very sensible!	I'm happy with these changes.
353	382342782	Mr Gavin Barrie	Individual	Individual	I am concerned about the robustness and security of postal voting. I'd like more strict criteria on who was eligible for a postal vote and greater scrutiny of the applicants for postal votes and their eligibility.	I fully support the changes proposed for tightening up the validation of absent voting applicants.	I support these proposed changes.
354	265353258	Mary Donnelly	Individual	Individual	Support a referendum 2	Agree	Agree changes
355	1029932460	colin john macrae	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No ballots should be opened before the official count and no ballots should be counted outside of Scotland. A very carefull eye to be kept on postal votes with international political referees present throughout the count.
356	1024451138	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would like to see independent non UK international moderators to monitor the 2nd Independence Referendum if and when it happens.	Fine	Fine
357	596760281	Niall Whyte	Individual	Individual	Unsure about why they need the Electoral Management Board of Scotland involved when we already have an Electoral Commission.	16 & 17 year olds should not be allowed to vote, if the same age group requires a named person, how on earth can they then be deemed adult enough to vote.	No comment
358	354219214	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	First of all I would like the proposed question to be as follows: Should the Act of union be repealed? I would like to see a change in the way voting is conducted. Firstly I would like to retain a copy of how I voted and my vote held online for me to check how I voted. I would also like to see this for postal votes. It's very easy to have a tear off slip to keep and then the voter slip with voting identifiers uploaded to a database online that can be checked by the voter. I feel this is a more robust system that protects the legitimacy of the final result. In terms of security of the vote we need independent officers to conduct how the vote is being held and to inspect polling papers. As in 2014 my paper did not have any bar code or number on the back which I now check at all elections.	I would like to see polling and count staff be brought in from other countries as it's virtually impossible to know ones allegiance. This way the staff are impartial and only there for the count.	The draft bill specifies a 28 – day referendum restricted period that would apply to the Scottish Government and public bodies. I would like to see this include Newspapers and media outlets who must also be included in the 28 day restricted period to prevent either side of the campaign use media and publishing outlets as a way of promising the public changes to laws which was done by the Daily record with "the Vow".
359	683776188	Sidney Burnett	Individual	Individual	I agree .	Im in agreement with This.	Agreed
360	990142122	Raymond Leslie	Individual	Individual	I think more scrutiny should be taken on the people counting, as in the last referendum there seemed to be some discrepancies. maybe more cameras watching over them.	I believe that people who are fit and able to walk to the polling stations should not be allowed postal votes,only people who can supply a medical certificate and people who are working overseas.I also think that photographic evidence should be shown at the polling station.I also think that the results of the postal votes should not be declared until the end of the count and if anyone does should be charged with electoral conspiracy.	In the last referendum people were bused in from as far away as Liverpool for the NO vote, I would not like to see this happen again. I would also like to know if this was ever investigated into?
361	230678243	Philip Clark	Individual	Individual	Agree but No Pensioners at the Count	Agree	Agree
362	72058053	William Nicol	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	'Eligibility to vote will be the same as for Scottish Parliament and local government elections.'\r Given that the UK referendum on membership of the European Union was extended to all UK citizens whether currently living in the UK or not, subject to the 15 year rule, would it not be fair to extend the franchise on a vote regarding Scottish independence to all UK citizens born in Scotland but currently resident, for whatever reason, outwith Scotland? \rSurely such persons have as much interest in the future of their native land as, for instance, people born elsewhere but temporarily resident within Scottish boundaries?
363	198192759	Pauline McMillan	Individual	Individual	Agree	Add in Scottish citizens resident in any EU member state	Agree
364	824304830	Lisa Whittle	Individual	Individual	I believe they are fair.	No Answered	As a Scot studying abroad at the moment, I am mainly interested in the proxy vote regulations. I would like to vote by proxy.
365	841165945	Sidney Burnett	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agrees	Agreed
366	197123529	Nikki Macdonald	Individual	Individual	No problem	No problem	No problem
367	430528469	George Brydon Moodie	Individual	Individual	no samples to be taken of postal votes prior to close of polling on any future date chosen .	I agree with these terms and conditions .	I agree with these terms and conditions
368	116514153	n/a	Individual	Individual	I am more than happy for a second referendum to be held asap, providing it is run fairly & honestly. I do not have a problem with this being run by local government but do not want a private Tory counting system used. Impartial referees must be in place & all voting papers held in case a recount is necessary. Boxes should be sealed & two transport officers in place for security reasons. All papers should be marked in black.blue ink so results cannot be tampered with. An exit poll could also be put in place. I am at present divided on the question of who should be allowed to vote.	Only impartial & honest staff should be used in the count in my opinion. Agree that in proxy & absent voting, details should be confirmed.	Do not quite understand the last paragraph & its implications as to why a political party officer may take on the treasurers role of responsible person. It has not been fully explained for me to make comment.
369	350449932	Nicholas Auld	Individual	Individual	This process has served us well in the past and should continue to do so.	No views	This seems fair and transparent
370	656016042	Tom Rhodes	Individual	Individual	Lots of changes needed from last time.\r * Reduce postal votes to the absolute minimum (use a proxy if you are able bodied).\r* Hold postal votes only in Scotland (no round trips to Manchester).\r* No counting or verification of postal votes until the day of the referendum.\r* Only get vote if you have a Scottish Tax Code.\r* Monitoring by UN or EU people.\r* Audit postal votes to confirm they are valid.\r* Exit polls.	Lots of changes needed from last time.\r * Reduce postal votes to the absolute minimum (use a proxy if you are able bodied).\r* Hold postal votes only in Scotland (no round trips to Manchester).\r* No counting or verification of postal votes until the day of the referendum.\r* Only get vote if you have a Scottish Tax Code.\r* Monitoring by UN or EU people.\r* Audit postal votes to confirm they are valid.\r* Exit polls.	Lots of changes needed from last time.\r * Reduce postal votes to the absolute minimum (use a proxy if you are able bodied).\r* Hold postal votes only in Scotland (no round trips to Manchester).\r* No counting or verification of postal votes until the day of the referendum.\r* Only get vote if you have a Scottish Tax Code.\r* Monitoring by UN or EU people.\r* Audit postal votes to confirm they are valid.\r* Exit polls.
371	839673174	Liz Lawrie Kerr	Individual	Individual	I feel the methods proposed have shown previously to be fair and suitable for purpose.	I agree with the proposed changes.	I am in agreement with the proposed changes.
372	1043962482	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be international mediators to monitor the whole process.	No Answered	There should be no postal votes , back in 2014 vote these were sent to London first . \rTo see that the postal votes did not reflect the voters at the polling station
373	1003124548	Patricia Goossens	Individual	Individual	I support the Scottish peoples Right of Sovereignty, in that we as a nation should be given the chance to choose who rules, or governs, us. I realise an independence referendum is desired, in order to fully judge how large a majority exists for independence. However, many Scots, myself included, have serious concerns about the process of the referendum itself, about security, vote counting issues and various matters that have never, sadly, been addressed by the Scottish Government. As such, many of us are now distrustful of the referendum voting process. If ScotGov can at some point address those concerns or at least let Scots know that security will be scrutinisable, and *there*, that England/WM will have NO hand in the actual process and votes will NOT be going into England to be counted or otherwise processed, if an outside (perhaps European?) objective body can oversee the referendum process with full co operation from ScotGov and without hinderance, then great! We NEED independence, I cannot tell you just how much, or how many of us are counting on it so that we can realise the long frustrated dream of living in a free Scotland who runs her own affairs, without manipulation or dictation from London, who takes her place in the wider world as an outward looking, progressive, thriving and entirely wholesome country. The alternative, of more austerity measures, more block budget cuts, more punishments meted out to Scotland for daring to want to be governed by Scots, by the people who live in Scotland, is unacceptable. On a personal note, I am married to a European man. And whilst he's felt nothing but welcome here in Scotland, the recent xenophobia and anti European rhetoric and policy coming out of the UK rightly horrifies him. He has said if Scotland does not go independent, we will move to Belgium. And I do not blame him one bit. The vitriol, the hatred, coming out of England beggars belief. So for us, at least, a "working relationship" in which Scotland remains in the UK, even as an EU member, is not for us. Because ultimately, Scotland will STILL be run by Westminster, and still be subject to legal changes and harmful policy that even the SNP will be unable to stop. \rAnd if we have to leave? Call it emotional, extreme, what have you, it's the truth...it will break my heart to leave my home, the country I was born to, the country that educated me, raised me, has fed and homed me almost to my old age. And it's partly because I've lived this life, so long under WM rule and so long on the end of the harm the UK does, that if we don't grasp independence this time round, I will not end my days in thrall to England. That is not racism or anti English sentiment. I have constantly asked supporters of the Union to give me at least one good reason for remaining. The only one who responded came up with "British values". Those are not my values, not Scots values. I am not xenophobic, and I will never advocate counting the teeth of children before they can seek refuge in my country! And that is what we'd be leaving, upon going.\rSo please, Scotgov, find some way of rescuing Scotland. Find the way of getting us out of harm's way, and towards a brighter, saner, more humane future. Not just for folks like me or my husband, but for the children of Scotland who should not, in the 21st C, be exposed to such trash as is coming out of the south. Please. For them.	Forgive me, but I'm finding these links a little hard to navigate. That's probably my fault, sorry! But nothing I'm clicking on is leading me to anything readable on the above. :(	As above.
374	730988223	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Absolutely fine as nothing changes from 2014. However, we should not be wasting millions of pounds on a referendum so soon after 2014 regardless of Brexit.	Fine. However, we should not be wasting millions of pounds on a referendum so soon after 2014 regardless of Brexit.	Fine. However, we should not be wasting millions of pounds on a referendum so soon after 2014 regardless of Brexit.
375	627891946	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	vote should be Scottish citizens only	No Answered	Citizens of Republic of Ireland and other eu countries should not have a vote unless they have taken Scottish citizenship.
376	165949009	Patrick Goodlet	Individual	Individual	I am in agreement with this.	I agree with the changes	These are acceptable.
377	793989147	William Barbour	Individual	Individual	I am in agreement	Agree	Agree
378	1052695815	John Reilly	Individual	Individual	I agree with the arrangements but perhaps should add that would like to see wholly independent perhaps even non UK personnel overseeing the arrangements for the security and integrity of the count and the transfer of the ballots to the counting area.Also more stringent criteria for the postal votes.	Agree with the changes made and think that it may well prevent the hint of any impropriety which marked the last referendum.	In addition all campaign funds and donations should be published at the end of the campaign so that we can all see who or indeed if anyone was trying to manipulate the data and information provided to the electorate.
379	728836292	Ian McDonald	Individual	Individual	I have one fairly significant suggestion for the question, and you seem to have neglected to provide a box for this in the consultation.\r As the referendum is prompted by a material change in Scotland's circumstances, the question should be dependent on that change.\r Voters do not actually know for certain whether Brexit will actually happen. The material change is not yet confirmed.\r So the question should not be a simple repeat of 2014, but whether Scotland should be an independent country *on Brexit*.\r Scotland has chosen to remain in both the UK and the EU; natural justice demands the opportunity to choose between those.\r Those voters who change their minds because of the threat of Brexit would not be well served if they voted for independence because of it, and then the UK reversed its decision and remained in the European Union.	No Answered	Seem sound. It's a pity that the residency standard wasn't applied in the UK's referendum on the EU.
380	411533085	James Baxter	Individual	Individual	Same as the last referendum, but with more scrutany.	Agree	Agree
381	525783095	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe that there should be a stricter security process and more option for scrutiny of the votes after ballots have been collected by officials due to the many cases of suspected fraud during the previous referendum. I believe that no person, party or organisation should have the opportunity to view ballot papers before the official count, also in order to reduce the chance of fraud.	I believe that this section of the bill does not require any change.	I do not believe that this area of the bill requires to be altered.
382	958402194	mark slatter	Individual	Individual	what a load of absolute mince, when are you going to drop the grievance politics and actually concentrate on running the country before it's too late. We are the laughing stock of Europe, and this little gem produced today will set back investment in Scotland even further. And how much? Nice one.	see above	see above
383	733084308	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agreed, there being no viable alternative	Pleased to see a tightening up of postal voting procedures.\rDelighted to see the voting franchise again open to EU resident citizens and to young people.	No issues with this
384	674906411	Andrew Forrest	Individual	Individual	Perfectly suitable this time as well.	No comment & no concerns	No comment & No concerns
385	1014991482	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Spend the money another referendum would cost on public services such as schools, hospitals and care for the elderly please.	I think the SNP should concentrate on the job they were appointed to do in government I.e running the country, bringing jobs and prosperity and actually spend ALL of the publics money rather than withholding our funds. Get back to work guys and stop spending our money on referendums we don't want!	Consult the whole country and not just SNP members
386	150636401	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Grand	Grand\r I'd like there to be an exit poll.	Grand
387	793744608	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The only concern is again with postal votes being 'tested' as stated by Ruth Davidson on the evening of the 2014 referendum. Postal votes should only be counted alongside the other votes. I also think there should be an electronic exit pol system where people can enter their vote anonymously online either at polling station or via their own computer. This will help to prevent voting fraud.	The only concern is again with postal votes being 'tested' as stated by Ruth Davidson on the evening of the 2014 referendum. Postal votes should only be counted alongside the other votes. I also think there should be an electronic exit pol system where people can enter their vote anonymously online either at polling station or via their own computer. This will help to prevent voting fraud.	There should also be a way to hold the media accountable if their coverage of the referendum is biased as was shown in the 2014 referendum. The people of Scotland are intelligent and can come to a decision based on facts but the scaremongering and outright bias of the media should not be permitted. We require factual information to make an informed decision.
388	872484165	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is concerning that both 16 and 17 year olds are being given the chance to vote. In principle, I agree that this age group should be allowed to vote given that they will be affected the most by the outcome of the referendum in the long-term. Nevertheless, one must question whether this age bracket will be given the full and impartial facts regarding the choice they make, whether they will be pressured into a decision by parents, close family or friend groups, etc.	No opinion to offer.	No opinion.
389	626066545	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with proposed plans	I am happy with the proposed changes	I am happy with the changes
390	191398766	Kevin Anthony O'Donnell	Individual	Individual	I am content for the same Body to oversee the second referendum if it is needed, which i fear will be the case, and i would like to see some form of international observations of the whole voting process. I do not have confidence in the Post voting system and feel it is too easily interferred with, and this is reason i stopped using Postal voting. i really feel it is vital that the security of each box is maintained, and i am still uneasy about any voting sampling by political parties, who may have vested interest. I sincerely believe the People of Scotland have the right under their own Sovereignity to seek a IndRef2, IF they wish to, especially when such significant change has occurred over Scotland Euro rights, and i do not believe Government of UK has any right to remove sciotland from the EU.	I AGREE in the changes that persons involved in campaigning Actively should not be part of those doing the Counting and acting as Returning Officer, and this seems to be just sensible, and would like to see the count arrangements widely notificed to persons so that they can be checked and ensure they are very secure .	I agree with the 16&17 yr olds continuing to have the vote, and i think it is fine what is proposed for the permissable participants.
391	403985807	Andrew Weir	Individual	Individual	I have no issues with the proposals	I think there should be a need for acceptable ID to be provided to ensure the person voting is the correct one	I accept the proposed changes
392	163186923	Brian hay	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Postal votes should only be issued if in hospital at the time of the vote , serving overseas due to work but resident in Scotland .those with confirmed medical evidence they are unable to attend a voting station . Proxy vote should be used in emergency situations where unforeseen circumstances prevent personal voting , approved by the local electoral officer on the day of voting . Example being a car accident , medical emergency , or other accidents meaning unfit to attend . But proof of ID should be presented along with letter of permission from the voter unable to attend , signed and witnessed .
393	34016310	Bruce Moglia	Individual	Individual	There did not appear to be any space provided for the followin\r Had a look at the Draft Scottish Independence Bill published today. Under the heading of "The State" paragraph 6, "The Territory of Scotland" it states:\r "In accordance with international law, the territory of Scotland continues to consist of all the land, islands, internal waters and territorial sea that formed the territory of Scotland immediately before Independence Day".\r This causes me to raise a question about the Scottish Adjacent Waters Boundaries Order of 1999 which annexed to English jurisdiction 6,000 nautical square miles of Scotland's north sea assets including 7 major oil fields.\r Does this mean that the Scottish Government will set this in stone or following independence will they take this to the international courts for settlement?	No Answered	Bearing in mind allegations made during the last independence referendum, I would be seriously concerned if the firm IDOX, an electronic election counting company, was involved in any future referendum due to at least one of its senior directors, Peter Lilly MP, being a member of the Conservative & Unionist Party and a senior cabinet member of the current Westminster Government. This especially taking into account revelations following the last referendum that the threat of Scotland leaving the UK was considered to be a threat to the state, whatever that is, and that the whole armoury of the state was utillised against Scotland leaving.
394	109382997	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Any referendum should adhere to the following very basic limitations:\r1 - no postal votes.\r2 - no proxy votes.\r3 - exit poll to be conducted\r4 - Conducted by EU, not Westminster.	Still open to abuse and manipulation	Still open to abuse and manipulation\rWhy waste time addressing offensive language when we already have perfectly workable laws to deal with such instances?
395	108625236	Douglas Raine	Individual	Individual	Why can't the Electoral Management Board for Scotland handle the "regulation of the referendum campaign, and reporting on the referendum process..." instead of the Electoral Commission? Does the Scottish government seriously believe the EC to be independent of Westminster's government?	Allow inspectors to check personal identifiers in care homes and nursing homes. They must make sure care home and nursing home residents are not cajoled or influenced to vote one way or the other by care home and nursing home staff, or that care home and nursing home staff are not completing the voting form without the resident's permission, or that staff are not deliberately hiding voting forms and official information leaflets from residents.	Make sure when television networks hold referendum debates, with or without audience participation, that, unlike in 2014, there is always an equal number of speakers representing both sides of the argument.
396	37501500	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Sounds fine as long as appropriate security measures are in place to ensure transparency and reliability	Sounds fine.	Fine
397	372957015	Ian Ross	Individual	Individual	I entirely agree with the reasoning behind a second independence referendum being justified given the result of the eu referendum and given the lack of any democratic authority of Westminster reaction to the brexit intention for Scotland	I entirely agree with these proposals	I entirely agree with these changes
398	51455908	charlotte cleghorn	Individual	Individual	There is no need for another referendum ,we have already voted no.	Ther is no need for change,we have already voted no.	no need for changes we have already voted no.
399	731655726	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	a waste of time and money, how much is this going to cost us in tax? all these people homeless and nothing done about it, if there was signs of running a country and not wasting money and wanting to open the flood gates, people of scotland are not thought of here it's sturgeon wanting to put her name down in history	nothing changed and still no signs on our wallets	nothing changed and still no signs on our wallets
400	445076266	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Looks to be okay, as long as we are "absolutely certain" that the count will be genuine and there will not be any room to "allow any type of anomalies" which would/could hinder the proper outcome of the result. As was suggested the last time.	As regards to postal voting, I am unsure of the authenticity of being allowed to vote by post in certain circumstances.	Do not fully understand what this means or entails,
401	657871130	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have two children who were born in Scotland but need to work in England. They feel strongly that they should be enfranchised. So do I.	No Answered	Postal votes should be sent out much earlier than last time. A longer timescale allows more of those who are eligible to vote to participate.
402	510414352	Andrew Quigley	Individual	Individual	I believe that the proposed arrangements will be fair and transparent.	I would be ok with the proposed changes particularly the verification statement.	Yes all ok
403	444319945	Stuart Mason	Individual	Individual	it is a waste of resources - but that is the SNP for ya.	It should also be open to Scottish people living in England.	Mmm, so a party/name called 'Purge The Sturge' isn't allowed, okay SNP Redacted texts it is then, nowRedacted textoff.
404	50486250	James	Individual	Individual	I witnessed disgraceful behaviour by supporters of the yes campaign last time when they stuck cameras in the faces of staff and put them under scrutiny in a poor manner, they would have caused undue pressure on staff doing a superb job... so the returning officers cannot police such activity as it really is hectic...so you need to ensure any public or visitors to the count MUST not be allowed to take mobile phones into the count area, make it an offence to film or record in any way.	The UK govt allows Expats to vote for a period of time this is being extended and should also be allowed by postal vote only if they pre-register. if Scottish born people wish to return to Scotland they should have a say on how it is run!	its fine
405	149336353	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Yes I agree	Can we more closely monitor postal votes? There were suggestions that postal votes are taken out of Scotland to be verified before being returned for counting on the day of the vote.	Sounds good
406	747528742	Moray Nicol	Individual	Individual	I think postal votes shouldn't be allowed in the next referendum.	All fine but as I previously said, no more postal votes please.	Seems fine to me.
407	924842673	Graham O'Neill	Individual	Individual	Satisfactory and acceptable	Satisfactory and acceptable	Satisfactory and acceptable
408	845766585	Brian Cowe	Individual	Individual	I would do away with Postal Votes and introduce Mobile voting, much the same as Mobile banking etc. The votes should then be placed in a sealed box with tamperproof Locking system, once all boxes collected be moved securely to a designated Counting Hall and witnessed by Representatives of all concerned when opening. I would also have dedicated personnel watch over all boxes from Polling Booths to Counting halls again these boxes should be Tamperproof locked.	All paper votes should have a bar code made out to the said indivual who could then go online and check that his/her vote has been counted correctly. I would scrap Postal/Proxy Voting. The time has maybe come to make it compulsary for all persons over the age of 16 to vote where applicable.	Happy with That.
409	709419662	Kenneth G Coutts	Individual	Individual	If possible independent European scrutineers at the count.\rAlong with tough security regarding the movement of ballot boxes to central count.\rNo interference from English unionist politicians or celebrities et al.\rFull coverage and unbiased coverage from MSM\r.	Additional security around postal votes, regarding unionist interference.	If it is acceptable to all parties scrutiny and is part of a level playing field.
410	492298573	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Only those who are residents of Scotland should be able to vote.
411	840976340	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The 2014 referendum is widely considered to have been a successful and healthy democratic exercise, and it is a good model for any future referendum.	No Answered	The inclusion of 16 and 17-year-olds is a welcome one, but as new voters they continue to need help to enter the democratic process. Schools can play an important role here by providing young voters with information on registering to vote and how to inform themselves of the issues in a non-partisan way.\r Voters from other EU countries are also an important group to consider. As a student at the University of Glasgow, I campaigned for the Scottish Green Party in the last Scottish Parliament election and spoke to many young EU citizens who were unaware of their voting rights in Scotland. Given that the current political climate has very direct implications on them, it is imperative that they are involved in the process.\r Given the possible implications of Brexit, perhaps you should consider extending the franchise to Scots currently living in other EU countries.
412	1003233560	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	You said the 2014 vote was a once in a generation, keep to your word.\rWe knew there was a likely hood of an EU referendum.	You said the 2014 vote was a once in a generation, keep to your word.	You said the 2014 vote was a once in a generation, keep to your word.
413	752889279	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the arrangements generally are sufficient IF you get voters out. However in majority of the %of voters versus eligible voters the "majority%" isn't really a majority of the eligible voters therefore not a true reflection of thoughts "speaking for Scotland" or "what Scotland wants"\rWe either need to have a system like Australia where voting is compulsory or you get fined for not voting but that becomes a dictatorship with that alone OR % required for a MAJOR change needs to be a greater % than basic 50% of who voted.\rKeeping the % a majority of voting numbers is just wrong	No Answered	How long do you need to be in residence to vote. A realistic timescale needs confirmed.\r16 I still agree to disagree. 16 is far to young to vote on things that's generally you will not have any knowledge of until you are in employment etc. Yes some 16 year old are wise before their time but someone deemed not old enough to drink can decide on things like this I think is irresponsible \rTotally agree on 100% postal being checked
414	406707445	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I would like to see all voters present at the polling station with a photocard driving licence clearly showing their name and address to match the entry on the electoral register.\r I do not trust the postal vote and believe people registered to vote in the last referendum who were not actually resident in Scotland.
415	960452429	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine.	Grand	Ok
416	364121108	James Stewart	Individual	Individual	There shouldn't be another referendum!	There shouldn't be another referendum!	There shouldn't be another referendum!
417	756928123	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't think a second referdoum should be held and is. Not the right thing and is damaging the country very bad the goverment should focus on the running of the government	No Answered	Not good I think that only Scottish people should be able to vote the reason of he Change is the goverment is after a good result for them
418	266608331	Ian MacDonald	Individual	Individual	I am broadly in favour of all proposals on this question. I strongly agree with the enhanced proposals for checking of postal votes and ensuring a wide franchise among all those resident in Scotland aged over 15.\r I would like to see non-EU nationals with indefinite right to remain (such as my wife, and the mother of my Scottish children) to be also give a vote. This is on the basis that the result of any referendum would affect this group at least as much as any other.	I am broadly in favour of all proposals on this question.	I am broadly in favour of all proposals on this question.
419	516462109	Matthew Davies	Individual	Individual	There should be a caveat of a minimum turnout of 75% of the population of Scotland	People born in Scotland but resident in other parts of the UK should be permitted to vote	A new criminal offence of supplying deliberately false or misleading information with regard to the referendum should be created
420	261895478	Alan Wright	Individual	Individual	These 5 questions completely miss the point. The fundamental question is whether the Bill should be permitted to reach this stage.\r The current Scottish Government was not elected with a clear mandate that the Scottish Parliament should have the right to hold an independence referendum. Furthermore, it does not hold a majority. There is no clear and sustained evidence that independence has become the preferred option of a majority of the Scottish people. There has not been a significant and material change in the circumstances that prevailed in 2014 because the question in the EU referendum was asked as a UK question. As such, nobody has the right to claim Scotland is being taken out of the EU against its will. Many people in Scotland voted Remain 'tactically' to avoid precisely the situation that is now being 'manufactured', and if the question was asked in different circumstances would have voted out. In fact, a higher proportion of SNP supporters voted out than those of any other party.\r Scotland did not vote to remain in the EU (read the referendum question!) and thus the right to hold an independence referendum is irrelevant. Furthermore, it is a matter for Westminster to determine, as only they can legislate for a legally binding referendum to be held.\r The Scottish Government is hereby publishing for consultation a draft Referendum bill without the authority of the U.K. Parliament and seeking the view of the Scottish people on independence is a waste of taxpayers' money. The best and only way to protect Scotland’s interests in the wake of the EU referendum are to fall in line with the U.K. negotiating position and respect the democratic wishes of 17.5m U.K. Citizens. \r The economic case for independence is far more feeble than that in 2014. Furthermore, E.U. Membership, as the desired but highly unlikely outcome does not represent independence. \r The majority of Scottish people do not favour another referendum. Business and employers do not want the uncertainty of another referendum.\r It is therefore extremely disappointing that the 5 questions in this consultation ignore the fundamental issues of how the majority feel, and instead ask about how such a referendum would be operated and managed.	Irrelevant - see above.	Irrelevant - see above.
421	173987113	Alexander Burt	Individual	Individual	I do not accept the validity of a further referendum on independence. In 2014 we voted to continue as part of the United Kingdom and in doing so accepted that decisions such as those relating to EU membership are taken by the United Kingdom as a whole. The Scottish Government claims a mandate to revisit this issue but lacks a majority in parliament and owes its minority presence in the parliament to 47% of votes in an election where the turnout was 56%. This can't possibly override or call into question the decision taken in the mass participation referendum of 2014.	None	None
422	155227683	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	As there is no actual question from the Scottish Government about whether or not the people of Scotland actually want this referendum, this seems like the right place to put it.\r It is time for the Scottish Government to actually focus on running this country and not obsessing over a second referendum. The vote was decided in 2014 and the issue should be laid to rest. The country does not need the division of the independence referendum again and following the EU referendum result, we cannot afford to have even more economic certainty.\r The fact there isn't even an option on this "consultation" for rejecting the idea of a second referendum shows how out of touch this administration really are. By all means let's work together with the U.K. Government to ensure the best deal for Scotland in the face of Brexit but let's make the most of the opportunities that it'll bring. \r I voted remain but did not do so for us to be ripped out of the U.K.
423	100183817	Keir Liddle	Individual	Individual	I would like to see the franchise extended to as many people who habitually reside in Scotland as possible. But accept that this may prove difficult to achieve in a sensible timescale. \r More detailed breakdowns of results by polling statuions would be a nice thing for data geeks.	I am concerned about the limiting of emergency proxy votes but understand the reasoning behind this. That said i would like to see it as law that an employer cannot prevent an employee from voting by virtue of when or where they set their working hours.	I would like to see more support and training materials made available to campaign groups regarding donations, funding and the proper use and management thereof.
424	651076425	David Ward	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Wholly agree with the full checking of postal votes
425	725752206	Kenneth Sharp	Individual	Individual	I would rather the Electoral Commission were in no way involved in a referendum for Scotland only.	I would like a way to contact a % of postal ballotters to cross check/confirm their vote be inbuilt into the process.	none
426	718591140	Thomas Graune	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Sorry, thats all to complicated for me to write in English.I just hope that We get asap another Independence Referendum and that Scotland will be finally a free and Independent Country in the EU!
427	642186899	Alexander Mackay	Individual	Individual	agree	Agree	Agree
428	612089593	Graeme Brett Houston	Individual	Individual	Not sufficient\rAs the English government committed election fraud with the last indy referendum the following as a bare minimum MUST be implemented!!\r 1. Any promeses of any kind on run up to election must be made law prior to 28 days before hand to stop false promoses\r2. within 28day period if any politican, media rep or pundit etc makes promises then they automatically get sent to prison for mandatory 70 year jail term!\r3. votes must be cvast in person using photgraphic ID\r4. Vote Boxes MUST be watched over at all times especially in transit by vetted Pro indy supporters to stop English Government commiting election fraud\r5. The Count MUST be open to the PUBLIC"!!!!!!!!!\r6. There must be exit Polls!!!!!	no sufficent	Should not be available to English or Northern Irish Citizens!
429	811763328	David McGuinness	Individual	Individual	Not happy with running the referendum under the same rules as the last one to open to corruption.	No Answered	Not happy with the postal vote system even I can hack it and I'm computer illiterate .
430	1028873571	Roberta Raphael	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I do not believe we need another referendum in Scotland. As a voter in both the Scottish and Europe union referendums I knew what the risks were to Scotland if we voted to remain in the U.K. And if we also left the union. The Scottish referendum tore the country apart there was a horrible atmosphere around Glasgow that day I do not want our country torn apart. I think it would be better if we had our first minister instead insuring we got the best of brexit and not weaken our currency anymore than it is just now. I live in govanhill in Glasgow and to be honest I don't care about brexit right now I care about the state of the place where I live the children who are not in school the rouge landlords who are making govanhill a wasteland. I work full time and when I walk down Allison street I see fully capable people standing in the street just hanging out and it angers me that nothing is being done. Please first minister listen to the people of Scotland even your old constituency fix us first and sort independence later.
431	185523677	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Holyrood hasn't the authority to hold a referendum without approval of Westminster and this has been refused.	only technical change required is treason be put back on the books and hanging should be brought back for that crime.	nobody can participate it's and illegal action.
432	601234929	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't believe a "fair & transparent referendum" was delivered successfully in 2014. I think other arrangements should be made, or at the very least, there should be a spectator paired with every counting officer to minimise the potential for both miscounts, and for accusations of vote rigging, as happened in the past. I don't think the Electoral Commission performs it's role as well as it could either. This is possibly the most important vote ever for Scotland, and I believe there should be no margin for error or for doubt.	I would add a spectator to accompany every counting officer.	These are acceptable
433	1003245558	Alison Kalotka	Individual	Individual	It should not be a yes/no question it should be a remain leave like the brexit issue. That way no side has a positive/negative stance to begin with! Might make them clean up the YES stickers that litter the country!!	Glad to see Mrs Sturgeon has not decided to give prisoners the vote and ex pats who are possibly more emotional about independence than strategic thinkers. Keep it the same as 2014. If there has to be one - I despise the fact that out country is being dragged back through this as a result of a petulant waste of space not getting her own way 2 years ago!	Glad to see it will be transparent and that lottery winners can't just bank roll\rOne side
434	370760230	George Adam	Individual	Individual	Item 1 above\rOh my god. Are you really going to follow the same procedure as last time\rTry the following\rNo preview of postal votes by any party\rAll votes to be counted and scrutinised in Scotland\rExit poll at every polling station\rNo voting info sent to holiday homes\rNo votes for non national students\rNo votes for temporary workers. Persons not normally resident ie contract workers perhaps only resident for one or two years	Any of the above who are not normally resident in Scotland should not have a vote. Ie not Scottish not chosen to live in Scotland. Residing in Scotland due to external circumstances.\rPersonnel serving overseas who are Scottish and who do not have a fixed abode in Scotland. Where are their vote cast.	Don't know
435	207664659	Ross Wilkie	Individual	Individual	At the risk of sounding paranoid, I'd really prefer an eu or similar monitoring presence. Based upon the current state of Westminster politics I have grave concerns that, well, not everyone may play fair.	I have concerns as to the security of postal votes and I'd prefer to see their use absolutely minimised in the forthcoming referendum.\r I would want to be reassured that only permanent residents, not temporary or occasional residents had the right to vote. I have concerns as to the presence of second home owners etc on the role and I would expect such people to be identified and removed from the role as I do not consider them to have the right to vote on this issue. Delighted that 16-17 year olds and resident EU nationals will be given the right to vote again.	No comment on this.
436	707547361	Geoffrey Craigie	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Asking procedural questions will only serve to put people off the survey...The prcedures will be a Government decision anyway...."If it were done when 'tis done,then 'twere well it were done quickly"....time is of the essence...
437	469255042	william leadbitter	Individual	Individual	i agree with them.	i agree with them.	they are acceptable.
438	522511691	Maria O'Neill	Individual	Individual	Happy to repeat the next referendum using same arrangements as 2014.	I agree with all changes.	I agree to changes.
439	456312584	ROBERT BEAGAN	Individual	Individual	im happy with the proposal	im happy with the proposal	happy with the proposal
440	531572056	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	During the last Referendum it became clear to me that certain individuals had come to Scotland for a little holiday, rented an apartment, and registered to vote. \r Students from further afield were allowed to vote and I'd imagine most of them returned to their original locale when their studies were finalised.\r Immigrants are truly welcome in Scotland but many are short term working migrants and eventually return to their homeland.\r I travel all over Scotland and have found that a large number of houses are holiday homes owned by people who live elsewhere.\r In light of what I've mentioned previously would it not be possible to restrict 2nd home owners from voting at all and place some type of residency limit on the other categories that I've outlined on here?	Following Indyref1 I was informed by my postman that postal votes were being separated by Royal Mail (tag an identifier) and being sent to England for scanning. I made enquiries about this to no avail ... being told by one person after another, in one department after another, that they couldn't answer my question. \r Being concerned about the postal votes I contacted Renfrewshire Council who couldn't answer my particular question either but during the conversation I was informed that ALL postal votes had been opened from the 10th September on. The reason being that they wouldn't have been able to cope on the night due to the massive volume of postal votes in the region of 30,000. Previously around 4000. I was so flabbergasted with this that I covered this again over the phone to ensure that I had my facts right.\r I would appreciate if someone could check if postal votes went to England for scanning and if the 'practice' in Renfrewshire was carried out across Scotland. A 'practise' that I thought was illegal.\r I would also like to exit polls at each polling station next time. Absolutely crucial imo.	No real view on this at all. Seems to be alright to me.
441	667050483	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Approve of these.	I am severe reservations about postal voting and its potential to be abused by non residents. Postal voting should be minimised as can be done via proxy votes if required. I would advise that further restrictions and checks be carried out and exit polls be allowed to provide confirmation of the vote.	Approve of these - no issues.
442	930263487	Brian Reid	Individual	Individual	agree with those eligible to vote. I do however feel that the count should be overseen by EU officials. The postal vote should be made more transparent and the counting of the postal vote should be done in Scotland again overseen by EU officials. The electoral commission should be made to adhere to their own code re- purdah and make sure another obvious breach such as the vow last time is never allowed to happen again.	I do believe that photo identification should be required to cast a vote at the polling station, and more rigorous checks should be made on anyone requesting a postal vote.	Agreed
443	980460677	James Blair	Individual	Individual	Can't wait to become independent	No Answered	We can overcome and prosper
444	954092201	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Broadly agree, although feel postal votes should be restricted to those who are out the country only.	in favour	everyone who lives in Scotland (for last 2 years) should be eligible to vote, including 16+ years old
445	612430855	Paul Mclellan	Individual	Individual	Good arrangements, but more security over how votes are counted	All good	Perfect
446	780207666	Douglas Laird	Individual	Individual	I have reservation's regarding counting officers whether its true or not, there was questions unanswered on the 2014 referendum, I feel we need to have a more independent organisation managing the poll, would it be possible to get a third country to manage run and do the counting ? there should also be more rigorous checking at the polls every person that is eligible to vote should be sent a bar code that needs to be produced at the polling station, if they do not have it some form of identification should be produced, the each vote placed should be traceable and countable.	again concerns on the counting and polling management, at very least we need a third country over looking the process, this is a emotional issue and needs to be not only looking fair but is fair, there has to be checks in place, also postal votes, why do they have to be opened before the deadline ? they should be sealed and opened after the deadline time. Does it matter if the count takes longer the important thing is the count is done properly and accurate.	no issues
447	205974168	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree	I'm glad that attention has been paid to the issue of absent voting.\r I would not be averse to being required to provide proof of eligibility/identity in order to register to vote.\rI would pay attention to the length of time at an address....	Transparency & accountability are important to me.
448	34159698	Angus C.M. Condy , II.	Individual	Individual	I am content with what I am hearing from MY Government . I would like MY Government to very seriously consider a Unilateral Declaration of Independence when "Londone" , as is inevitable makes a complete hash of even the beginnings of ITS' withdrawal from "Europe." (Even with Nicola's wonderful rapport with the Scottish People , it is almost impossible to achieve more than 50% of the vote when the vicious "Londone Machine" is pitted against you . Redacted text.	I am very tired , but I have read much of the above . The question of SECURITY troubles me . "Quis custodiet ipsos custodies?" THAT is a major difficulty . Who monotors the army of people with the power , and the means , to alter things ? \r Redacted text	I am content .\rRedacted text
449	1008643005	William Denny	Individual	Individual	Although I'm not one of those individuals casting doubt on the actions of the Electoral Commission during the last referendum I do believe that a subsequent referendum should be overseen by an organisation perceived to be neutral in the affairs of Scotland/UK.	Postal voting should be overseen by an independent body outwith Scotland/UK	No comment
450	469346217	Steven cuthill	Individual	Individual	I agree in full	I disagree partially with Eligibility to vote\r Scottish nationals (born in Scotland) expatriates who reside in England , Northam Ireland , Wales and Abroad should be entitled to vote if this referendum.	I agree in full
451	636172152	Cameron Archibald	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the arrangements, I have no issues with the way it is done and have confidence. However, with videos being uploaded online after the first referendum with people obtaining what seems like used ballot papers, that is extremely worrying and hope it can be avoided.	Sounds brilliant, the more security we have in this vote the better!	Again sounds good and fair, the clarity over roles will help others understand their responsibilities.
452	623399864	Lewis Ingram	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
453	665927513	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree with the SNP proposal to hold another Scottish independence referendum.	I do not agree with the SNP proposal to hold another Sottish independence referendum.	I do not agree with the SNP proposal to hold another Sottish independence referendum.
454	957340482	Eric Clive	Individual	Individual	As independence is a tricky concept in the modern interdependent world there is something to be said in the abstract for having the question "Should Scotland (a) remain in the United Kingdom or (b) leave the United Kingdom?" However, there is already a popular assumption that the question will be the same as in 2014. People are already saying things like "I voted No last time but I'll be voting Yes this time". And there could be confusion if the question were too similar to that in the EU referendum. People might have already identified themselves psychologically as Remainers or Leavers and might be subconsciously inclined to vote the same way again. So I think the question should be as proposed in the draft Bill.	No Answered	What is the point of the words "(age apart)" in section 2(1)(c) of the draft Bill. Are these a hangover from the time when 16 and 17 year olds could not normally vote?\r Is there not a human rights issue about depriving convicted prisoners of the right to vote?
455	700405266	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We should not be having another referendum therefore the management and regulation are completely irrelevant.	Again this is irrelevant, I object to taxpayers money being used for this exercise.	Please see above comments
456	129353279	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no issues with the way the referendum was managed in 2014 but when I voted I was told I was voting for a once in a lifetime referendum. Now two years later we are facing the proposal of having another referendum.\rI would like clear and transparent information about how much this will cost the people of Scotland to vote again.	No Answered	I don't know why people who are living out of Scotland for work or personal reasons cannot vote in this referendum as it will affect them if they are due to return to Scotland.\rDue to the type of work I do I often have to relocate out of Scotland for periods of a year or more and if the referendum occurred during one of these times then I would not be entitled to vote but consider myself to be Scottish and would intend to live in Scotland in the long term.
457	470634018	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This proposed referendum is totally unnecessary and unwanted. The result of the 2014 referendum was clear and should stand for at least 20 years.	See above	See above
458	89010795	Wilma Watts	Individual	Individual	I personally feel there has to be closer scrutiny of the Postal Ballot.\rI had a Postal vote for the Independence Referendum but if necessary I would opt for a Proxy vote now. I was not happy with the way Postal votes were handled.\rWith regard to the count: I think that the count should be done initially in the Polling Station then verified at a Central office. The count should be overseen by completely neutral adjudication.	Please make sure that "residents " actually do reside and are not second home owners. This is again a way in which the Postal or proxy vote can be manipulated. Do Scottish citizens living out with Scotland get a vote, i.e. Ex pats living abroad or Scottish residents who are temporarily working abroad.	No views on this point, except to agree.
459	488610085	Robert vasey	Individual	Individual	It's reads well, see no problem	Agree	Agree
460	623036702	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Last referendum was well run
461	137787725	Stuart McClurg	Individual	Individual	Wholeheartedly agree with the proposed arrangements	I believe the count needs more monitoring than in 2014 to ensure claims of false figures being made.	Agree
462	480461019	Lindsay Thomas Bruce.	Individual	Individual	I do not trust the electoral commission.\r I would like the referendum overseen by an EU commission.	I do not trust postal voting. The labour party has previous form for tampering \rwith postal votes.\r Only people who can prove their abscence or disability should be allowed a\rpostal vote.	I am satisfied so long as there is proven transparency.
463	159931103	John wason	Individual	Individual	Agree with proposed arrangements	Adjustments should be made requiring registered voters to bring their polling card with them to ensure that all concerned are at least in possession of some type of eligibility to vote with their name and address rather than simply turning out and providing a name at the last referendum there were cases of people turning up to vote to find someone had already voted using their names	Agreed
464	232124229	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Mostly fine. There is no mention of where postal votes would be counted and who would be allowed to "sample" them. It seems that postal votes should also be retained and counted within the local authority area rather than sent to England or outsourced to an external company. Sampling prior to the official count should not be allowed by anyone who is part of a campaign (cf. Ruth Davidson's comments prior to the referendum day). Due to the seriousness of the implications of the referendum it seems that there should be neutral observers from abroad as well as the standard government staff. Regarding the role of the Electoral Commission - There were a number of complaints made during the 2014 referendum campaign about a) deliberately misleading postal election material b) deliberately misleading telephone campaigning c) Breaking of purdah. The electoral commission only appears to allow for complaints about funding or misrepresentation of candidates, but did not allow reporting of these issues. Can the electoral commission extend its capabilities to include reporting of such issues or another body be appointed to investigate such issues?	Approved, especially the increase of checking for postal votes.	Approved
465	765706252	Paul McPaul	Individual	Individual	There should be no second Referendum.	There should be no second Referendum.	There should be no second Referendum.
466	766398938	Rab Martin	Individual	Individual	Scotland should be an independent as the English government has proved time and time again that anything the Scots have to say or any input into how we should run ourselves get deemed as nonsense and we should not have any rights that could lead us to full independence.	No Answered	I think that all eligible residents in each section should be,\r Only persons eligible to vote should have their main address in Scotland and have no rights to vote anywhere else in the EU and must be registered in this country to vote.\rIf accepted to be eligible to take part in a Scottish election they understand they are accepting the above paragraph.
467	1047546189	Paul Robertson	Individual	Individual	I have no problem with the way this would be handled, other than that there should no sample ballots allowed, therefore preventing any possibility of the farce that was the Ruth Davidson situation and all that followed.	I have no issues with this.	Again I have no probywith this.
468	197210753	Ryan Malcolm McGuinness	Individual	Individual	I have no issue and the arrangements are fine.	Again, I have no issue with things as they stand and no objections to these changes	All seems fair
469	483403195	Kenneth Macklin non	Individual	Individual	It is believed that the 2014 ref. was dodgie regarding the postal votes. Indy 2's security must be SEEN to be 100% above board.	Happy.	Happy.
470	721602147	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the voting in person. I was unhappy with the 'sampling' of the postal votes and would like some regulation that insisted that all voting papers remain within Scotland at all times.	I agree with the proposed technical change	I agree with the proposed change of rules
471	552646543	Matthew Riley MacPherson	Individual	Individual	I am for the structure. Not much to say on this one.	I think the rules for eligibility are excellent–that Scottish residency is considered and not citizenship--this prevents Scots no longer resident from being part of a discussion that affects them less, but most importantly allows those affected who have chosen to make Scotland their home heard. Mainly this means EU citizens, but also someone like myself (I am a Canadian citizen living in Scotland, married to an English person).\r I am also happy to see 16/17 year olds being able to vote as this will affect them greatly and I think for something so long-lasting they should have their say.	No thoughts to add here.
472	449118140	Stephen Kirley	Individual	Individual	I agree with approach being proposed	I agree with the approach being proposed	I agree with the approach being proposed
473	299143728	Ronald Melville	Individual	Individual	Postal Votes: I would like to see eligible Postal Vote numbers reduced to as small a number as possible. For example: only voters who are unable due to medical reasons should be allowed to use a postal vote.\rExit Poll: I would like an Exit Poll to be carried out and published in order to verify the result of the vote.	No Answered	Postal Votes: I would like to see eligible Postal Vote numbers reduced to as small a number as possible. For example: only voters who are unable due to medical reasons should be allowed to use a postal vote.\rExit Poll: I would like an Exit Poll to be carried out and published in order to verify the result of the vote.
474	266700190	dale mcguire	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	asap referendum,no postal (dont trust),
475	779208580	Graham Sharp	Individual	Individual	Agree.	Excellent re the postal vote!	No comment.
476	563088415	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	fine	No Answered	ok
477	965185310	Andrea Dabelstein	Individual	Individual	there should be independent international observers in every poll station, in the vans which transport the ballot boxes and also at the counting center to make sure that nothing can be tempered. People should bring their poll card AND an ID like passport or driving license to make sure that there can be no fraud. The postal votes must remain in Scotland, here as well observed and protected by independent international observers. The security must be a lot stricter and tighter to prevent fraud and rigging of the referendum!!!	as I said before, the controls must be stricter, everyone who wants to vote (and is registered) has to have an ID with him/her to be sure that it's the person they claim to be. Same for the proxy votes, here also must be an ID presented	agree
478	1058877162	John Martin	Individual	Individual	16 year olds should not be allowed to vote as they have no real interest in politics and are easily influenced	Citizens of the Republic of Ireland should only be allowed to vote if in permanent residence	That's fine.
479	419115542	Robert C.B.Clunie	Individual	Individual	in agreement with proposals	in agreement with proposals	in agreement with proposals
480	828041581	Shamim	Individual	Individual	I do agree on the proposal	They are fine	I don't see any problems here
481	919031126	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think it is a hastily conceived and I'll thought out proposal that would tend to detract from the major issues at hand, which is to govern Scotland as promised in the election manifesto and not to pursue the independence referendum as an endgame. This matter has already been democratically settled in the form of a vote and this must, for the principles of democracy to be upheld, respected.\rNo means no.	The idea of allowing 16 year old persons to vote in a referendum but not a national election is at odds with the rest of the United Kingdom and should not have been allowed.	The rules surrounding the election should be exactly the same as that of a general or local by election. Henceforth similar ideas should be adopted.
482	881703004	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no more referendums. The 2014 result was decisive. Once in a generation. This is a waste of public time and money.	There should be no more referendums. The 2014 result was decisive. This is a waste of public money.	There should be no more referendums. The 2014 result was decisive. This is a waste of public money.
483	183824020	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No problem with this.	There are far too many postal votes allowed. Previous enquiries have shown problems, "Postal voting fraud is 'easy', electoral commissioner says" (Telegraph 24 Apr 2015)\r I have read but do not know if true that Postal votes were taken to England for verification ? If so why ?	No problem with that.
484	737210860	Isobel Zambonini	Individual	Individual	I am not 100% confident on how the last referendum was handled there are too many anomalies concerning the count which we would make me feel uneasy if the same system was used this time.	I am happy with these new arrangements.	Happy with these changes.
485	398244885	Robert Knox	Individual	Individual	I do not agree that the electoral commission should oversee the referendum \rI think the referendum should be overseen by an international board that oversees fair elections in other parts of the world.\rI don't agree with your statistics that 94% and 98% postal voters thought that the electoral commission done a good job.\rThe people in my fb comm and the wider public that I've spoken to after the 2014 referendum with pictures of what looks like electoral fraud was happening and we have NO FAITH in the electoral commission giving us any other result than to stay part of the union\rIf we are to truly get a fair and final result then it shouldn't be run by the establishment that wont want to lose their meal ticket \rNO TO ELECTORAL COMMISSION and NO ESTABLISHMENT RUNNING AND COUNTING OR ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE REFERENDUM EXCEPT AS A WITNESS \rBut if they ARE going to run it then the Scottish government should appoint overseers to oversee the electoral commission and counting and returning officers \rIF this doesn't happen this time , then we will be royally screwed and we'll have nowhere to turn after that unless the Scottish Government declare UDI \rPlease don't use the establishment to keep us stuck to them because that's what'll happen and the Scottish government will be stuck for at least a generation and i'll never get to die a free Scot \rPLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Go down a different path and run the referendum totally different this time , cause if you don't then we are LOST	Only people that live in and work in Scotland full time (Not f/t work, f/t living in this country) should be allowed\rLords shouldn't have the right to vote on it, because we know they only vote for whats best for tory mantra at the time and the tories have no mandate to do anything to Scotland	There should be NO part time Scots \rIF Scotland isn't their first and major residence, they should no be entitled to vote\rIf you start making exceptions then I have friends and family living roung the world that would love a vote too
486	397691155	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the arrangements. They appear fair.	These appear to be fair.	This appears to be in order.
487	658148949	Kate Morgan	Individual	Individual	Why is there not a question asking if people actually want this referendum? Maybe 45% of people do, but that is the minority. Please put an end to this. If you really cared about the interests of Scotland you would be working to change things now, in the government voted by the British people which the Scottish people voted to remain a part of. Because you did not get the answer you wanted in 2014 you are manipulating the Scottish public to believe this is their only option and it is quite frankly despicable. I am absolutely fed up with feeling uncertain about my future and feel worried that I will have to abandon my Scotland as being my home in the next couple of years only because the SNP have a very clever marketing strategy and targets vulnerable people. We voted REMAIN in 2014. Deal with it. And actually try to put your time in government to some use.	Why is there not a question asking if people actually want this referendum? Maybe 45% of people do, but that is the minority. Please put an end to this. If you really cared about the interests of Scotland you would be working to change things now, in the government voted by the British people which the Scottish people voted to remain a part of. Because you did not get the answer you wanted in 2014 you are manipulating the Scottish public to believe this is their only option and it is quite frankly despicable. I am absolutely fed up with feeling uncertain about my future and feel worried that I will have to abandon my Scotland as being my home in the next couple of years only because the SNP have a very clever marketing strategy and targets vulnerable people. We voted REMAIN in 2014. Deal with it. And actually try to put your time in government to some use.	Why is there not a question asking if people actually want this referendum? Maybe 45% of people do, but that is the minority. Please put an end to this. If you really cared about the interests of Scotland you would be working to change things now, in the government voted by the British people which the Scottish people voted to remain a part of. Because you did not get the answer you wanted in 2014 you are manipulating the Scottish public to believe this is their only option and it is quite frankly despicable. I am absolutely fed up with feeling uncertain about my future and feel worried that I will have to abandon my Scotland as being my home in the next couple of years only because the SNP have a very clever marketing strategy and targets vulnerable people. We voted REMAIN in 2014. Deal with it. And actually try to put your time in government to some use.
488	548756269	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It ludicrous, since when was a generation 2 years? There was NOTHING in the Edinburgh agreement about re-running the referendum if the EU referendum result wasn't to the Scottish Governments liking.	They are not required as there is no requirement to ask a question that was only asked 2 years ago and which was a resounding NO	Again there is no need for this. Just a waste of public money when there are so many other things that the Scottish Government are failing terribly at and they blame lack of funds as part of the issue. So DONT waste money on this.
489	961076223	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The managing of the referendum count is satisfactory the question of Yes should be changed this time around to make it fair so for a vote for independence should read if you want to stay part of the UK vote "Yes".	I feel the eligibility to vote should only be for people who hold a GB&N.I passport and can prove residency within Scotland only as their primary residency. \r It should not be open to all other people who may be residing in Scotland for a short time and who can then go back to their principle country of origin.\r I disagree with 16 year olds being eligible to vote however that has now been enshrined in legislation so I will accept it.	I agree with the changes
490	288468685	Scott McNeil	Individual	Individual	I totally agree with having a second referendum, however,It would be wise, to make sure that come the next time, a stronger case be put forward for the big issues, like currency, now my preferred option is an independent currency, initially pegged to Sterling, for stability, I do not want the Euro or Sterling as both these currencies put more economic powers into the hands of Europe or Westminster, we can do this on our own, you need to set up plans to have a central bank, and show the people of Scotland how this'll be done, to provide them with the comfort they required last time. Also we need to put the oil issue to bed, make sure you have the answers and mention the fact that trident is preventing the west from being utilised for the better of our economy, maybe even go as far as nationalising the oil along with the electricity markets, to give the poorest a good chance on improving there odds of living comfortable, like all Scots should, and finally the EU, I believe we need to be in the EU, and I know many (well 38%) don't want this, we need to show actual proof that we won't just be standing by the sidelines like we have in Westminster, show the people that the EU needs us as much as we need them, with all our oil, wind, water, sea, fish, etc. We need to show how strong we will be, but most importantly we need to show that it won't be all milk and honey and be truthful to the public, tell them it will be hard at first, and that it won't be rosy straight away, show them you are realistic and that, in say 20 years Scotland will be strong in the world and seen for who we were always meant to be, a proud, strong, smart, caring country.	I'm sorry to say this, but you cannot let Westminster anyway near the next referendum, as they will break every rule, and the fact that the PM's husband owns the electoral system, I don't know about you, but I'd call that a conflict of interest, you need to look elsewhere, Switzerland have referendums all the time, ask them and most importantly they are a neutral country .	I believe we should restrict donations to a reasonable level, as then we'd have something similar to an American style campaign, where the richest in society get what they want regardless of anyone else, I don't agree on buying campaigns. Also this time round keep Queeny out of it, she is supposed to be neutral in these circumstances, after all she is meant to be Queen of England and of the Scots, we are not asking the question of the monarchy yet, and I don't think that issue should come up until Elizabeth goes either, don't muddy the water. We need the rules to be similar to last time, in the way we were able to print off any yes stuff, without contacting headquarters (Yes Scotland), oh and this time round, improve the communication between yes groups and Yes Scotland, last time was a nightmare, we had to go all over the place to get supplies, we did make our own too.
491	955054655	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would like tighter scrutiny over the next referendum. It is important that democracy is upheld, first and foremost. We must ensure that there is little possibility for fraud. I have identified two areas, whereby fraud could occur. \r 1) Postal votes.\r 2) Through transition, from the polling stations to the counting areas. Could votes be counted within polling stations, with strict vigilance and numbers be passed to a central location. \r Stringent procedures are required, to encourage trust and participation in the referendum.	I fully agree with these referendum procedures but perhaps voters should be resident in Scotland, for one or even two years, because it could stop people living in Scotland temporary, just to vote, when the outcome in Scottish society doesn't even affect them.	I would like to see control over the mainstream media, during the referendum. Some mainstream media were resorting to serious insults. In a sense, it can be argued that the media is a campaigning tool. Since the media is predominantly owned by Conservatives, which are of unionist persuasion. The media were utterly hostile towards the YES campaign and those leading the campaign. In addition, I witnessed several obscene comments. \r The mainstream media should be better regulated, during elections, due to bias.
492	538227567	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	great	looking forward for referendum	like it
493	212261327	Graeme Menzies	Individual	Individual	To avoid opportunity for interference, I propose the following:\r1. Counting of votes at Polling Stations witnessed by official reps from all parties standing in that ward.\r2. Corroborated conveying of count to regional counting stations.\r3. Exit Polls to be allowed.	1. Only Scottish taxpayers to be allowed to vote.\r2. Exclusion of Students from rest of UK\r3. Exclusion of 2nd home owners from outwith Scotland.\r4. Postal votes to remain within Scottish jurisdiction at all times.\r5. Exclusion of "last minute" registration of voters details arriving from elseehere in UK.	1. No participants from elsewhere in UK to be campaigning on doorsteps or in public (Scots based participants only).\r2. No breaking of purdah by any campaigning body with last minute vows.\r3. Newspapers to be disallowed from involvement in campaigning.\r4. Strict impartiality to be imposed on Broadcasters.
494	44515322	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This sounds in order.	This,sounds a good way to do it, but there are many Scots abroad,who feel cheated out of a,vote. I can understand if they do not live in Scotland then why make a fuss about a country they do not live in but I think they should be given the option if they are dual citizens.	This sounds sensible.
495	383726189	No need to lets the nats know	Individual	Individual	A disgrace. They say we will be taken out of the EU single market. Independence will take us out the UK single market which is worth 4 times as much as the EU market. This is a waste of taxpayers money and an excuse to divide this country even more. Aceept this was a UK wide decision, Scotland knew that when voting. Focus on fixing the mess youve made of our public services and stop being anti-democratic, i mean we know youre party is xenophobic and has alot of communists.	Seem fair.	Ok.
496	321003634	Suzanne hendry	Individual	Individual	Seems to be a well thought out process with emphasis on the count of the utmost importance after the 2014 postal vote fiasco. Exit polls would be preferred.	Again seems to be a well thought out process	All fine and good
497	1013545548	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
498	3270360	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Keep all the postal votes in Scotland i dont see the need for any votes to be stored in any other part of the British isles	No Answered	I am Happy with all the above
499	965765563	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum. There was a once in a generation vote. Remain won and the result should be respected.	The question should not be yes/no if a referendum is held. Yes is a positive statement and is a biased question. If a vote is held the questions should be do you wish to remain in the uk or do you wish to leave the uk	no view
500	671338235	Michael Watson	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Define what "campaigning" means in Polling and Count staff paragraph.
501	1010538110	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am strongly opposed to the SNP pressing forward to try and force another independence referendum. The majority voted against it two years ago. It is totally disrespectful to ignore the democratic will of the voters.	I am strongly opposed to the SNP pressing forward to try and force another independence referendum. The majority voted against it two years ago. It is totally disrespectful to ignore the democratic will of the voters.	I am strongly opposed to the SNP pressing forward to try and force another independence referendum. The majority voted against it two years ago. It is totally disrespectful to ignore the democratic will of the voters.
502	198013537	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no issues with any of the technical provisions outlined in the consultation document. My main concern is that the Bill represents a massive distraction from the task which the Scottish Government was elected to undertake - to effectively govern the country. Soctland faces many challenges and we need our elected representatives to be focussed on resolving the difficulties and the consequences of funding shortages within our public services (most notably education (primary, secondary, FE and HE) and the NHS. The time, effort and money which would be spent on a second referendum, so soon after the first, appears to be a gross waste of precious and scarce resources. The last referendum proved to be very divisive within our society and the wounds have still not healed in many cases. I see absolutely no reason to re-open these painful divisions once again. This proposal, in my view, is ludicrous, risky and contrary to Scotland's interests. I sincerely hope that the request to hold the referendum, whatever technical aspects are eventually decided upon, is not presented to Parliament for approval.	See above	See above
503	668059415	Caroline Grant	Individual	Individual	I think that there should be independent observers at every table and at every box opening	as above I think that there should be no sampling of postal votes which should be opened at the same time as the polling station boxes.	satisfactory
504	664799160	Scott N Murray	Individual	Individual	I fully agree with the above informatlong steps have to be put in place to avoid any controversy or ambiguity surrounding counts and results.	Length of residence and permanent residence should be a factor of qualifying to vote. People living in Scotland for a year temporarily for employment reasons for example should not have a vote. Likewise someone who has only lived in Scotland for 12 months or returned to Scotland from living overseas to vote should not qualify.	Agreed.
505	679018812	Janice Matthew	Individual	Individual	Something has to be done to rule out any fraud. CCTV in counting stations and no dodgy sampling of postal votes like last time.	Absolutely agree with 100% checking of postal votes and that campaigners are not eligible to be polling station or count staff.	Ok
506	889464504	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	More should be said on the role of the Electoral Commission: what does it mean by "regulation of the referendum campaign"?\r Elections have some limited protection in the Representation of the People Act to prevent candidates lying about their personal character; but what about referenda? Are there controls against campaigners setting out to deceive?	No view on this	No idea
507	416624709	murray	Individual	Individual	I believe that Scotland has the right to self determination and should carry out another referendum based largely on the fact that the "vow" and promises were not kept. I believe that many folks will feel differently this time.\rI do not believe the sole reason for conducting this second referendum should be EU membership, there are many Scots, such as I, who do not want to belong to the EU for a variety of reasons. I would follow Norway's example and negotiate a similar arrangement. To do otherwise runs the risk of alienating true nationalists who wish Scotland to stand free and under the EU we will simply have new masters. So be careful.	Yes i support these changes , particularly the postal vote	no comment
508	887240005	Patricia Jane Walker	Individual	Individual	In total agreement a second referendum as soon as possible before Bretix we the people of Scotland back Independence all the way we need to be free of Westminsters chains do decide for Scotland let the Scottish people decide not the politicians	I agree with the proposed changes as postal voting was rigged in 2014	I agree
509	709789858	David Macqueen	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements will not satisfy the vast majority of YES supporters who believe the 2014 referendum was won by fraudulent means.\r An entirely different set of arrangements,free from Westminster control, are what's truly required to show the world the real and unambiguous Scottish viewpoint on this union	I welcome the proposed changes to the count, but don't think the proposed changes to the postal vote will eradicate the instances of fraud reported widely on social media after the 2014 vote.\r I totally disagree with the categories of people allowed a vote in the next referendum . British/ Irish or Commonwealth citizens should not be allowed to vote on an entirely Scottish matter. Cameron has set a precedent with EVEL and we should use it to our advantage	Undecided
510	681300477	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I think that postal votes should only be allowed in cases where the voter is genuinely unable to attend the polling station due to disability.\r There is far too high a risk of tampering with postal votes. They must be counted in Scotland at the same time as the other votes and not in advance.
511	306655768	george scott	Individual	Individual	Responsibility for the publication and management of information relevant to the referendum should be exercised entirely outside of Government - by the Independent Commission.\r The conventions which require the Civil Service to avoid engaging in political or public debate' and which limit its actions to the provision of factual information, should be strictly adhered to.\r The Independent Electoral Commission should, (on an equitable basis) provide facilities and funds for the production and distribution of leaflets written by a campaign group from each side (and is responsible for any arbitration between the competing claims of campaign groups).\r Every household should receive a publicly funded leaflet (through the Independent Electoral Commission) giving general information on the holding of the referendum and statements of the 'Yes' and 'No' cases relating to the referendum question.\r Public funds, (other than the financial budget allocated by government to the Independent Electoral Commission) should not be used.\r The Independent Electoral Commission should handle the process of consulting campaign groups, deciding on the establishment of umbrella organisations, and administering any appropriate financial assistance.\r Political, groups, parties' or individuals not wishing to be associated with any of the recognised campaigning organisations (and therefore not eligible for public funding assistance) should still be free to participate in the campaign.\r On the Andrew Marr show on Sunday 18 September 2016 Work and pensions secretary Damian Green said he would not reverse Iain Duncan Smith's devastating welfare cuts which have unfairly targetted the poorest members of society creating hardship and increasing the levels of poverty beyond that which is unacceptable in a developed society. \r Giving advance warning that pensioner benefits would be next, he made it clear major changes in support, all to the detriment of pensioners is in the Tory government future plans.\r He said "I can clarify that whilst the government has no immediate plans for further cuts in the current parliament it is giving attention to targetting pensioners at a future date.\r Over time we need to look at the issue of inter-generational fairness."\r Experience has enlightened me to the vagaries of the Westminster government, to which Scottish pensioners have ever been vulnerable. But a few platitudes ensures pensioners acquiesce which makes them a useful tool of politicians.\r The 2014 Scottish referendum was the "nadir" of the pensioners who were eagerly gullible, grasping at the straws of acceptance of the retention of a United Kingdom that had served them so badly in the past.\r I published two informative articles, before the referendum hoping they would persuade pensioners to vote "Yes". Evidently my words fell on deaf ears. But hopefully pensioners will have learned their lesson providing support to the bid for independence next time.	1. "Yes" campaign must not rely over much on emotion. Facts win arguments. The "Scottish" card should only be played at time when it can assist the campaign achieving a target.\r 2. Currency adoption, financial and stock market control systems should be clarified and accepted by the electorate in a sustained campaign set in motion well before a referendum.\r 3. Insurance, savings, pensions, (addressing the faster ageing population of Scotland) individual and corporate taxation and associated regulatory and consumer protection should be well presented and achievable.\r 4. A document should be produced by the Scottish government and circulated in the last weeks of the campaign, to every registered voter setting out in a "Q & A" format pertaining to policies such as: media (including newsprint) mail, telephone, the NHS, crime: (organised and ad-hoc), security: encompassing terrorism, defence, foreign policy, (NATO, EU,etc.) and/or any other threats to society.\r 5. Any negative impact on the imbalance of trade in goods and services, (with England, Wales & N Ireland) and its effect on employment should be researched and remedial measures explained.\r 6. Whilst the campaign is political and MP's, MSP's and pro-independence activists need to be assured and confident in their roles attention needs to be given to the appointment of a highly effective media team well able to counter any attacks (including negative campaign tricks) from the "no" camp.\r 7. The "yes" campaign will need to gather a substantial "fighting fund" and early attention should be given to this.\r 8. Focus in the early stages of the campaign should ensure the electorate are reminded of the many unfulfilled pledges of the, "three amigos" and their pipsqueak supporters.	Speaking via video link from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, he said that Scottish nationalists were not paranoid to be concerned that they were under surveillance.\r He told the Commonwealth Law Conference in Glasgow, "They are correct for a number of reasons.The attitude of the UK government is that this is a national security issue, that Scottish independence is, in effect, a threat to the state.\r This means that the full capacities of the GCHQ, for example, will be deployed. \r There is also the conduct of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office communicating secretly and extensively across the world lobbying other States to get involved influencing the Referendum result against the nationalists.\r "http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/julian-assange-says-snp-right-be-concerned-about-mi5-spying-1496574?webSyncID=2abcddc7-90d7-29c2-405c-074c772d5731&sessionGUID=25b97e31-2bd9-144d-d116-3635c84ea357"\r For the avoidance of doubt, let me spell this out. I have certain knowledge from an inside source that disruption of separatist activity in Scotland now features in MI5 tasking. \r The “tasking” of the security services – and that is what it is officially called – is a very formal written exercise conducted by the Joint Intelligence Committee on an annual basis, though it is possible (but very difficult) to insert new tasks in-year.\r I have personally taken part – often – in Cabinet Office meetings of JIC sub-committees determining tasking, though in my case more for MI6 than MI5. \r It is a system I know very well. None of the “journalists” abusing me above has ever sat on a JIC committee. None of them actually know anything about it. \r None has contacted me to ask me why I have stated there is an MI5 anti-SNP operation. It is so much easier to collect your pay packet, quaff another Merlot and drunkenly catcall “zoooomer!”\r Craig Murray Provides an Informed Insight of MI5 Activities
512	832796957	Uta Rosenbrock	Individual	Individual	Can we have monitors from a country who's concerns will be taken seriously? The Russian ones were dismissed last time on account of their own countries irregularities when it comes to elections. That appeared to defy the purpose of having independent monitors somewhat, and some people to this day have doubts about the results in 2014.	Can we prevent the checking of postal votes in England? And the sampling of postal votes before the count by political parties? Can the entire process be conducted in Scotland?	Seems reasonable
513	892386547	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree that the eligibility for voting in the referendum should follow that of Scottish Parliament and local government elections. \r I am content that the count and poll should be managed by local authorities.\r I am content that the Electoral Commission will regulate the campaign and it is imperative that they report to MSP's.	I am content with the franchise proposals for the referendum.\r I would suggest that a change should be made towards automatic registration for voters, to ensure everyone has a chance to express their vote and does not miss out as a result of missing a registration deadline. The 85% turnout in 2014 was a phenomenal achievement, and every effort should be made to not only replicate this but to aim higher. Automatic registration, with an opt-out option for anyone who really does not wish to be registered, can ensure the widest democratic participation possible. \r I agree with the changes proposed for proxy and postal voting.\r I agree with the proposal for 100% checking of personal identifiers. \r I agree with both changes for polling/count staff and verification statements.	I agree with all of the above.
514	491719092	Gary Macfarlane	Individual	Individual	I am completely against another referendum. Our Government had a referendum in 2014 and the Scottish voters clearly voted against Scotland opting to leave the UK.\r The SNP gave an undertaking that it would be 'once in a lifetime' - which was a correct undertaking.\r The SNP are now playing very cynical political games.\r Aye Right, - the Scots are going to vote to leave the UK, and as a result will have to throw themselves at the EU, have to accept the Euro, have to make huge expenditure cutbacks, and eventually become no longer a nation - but a tiny part of a new country - Europe.\r Why would we vote for Uk independence only to be consumed by Europe!\r That is not going to happen! Get real\r This playing games by the SNP Government portrays Scotland as wingeing and makes me	You have not made clear the technical changes, which makes it very difficult for those you are consulting.\r I do not accept that Commonwealth, Republic or Ireland, and European residents should be voting on any referendum about whether Scotland should leave the UK. This should be a matters for UK residents in the Scotland	I accept this
515	675518468	Brian sherry	Individual	Individual	No strong views	I cannot stress this highly enough,\r EXIT POLLS must be conducted.\r POSTAL VOTES must be checked,thoroughly i.e. Only those entitled to,should be allowed to.\r There should be NO SHREDDING carried out until at least a week has passed after voting,to allow for 'witnessing' of ballot papers to take place.	No strong views
516	298720264	Alison Lord	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Fine - I was happy with the way the 2014 referendum was managed
517	913855647	Lyndsey Taylor	Individual	Individual	It seems to me that there were many flaws in how the counting of the 2014 was managed ie blank polling papers, postal votes being sent to Tory headquarters in London, clear and recorded breaches in counting practises. I hope there is more regulation and scrutiny over the counting process.	No Answered	I have no issue with this.
518	158739552	David Fletcher	Individual	Individual	I don't trust the Electoral Comission with particular reference to Postal Voting. It is widely distrusted as it is open to fraud. Particularly given Ruth Davidson's comments on Sep 18th 2014.	NO Postal votes	All good.
519	337718288	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The Electoral Commission are useless. It should be monitored by EU overseers. I feel there should also be closer checks on holiday homes being used by people from outwith Scotland, who only come here maybe six or eight weeks a year, to skew our referendum vote, as did happen the last time. I know personally that this did happen.	There should not be any postal voting, unless someone is too ill or infirm to make it to the polling station. That should be verified by a medical certificate.\r I have no problem with regards the polling and counting staff.\r I agree with the changes to the verification statements.	Okay with this,
520	1005595034	murray forbes	Individual	Individual	not sure elec. commision are always above board. much closer scrutiny of postal votes required	agree	agree
521	283817032	Josh Gall	Individual	Individual	I am very pleased with the proposed arrangements for the management of the referendum.	I think appropriate steps have been taken to strengthen and create a more robust procedure for this proposed referendum. Sort of a 'lessons learned' approach from the 2014 referendum. I am Especially pleased about allowing EU nationals to have a voice in this decision.	Happy that correct adaptations have been made.
522	753811349	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I originally answered this question and then thought that Q2 might be a more appropriate place for those answers, so I moved them.\r My personal dealings with the Electoral Commission to clarify the implications of the so-called Gagging Law (Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014) have been pleasant and reasonably efficient, but I do feel that they are potentially insufficiently neutral. I think they need oversight, throughout, not just at the count. International observers would be good - last time they were denied by the UK government, so they might need to be unofficial.\r It is extremely unfortunate that the EC has no jurisdiction over the content of electoral material (unless it is defamatory) - both in 2014 and more recently in the EU referendum, literature economical with the actualité was widespread and there was no comeback.	This is what I intended to be an answer to Q1; I see that you have covered some of the issues, but these doubts remain:\r Eligibility to vote - although I understand why you have chosen the same criteria as for certain other elections, it is clear that last time significant numbers of holiday home owners and students, registered elsewhere, briefly transferred their registration in order to vote against independence (in the main; no doubt there were a few who employed this tactic to support independence). This is quite legal; they did not try to vote in two places at the same election because it wasn't an election, but I think tighter criteria would be an advantage. I don't however, think place of birth should be included, not least because I was born in England. It's difficult; last time the pragmatic option was chosen but it may not have been the best option.\r Postal votes also need to be addressed; when I had one in 1979 they were hard to come by, now they are there for the asking and can be acquired permanently. There was a UK government consultation on preventing the filling-in of postal ballots (eg on behalf of care home residents)by third parties, but I am not sure if this was implemented. I don't believe there was large-scale fiddling, but if there was any at all, postal voting is the easiest place to fiddle - indeed such fiddling was part of the rationale for moving to individual voter registration.	This seems ok.
523	690630895	Adrian Hannah	Individual	Individual	I trust the proposed arrangements for the management of the referendum as outlined.	Happy to comply with these new arrangements.	These are sensible precautions and should be implemented.
524	891462290	Stuart Grier	Individual	Individual	The document released today is a good document, but there are a few points I think should be looked at again.\r Question 1: What are your views on the proposed arrangements for managing\rthe referendum?\r I have no opinion on this section, the details are good.	Question 2: What are your views on the proposed technical changes to polling\rand count arrangements?\r It states: • British citizens resident in Scotland\rThere is a question of Scottish people who live or work in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, and it is not clear if these individuals I have specified will be eligible.\r I can understand that these people may be in non Scottish locations on a temporary time, and normally live in Scotland, a postal vote or proxy vote should be specified in the guidance, in the specific proxy section.	Question 3: What are your views on the proposed changes to rules on\rpermissible participants?\r The spending limits should be increased from £10,000 to £25,000\r The reason for this is that £10,000 is not a great amount of money, it is less than the yearly salary of an individual on minimum wage of £7.20 per hour. and £25,000 is a typical salary for an individual.\r For organisation, £25,000 is not a lot of money.
525	399850546	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm happy with them.	I'm happy with them.	No objections.
526	80143579	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am deeply concerned that The Scottish Government are abusing their position of power to meet the demands of The SNP, and not Scotland as a nation. This is despite them claiming that they speak for Scotland, when in actual fact they can't even say the 51% of Scottish residents voted for them. They are opportunists of the worst kind, who are profiting at the expense of a weak Labour. Despite more Scots voting to remain in the UK, than those who voted to stay in the EU, they are claiming that this gives them some sort of mandate to do whatever they wish at the expense of the taxpayer. Who will pay for all of this? They have divided our nation, but still ignore the less noisy Scots who voted NO in 2014. I really do feel that I live in an oppressive dictatorship now, whereby the SNP will stop at nothing to get their way. They have ruined local policing, created a nanny-state with their bizzare licensing laws and named person intrusions. They have taken power from local councils and I can see that by centralising everything they are making themselves more and more powerful by the day.	Again these amendments are designed to work in their favour. Citizens from outwith the UK should certainly not have a vote in this.	By answering any further questions I feel that I am actually giving substance to this 2nd referendum nonsense. "Once in a lifetime" wasn't it? We're not hamsters are we? Hopefully most of us have a few more years in us yet.
527	979572141	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Fair and honest information ,it's be given and campaigns shop d be dignified. No ' last minute vows, promises ! No scaremongering should be allowed such as your shopping wil be more expensive and and will leave Scotland, you'll loose job, be deported, have no currency, or job threats !
528	57274028	Mike McAndrew	Individual	Individual	Arrangements seem fine - would like to understand a Scots Tory can't 'sample' postal returns and report promising results on television when polls are still open and thereby arguably subverting the democratic process	As above	Agree with a comparable demographic
529	683519991	Hazel Smith	Individual	Individual	My strongest concerns of having another referendum is making sure:\r the postal votes are secure\rNo postal votes to go down to England\r the ballot boxes are carefully guarded and transported securely for counting\rElectoral Commission should not be used and instead another European country other than England	Fine	Fine
530	225209074	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would like to see postal votes cancelled, allowing those who are signed by a professional ie doctor/lawyer/ or whoever would satisfy the need.\r Something also needs done about those who have holiday homes here, but do not work here, however that could be established.\r We need independent monitors put in place to ensure fairness, as there were problems in Indy1, breaking of purda rules, funding being made in underhand ways. We cannot and must not expect fair play, they will play dirty. We need to take a firm hand on this or we WILL be cheated. Waken up to that fact please.\r Barring any outsiders from canvasing, ie buses of students etc bused up from England to interfere with our democratic right.\r We need to tighten up on vote security too,postal boxes with plastic cables are not secure. Also not to allow postal votes to be taken to England for any reason, as happened before.\r Close monitoring of vote counts is also crucial, to remove any doubt of unfairness.	Covered in the above list. We have no faith in the Electoral Management Board for Scotland, who proved the last time how toothless they actually are. Because of that they are not trusted to actually take action on certain issues, by a high percentage of Yes activists.\rMany think they are not fit for purpose.	See above
531	1070952590	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No objections.	There was and still is a lot of controversy as to the security of some aspects of the count at last indyref. The systems used must be tamper proof and beyond reproach. More observation of the systems and procedures by international teams is perhaps required. Ballot boxes and papers need to be visibly secure at every stage of the process.	A referendum is for the people of Scotland too decide their future. Last time the purdah was broken by politicians and government agencies. Leaks and statements happened within the purdah period which were obviously engineered to influence the outcome. Purdah was disrespected and broken. UK government offices and agencies were used to influence the result.
532	196768350	Maurice Slater	Individual	Individual	Need to tighten up on postal votes far too many of them should be only for housebound or people with disabilities or people who are working wawy at the time of the vote, being too lazy to go to a voting station should not entitle you to a postal vote.Far too many postal votes the last time too easy to tamper with also need neutral observers and exit polls and all boxes sealed and checked before leaving and on arriving.	Needs 100 percent verification and the ballot papers need to be securely marked and be identifiable if need be i still say my indy 2014 ballot paper was a fake was just a plain bit of paper with the questions on it i had no means of knowing if it was a real ballot paper.	No problems with this.
533	794626180	Scott Simpson	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals.	I agree with the proposals.	I agree with the proposals.
534	161228864	Linda Nemeth	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the process as outlined.	I am happy with the proposed arrangements but would ask that Scots living overseas be given an opportunity to participate in any future referendums.	The changes are acceptable.
535	452047928	Ethan Anderson	Individual	Individual	The arrangements seem fairly straightforward and the result aside, were successful last time. However, there should be a deadline on registration, a couple of months in advance.	No Answered	Fair and concise.
536	168765332	Robert Leckie	Individual	Individual	We need guaranteed transparency of all aspects to protect and qualify the vote to the electorate and organisers, preferably with some third party witnessed as well as an infalable system to keep votes private but everyones vote should generate a security code/key to allow it to be checked. That key could be used for any polls which would be unique to that voter and yes / no piles could be ckecked using poll data to check their associated bar codes? triple lock voting system. All 16/17 yr olds as well as all residents should be included. I do not trust the current system to be secure and believe that all potential weaknesses be addressed. witnesses at every counting table for eg.	Can party members from any parties be present as witnesses in sufficient number to protect the counting and verification from poll to count? Protection of ballot boxes and any extra security eg ballot box key holders convoy to counting station and opened after verification and unique key used to verify a ballot box lock ? updated register	seems fair.
537	683274428	Jennifer Wallace-Zotou	Individual	Individual	Largely satisfied - but would prefer oversight by a neutral country	Largely satisfied - particularly with the arrangement for the checking of postal votes.	Satisfied
538	237696315	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There needs to be a lot more security around postal voting and it should be an independant body that deals with the vote count westminster Government or any of their offices SHOULD NOT BE INVOLVED	If the proxy vote has to be done at a different polling station how can you verify their identity	Good
539	916288654	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	First of all there should be no second referendum. Both campaigns in the 2014 referendum were agreed that the decision should stand for a generation/lifetime. The First Minister and Deputy First Minister of the Scottish Government were particularly clear about this. The shortest time span I can find from a leading figure before the vote was '15 years' by Nicola Sturgeon.\r The argument that this government has a mandate for a 2nd referendum from its election manifesto is ludicrous. Firstly because the SNP were not returned as a majority government following the 2016 election. The government cannot claim an absolute right to implement its manifesto (including the section on a 2nd referendum) when the SNP failed to win an overall majority of the seats in the Scottish Parliament. That is the convention of our parliamentary democracy and so the mandate to implement any of the manifesto must be diluted before we even begin assessing the wording.\r Secondly because there has not been a "significant and material change in the circumstances that prevailed in 2014". The British (and therefore Scottish) public had been aware that there would be an in/out referendum on the EU since David Cameron announced it in 2013. The government's own 'white paper' on independence highlighted the risk of leaving the EU following a 'no' vote (p217), and representatives of YesScotland constantly reminded us of this when the subject of the EU was brought up in public debate. The Scottish Government's own position prior to the 2014 referendum is evidence that the circumstances that prevailed in 2014 included the possibility of leaving the EU. The voting public were fully aware that a British exit from the EU might follow a 'no' vote, yet still decisively voted no. The independence question is settled regardless of the UK's future relationship with Europe.\r Thirdly, because it is based on the incendiary yet misleading language of "Scotland being taken out of the EU against our will". Scotland is not and never has been a member of the European Union; we cannot be 'taken out' because we were never 'in'. The United Kingdom is a member of the European Union and the UK as a whole voted to leave the EU. The voting patterns of constituent parts of the UK are irrelevant and do not frustrate the overall result, just as divergent electoral results throughout the UK do not delegitimise the authority of a UK Government to govern throughout the country. Additionally, this statement ignores the fact that nearly 2 in 5 Scottish voters voted to leave the EU, and the 'leave' would not have won had they not done so. Scotland is not a homogenous voting bloc and cannot be treated as such.\r In short, to claim that there is strong reason to put the question of Scottish Independence to the electorate once again so soon after 2014 is disingenuous at best and opportunistically deceitful at worst.\r This strong feeling aside, I have the following comments on the managing of the referendum should the blasted thing go ahead:\r > 16 and 17 year-olds should not be given the vote.\r> There should not be a ridiculously long delay between the decision to hold a referendum and the date of the referendum itself, like there was between 2011-2014. This process added to the uncertainty and made it harder to overcome division afterwards. The timespan should be 6 months maximum.\r> The question asked should be such that staying within the UK is the affirmative option. For example: "should Scotland remain a part of the United Kingdom". This would only seem fair given that separation was the affirmative choice last time round.	16 and 17 year-olds should not be given the vote.	no comment
540	973231609	wilma mcewan	Individual	Individual	must disagree everything was fair and transparent ,so many questions need answered about the counting ,extra eyes security is vital ,to a fair and impartial outcome,far more vigilance needed	No Answered	We need more scrutiny ,especially with postal votes ,we should also make sure key things are in place i.e the currency ,that was a pivotal moment in our last ref ,no real plan had been in place ,and although we could use the pound ,all people heard was Osborne repeating no pound ,it did no good to blindly keep telling ppl we will have it ,also rules MUST be observed this time ,no last minute "vows" no use in have the purdah period ,when it can just be ignored,also impartial policing of the count ,from another country NOT wedded to this union or in favour of it ,or against it ,impartial people must be ,watching this count,security is a key factor ,lessons surely must be learned from last time,lets make sure no"sampling or dipping " into postal votes ,can be done by ANY..
541	741348945	Ross Sanderson	Individual	Individual	There shouldn't be another referendum. The result last time was clear and the vote was meant to be a once in a generation event. Without a s30 order, this Bill is ultra vires.	See above	See above.
542	856679945	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Waste of good public money. The nation has already spoken. No need for another vote. If the SNP insist on this vote the cost should come out of their own budget.	Are the technical changes to try and get a different result? If the vote goes ahead it should be like for like and be the same as the previous one.	As per previous answer. The SNP are clearly just wanting a different answer.
543	174919465	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Strongly agree and like your protecting eu nationals. However what's your guarantee on Scottish citizenship for people outwith the U.K. Abroad on British passports? I myself live in an eea country, I was born in England I moved to Scotland when I was 8, I was educated in Scotland I have a Scottish mother, Grand parents etc I have only ever worked in Scotland and contributed to Scottish society, if Scotland got independace last time I was living in Scotland so no problem. This time I stand to potentially become English, due to where I was born (I have only lived there for 6 months my dad was in the forces we where in Cyprus and Germany till we settled in Scotland) my brother and his family live in Scotland so they would be Scottish, my Scottish mother lives in Greece and has her pension paid by the British government as she worked for the dwp is she going to be Scottish or British following a yes vote. There must be many family's in a similar situation, so publishing what your requirements for Scottish citizenship to those abroad would help. Last time I feel the eu nationals having a vote was a detractor this time a positive.	No Answered	What about us abroad we could have a say in brexit. Why not independence
544	30597393	Mark brown	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There is no requirement for a second indepemdance referandum. The result was clear enough last time.
545	64669488	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Clear - no problems	No Answered	I think there should be a provision for Scots who live outside Scotland - is born in Scotland but still keenly involved in Scotland - i.e. I live in England currently for work but my entire family is in Scotland and I am Scottish by birth but have no say in the future of my own country.
546	998984427	Andrew Richardson	Individual	Individual	Mirroring the 2014 independence referendum is a fair approach.	The size and scope of the electorate seems fair and appropriate.	No objections to these updates.
547	130253644	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think there should be more rules in place to prevent 'perceived or actual' electoral fraud - postal ballots should not be accessed by campaigners as they were last time.	I do not believe that armed service personnel living/working outside Scotland should be entitled to vote.	I agree to these changes.
548	111648250	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree.	I agree. I find it very important that European citizens who are living in Scotland are able to vote. In the event of an independence Scotland can attract many of the EU citizens who are currently in England and Wales and are currently facing serious issues.	I agree.
549	726203129	katie MacGilp	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals	No Answered	I'm pleased that voting is still based on residency and am pleased that all postal votes will be checked for verification
550	742310060	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
551	91522396	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Aligned to the current governments latest results at election.\rThe previous referendum was supposed to be a once in a lifetime opportunity and irrespective of your previous vote this should be left as is.	16 & 17 year olds have no life experience and are likely to be guided by the most charismatic characters in the campaign	No comment
552	392157771	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	You don't have a right to even have a referendum as your last one answered the question. Nobody gave a toss about the vow they want the security of the uk but you don't get that due to blinkered views.	Shouldn't be having one, as above.	You have no right to hold another referendum. No means no.
553	544856231	Christian Allard	Individual	Individual	See below for egilibity to vote, a proposal to change the franchise for Scottish Parliament and local government elections.	No Answered	In Scotland we have extended democratic rights to EU citizens and to 16 & 17 year olds recently. Those rights have yet to be extended to people across the UK and might be in question for EU citizens in Brexit Britain.\rAs a EU citizen who chose Scotland as his home more than 30 years ago, I would urge the Scottish Government to introduce legislation to extend the voting franchise for Scottish Parliamentary, local government elections and of course for constitutional referendum to residents in Scotland from all nationalities including refugees and asylum seekers.\rIf the hashtag "WeAreScotland" showed us anything recently is that "we" includes all who live here. One tweet reflected where we are in three short sentences:\r"The Scottish often say 'if you live here you are Scottish,\rI'm waiting for the catch.\rThere is no catch."\rLet's make sure that the proposed arrangements for the referendum has no catch.\rFurthermore I believe that, as in 2014, the world and particularly our friends across the EU will be watching how we conduct ourselves. I'm very proud that the Scottish Parliament has pioneered extending democracy to all who live here, it reflects the times we are living in. \rPeople are travelling across the globe like never before and for many reasons, studying, working, seeking refuge or just to live with a loved one. Extending our voting franchise would make our democracy fit for the 21st century and would encourage others to follow our example. As Voltaire, the French philosopher, said "We look to Scotland for all our ideas of civilisation", here is an idea of democracy that the world could look at.
554	387040926	shirley johnston	Individual	Individual	No Answered	Fine, as long as everything is kept within Scotland and there is a greater scrutiny on postal votes.	don't agree with members of the house of lords having a vote, as we do not have a vote on them being a member of the house of lords.
555	833768918	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't see the need for an additional referendum. The wording of this statement implies that there WILL be one. Without the consent of the British Government it's hard to foresee that we will be eligible to vote again for the "Once in a Generation" referendum.\r Whilst its not too hard to determine that I am against another vote, I think the basis of putting the recommendation for such a referendum to the Scottish people must put the whole case for what a Scotland outside of the UK looks like. So much has changed since the last vote that I feel we are in an even more precarious position now.\r Let's focus more on breaking down the barriers that divide us and not close ourselves off to our closest neighbour and ally.	No concerns as outlined above, but I do maintain my position that this referendum is not in the best interests of Scotland or the wider UK.	No concerns as outlined above, but I do maintain my position that this referendum is not in the best interests of Scotland or the wider UK.
556	773978007	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	It worked well enough last time.
557	309031062	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I hope that the postal voting system is more closely monitored\rTo ensure fair play not like last time with the results being leaked early by the torys	I believe the changes are more suitable for ensure are true non biased vote\rI would however look closely at the not knowingly employ a person who has been engaged in canvassing part and make it an offence to employ and get a declaration sign by all	Better for all
558	683694118	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Well in your own words "fair and transparent referendum" if it is fair then there is no need for another one just because it has not gone SNP way	No Answered	No I do not think any EU or commonwealth citizens should be intitled to vote
559	820019845	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed management but would like independent scrutiny of the counts.	Checking 100% of postal votes is the best thing.	Good changes
560	63059691	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As 2014\r If London becomes intransigent Scotland should unilaterally declare independence as did the USA.	I agree with the technical changes	I agree with the proposed changes
561	1044396813	Grace Ferguson	Individual	Individual	Eligibility to vote should be the same as in last referendum. Independent adjudicators from a country outside the UK should preside over procedure. Postal votes need to be closely monitored. All votes should be kept in a secure place in Scotland for at least five years\rALL residents of Scotland should have a vote	All residents of Scotland should be allowed to vote including those from countries outwith EU or Commonwealth\rI agree that the counting officer should supply a copy of the verification statement	I do not feel this is explained fully to allow me to agree or not as I am not versed in the Acts mentioned ie. Trade union Administration Act. Just saying Acts have been updated does not explain the changes
562	266362399	Shimon.de Valencia	Individual	Individual	Eminently acceptable.	Very reasonable, and professional.	Good.
563	517099183	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum is well defined and fair enough.	This is well spelt out as well. I am in support of this proposal.	This is a positive proposal too.
564	294729911	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In terms of eligibility, Scots working overseas but with a home in Scotland should have a chance to vote.	Scots with a home in Scotland who are currently working overseas should have the right to vote. In many cases, their term as expatriates is short and their contribution as tax payers or as investors in Scotland large.	No opinion
565	862330479	David Moreland	Individual	Individual	the proposed matter in which you are to hold the referendum seem fine	I feel that as you are attempting to break up my country as a scot living in England I should have a vote as it affect me just as much as everyone living in scotland.	that is fine
566	799739213	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum!	There should not be another referendum! \rScottish born people living out with Scotland should be allowed to vote.	There should not be another referendum!
567	154816154	Chris TUKE	Individual	Individual	The question should be neutral, placing a single cross in the box next to the statement of preference, with the option of the status quo listed first i.e. ;\r“Scotland should remain part of the United Kingdom.”\r“Scotland should leave the United Kingdom.”\r If a Local Authority wishes to suspend its Standing Orders, it needs a 2/3 majority. If the local community hall or bowling club wishes to alter its constitution, it needs a 2/3 majority. If a limited company wishes to amend its Articles of Association, it needs 75% of the vote. The results of the 2 most recent referendums, one close and pone relatively close, have led to sore losers complaining. It would therefore make sense to have the threshold set at 2/3 to ensure a reasonable margin away from the status quo. The idea that major constitutional change could potentially be made on the balance of one vote is ludicrous.\r The other general proposed arrangements for managing the referendum are acceptable.	The proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements are acceptable.	It is accepted that there should not be any grants of public money to those who wish to campaign this should include the “free” mail-shots which would obviously be paid from the public purse.\r The other proposed changes to rules on permissible participants are acceptable.
568	987277499	Eric Glennie	Individual	Individual	They appear to be appropriate	these again seem fair	This seems in order
569	606998545	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	IF a second referendum is run then it should be the same as local elections with a simple yes or no vote	I agree with these	None
570	41303695	Roger White	Individual	Individual	I am completely opposed to a further referendum. Written and verbal promises were made during the 2014 campaign, including in 'Scotland's Future' and by both the then and current first ministers, that it was a once in a lifetime or generation opportunity. The vote against independence was decisive. It is a betrayal of the promises made to even carry out this consultation..	None.	None.
571	1026399629	Louise spence	Individual	Individual	I agree whole heartedly with the way the referendum was run.	I agree with the fairness of the vote	I agree
572	582266695	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Sounds like a sound plan.	I would limit the voting eligibility to the SNP members to ensure the referendum passage.	See my previous response.
573	302172867	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Sounds fair enough.	I agree that the franchise should be the same as that for the Scottish parlament elections and be reflective of those resident in Scotland.\r I agree that there should be tighter checks on proxy and postal voting. There should be a presumption against proxy or postal voting unless evidence of a valid requirement for such a vote is produced.	There should be restrictions on the donors and participants who are not based in Scotland to prevent undue influence being exerted by people/organisations who have chosen not to be based in Scotland.
574	865894591	Trevor Bryant Markovitz	Individual	Individual	pro independence	pro independence	pro independence
575	93412500	Jonathan Cruickshank	Individual	Individual	This is a fair split of responsibilities. It is crucial, however, that the count on the night is properly managed to avoid any of the issues that were reported at the last referendum, e.g. only one person instead of two transporting boxes of votes in personal cars, no security ties on some boxes of votes, etc. \r It would be good if there were international impartial observers overseeing the entire count process on the night.	I agree completely with the eligibility to vote criteria.\r I would be happy for the process of checking postal votes to be tightened up to prevent possible fraud. The stakes will be so high for the next referendum that we have to ensure that every vote is legitimate and is counted properly. To that end, I agree completely that polling and counting staff should be impartial and well vetted.	I agree with the changes.
576	571229740	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The entire premise of this referendum is false.\rThe SNP currently run a minority government and have no mandate for this referendum.	No Answered	Voting should be restricted to British citizens resident in Scotland and registered to vote in Scotland and members of the Armed Forces serving abroad but registered to vote in Scotland.
577	1039310493	STEVEN ELLIOTT	Individual	Individual	Security and identification of voters : all voters need to be resident in Scotland for at least 5 years and they need to be verified as actually existing - i.e; real people.\r Last referendum in 2014 allowed for the possibility of loading countless phony names on the 32 local authority registers (NOT ONE PERSON WAS VERIFIED TO EXIST), then the Brits simply downloaded the postal vote forms, sent them off and artificially increased the NO vote. MI6 has open access to all electoral registers and local authority documents.	And just how do you check on lne if it's a real person - you need to get a large team of people to check that all absentee voters are real people.\r One council official unbiased, one YES representative and one NO representative - to sign off on all postal vote identities - i.e; go and visit them or gt them to visit you otherwise no vote.\r ALSO - postal voting should be limited only to those physically unable to get to a voting booth - this is the independence of a country, not a council election.\r What happened to the sudden missing 1000Ks of voters between September 2014 and May 2015	People need to be resident here for 5 years minimum - just make sure they are real people and not just English students up for their courses who have no investment in Scotland but will vote NO anyway to save their notion of 'union'.
578	681354809	Jordan Fraser	Individual	Individual	I feel independence is the only way to secure our future in the EU and to make our country a fair and prosperous nation.	Love it can't fault it.	More transparency the better!
579	481974638	margaret johnstone	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum	I disagree with service / crown personnel serving with her majesty's service being eligible to vote,they were instructed by senior officers the last referendum to vote No and as they work for the British government and have pledged allegiance to her majesty how can they not follow orders \rI know it would probably be impossible and unfair to exclude them but wanted to make my point \rI am very glad that 16-17 yrs olds are getting the chance to vote again	I agree with the proposed changes
580	714404571	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No view	No view	No view
581	105336373	Edward Kucharczyk	Individual	Individual	That is exactly what needed	No changes required in my opinion	Reasonable changes in my opinion
582	1006354728	Marion Mullan	Individual	Individual	I support this approach which has been tried and tested.	I support these changes, particulary as they relate to the checking of postal votes.	I support these proposals.
583	93623772	David Buckley	Individual	Individual	It seems entirely fair to me	I like the idea that there is a spending limit, but the Unionist side is going to throw celebrities and overseas Heads of State at it like they did last time. Surely it should be a rule that such as the President of the USA keeps out of it. The single most annoying thing I found in 2014 was comments from the US and Australian Governments about why we should stay in the UK, both from the safety of their own independence from the UK they were praising.	I think its vital that everybody who calls Scotland home, gets a vote on its future. We've just seen in the EU Referendum a great many people who have come to join our family here, barred from voting and now feel excluded, and not valued for the contribution they so willingly came here to make.
584	771396406	j	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
585	704613027	Andrew McNelly	Individual	Individual	More stringent security must be followed, too many questionable actions and videos became public after the indyref of 2014. \rTransparency at ALL stages of the next referendum is critical to the security of the vote result.	Providing their main residence is actually not a "holiday home" but an actual address in Scotland. We do not want the vote to be flooded with postal or other votes from "Unionsts" who do not actually live in Scotland.	no views
586	560152103	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The one big issue that must be addressed is the wording of the question. The question used in 2014 was NOT fair as it required a Yes / No answer. The Electoral Commission was clear prior to the EU referendum that a Yes/No question was not fair. When one response is consciously and unconsciously positive and the other is negative. \r Therefore the question should be:\r Q. Should Scotland REMAIN in the United Kingdom, or should Scotland LEAVE and become an independent country?\r The question should be a LEAVE or REMAIN one.	My brother is a born and bred Scot who currently lives in London due to work. However he was not allowed to vote in 2014. He clearly has a very keen interest in Scotland's future, has lived in Scotland for most of his life, paid lots of taxes in Scotland, will return to Scotland in the future and should have his say on Scotland's future. Therefore Scots who live outside Scotland should be entitled to a vote.	I would trust the Electoral Commission to set the rules regarding this.
587	522560617	Kenny Mackenzie	Individual	Individual	OK	OK	OK
588	269823392	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine, the sooner the better if we are done down by the Westminster government as appears to be the case as they are not allowing us a place at the discussion table but merely "consulting" us which means they may listen but not act on what we ask.	Seem sensible on the face of it.	Again seems reasonable.
589	695411749	Leslie Forrest	Individual	Individual	It is absolutely imperative that the referendum question must NOT permit any Yes/No answer. Scientific studies consistently show a clear, consistent and obvious bias towards a question with a "yes" result. This means that if the same question is used as was in 2014, an unfair advantage would be granted to those seeking independence. This is entirely unacceptable, unfair and would have an even more divisive impact on the process than will already be the case.\r The eligibility criteria outlined are obviously skewed and would result in bias. If the EU citizens who live in Scotland are permitted to vote (and they should be), then people born in Scotland who live in either the rest of the UK or overseas should also be permitted to vote.\r Failure to do this would mean that an unfair advantage would be given to those seeking independence and as there are at present no guarantees that an independent Scotland could even join the EU (far less what the terms of joining would be), EU citizens could easily be given false hope of retaining EU citizenship by voting for independence. As such, failure to balance this by including other Scots in the vote would be egregious.\r Given that the "trigger" being used for this process is the UK's decision to leave the EU, before ANY campaigning begins, the Scottish Government must be able to show that a vote for independence would result in Scotland being guaranteed to accede to the EU and on what terms this would happen. Failure to do so will result in people not knowing exactly what they are voting for.\r Additionally, for such a significant change to constitutional arrangements as is proposed, a simple 50% vote majority is insufficient. We have already seen the failure of many to accept the result of a referendum in 2014 where 55% of people voted to remain within the UK. As such a MINIMUM of 60% of votes cast should be required in order to carry a decision to CHANGE constitutional arrangements (such as becoming independent).\r Lastly, the 2014 referendum contained many exaggerated claims, particularly on the likely economic impacts of independence. This should not be allowed to happen again. I recommend that all economic and financial claims should be vetted by an independently appointed body with no political affiliation (such as say the ONS) to fact check and publish the reality behind any financial claims made by either side.	See earlier comments about EU citizens and Scots living outside Scotland.	No issues
590	767416484	Miranda MacDonald	Individual	Individual	These are satisfactory.	I believe that people born in Scotland ( as these would be future Scottish citizens ) but resident elsewhere should be able to vote. Britons resident abroad were able to vote in the EU referendum.	Satisfactory.
591	823012971	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Overall very good. \r However there should be firm guarantees that the purdah period be respected. The Scottish Govt really needs to make the public aware of this from the outset. If it wasn't for the vow I suspect we would be independent by now - and it broke the purdah rule	Postal voting needs tightened up though and it would be good if Scottish born people working abroad could also vote - as in EU ref.	ok
592	493958436	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The management raised issues in the 2014 referendum. I was at the count and I welcome the fact that the Scottish Government have taken note of certain areas of concern during that referendum and are seeking to address those prior to a second referendum.	An outpouring of doubts {with much publicity around those doubts}, relating to the way the 2014 referendum was managed {specifically around postal votes} has not, even yet, been fully cleared up. This Bill appears to have been informed by previous "dubious" practice and appears to be seeking to close any previous gaps. I also welcome the more structured accountability of the counting officers as this would surely lay any responsibility firmly where it belongs.	Fully agree that this is a necessary change to remove any ambiguity.
593	757920691	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the referendum was decided in 2014 and the members of the government promulgating this anti-democratic referendum should be charged with the full costs personally.	Scottish citizens living abroad should be allowed to vote.	Fine
594	350040992	Gary Alba Kelly	Individual	Individual	After the 2014 yes vote disgusted by it we as a nation have ti have more control over the voting system bring in a non partial nation ie Scandinavia Russia to run the voting system to avoid Westminster corruption	No Answered	It's all very well changing it but is it assured these votes will be 100% right postal votes my biggest concern
595	209866504	kathleen arbuckle	Individual	Individual	I would like to see more use of independent moderators one on one shadowing and robustness of process to be examined in order to ensure fair play and no incidence that could be construed as voter fraud or other party interference with voting system. This is important to ensure no doubt in the result unlike the 2014 ref.	These are fine	this is fine
596	266651469	Graeme Fyfe	Individual	Individual	There should not be a referendum, but if there is it should be managed as suggested. However, only those who have the right to vote in Westminster parliament elections should have the right to vote.	No Answered	Citizens of other EU countries (other than Ireland) resident in Scotland should not be allowed to vote. If they are not British or Irish citizens then they should not have a say in the constitutional settlement - it is a very different concept to who is in government which, in contrast, is a short term thing. It is fine for Irish citizens living in Scotland to vote given the historic ties between the UK and Ireland.
597	610135031	Peter Brannan	Individual	Individual	There is no requirement for a referendum	there is no requirement for a referendum	There is no requirement for a referendum
598	909825086	Alan James Sweeney	Individual	Individual	There has been too much speculation surrounding the last referendum count as being rigged. I'm aware the Scottish Government refutes this but it is still a concern for many. I don't know how it can be achieved but perhaps a more robust vote count could be applied in the future. \r The issue of currency was also a huge sticking point for some. Perhaps if we had that issue sorted before another referendum, we might make people (particularly the elderly) vote for independence. \r We should also put more emphasis on the lies told prior to the last referendum. The VOW in particular.	I agree	I agree
599	662545422	Alexander Browne	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	After Ruth Davidson's TV gaffe last time, I feel uncomfortable about the way postal votes are handled. I'd prefer tighter restrictions on the use of postal votes and more security relating to their handling.
600	531445362	Duncan Castles	Individual	Individual	As a Scot born and raised in Scotland but now resident outside the country, I would like to have the opportunity to vote in Scottish Parliamentary and local elections, as well as this referendum. It is a major frustration that my vote in UK General Elections is allocated to the constituency where I last resided, in London.\rI would hope that a future independent Scottish Parliament would make provision for all Scottish citizens to have some democratic say in the governance of the nation.\rI understand, however, the need for a reference on independence to be conducted on the basis of civic rather than ethic nationalism, so accept that the eligibility rules are well framed.	Improvements on the UK's easily abused postal voting system are badly needed. Given the practises at the last referendum, measures to prevent interested parties 'sampling' the postal vote ahead of the post-referendum count would also be welcome.	No view.
601	997924676	Charlie Clark	Individual	Individual	I am not happy with how postal voting is managed. \rTo be granted a postal vote it must be established that the elector cannot vote in person and this must be outside the elector's control.	Anyone acting as proxy should be a family member or have a verifiable close long term link to the voter.\rplease see my comment above regarding postal voting.	I believe that donors and permitted participants should be limited to those on the register of voters.
602	1012624942	Donald Neil	Individual	Individual	Happy for the Scottish government to progress this .	No concerns	No concerns
603	1067244906	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As long as we have enough independent observers from EU countries - ie not UK residents to check that everything is above board and organised in a proper manner.\rWhat ever way the result goes, we want to be 100% sure that there was no under-hand shennigans.	As one of the biggest decisions the country will make, everyone is a campaigner, for or against. Observers from both sides should also monitor the process. As for postal votes, you would expect that if 50000 go out then 50000 should come back in.\r Make it compulsory to vote - surely everyone can either get to the polling station or post a vote in? Isn't it about time we also had electronic online voting? And if people don't vote, fine them £100. There should be NO excuse for not voting - for those that don't want to vote, for whatever reason, there can always be a "Don't Want to Vote" option. Scotland has always been a progressive, outward looking country, let's move voting into the 21st century.	People from other European countries have been included in our everyday life and should be entitled to a vote - it's as much their country now as it is ours.
604	683408855	Iain Hamilton	Individual	Individual	Fine.	Good changes. We do need exit polls though.	Fine.
605	591089158	adam smith	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	All the votes should be counted in scotland
606	727228450	James Keown	Individual	Individual	I feel that the use of the postal vote needs to be better monitored and only used by those who have a genuine and registered disability and need to use this facility as was originally intended. \rThe count also needs to be independantly verified by internationally recognisied organisations to ensure true numbers \rThe rules of purdah regarding the introduction of new offer/better deals (the vow) should be rigidly enforced unlike the last time	I am happy with proposed changes to the referendum proceedures	I am happy with the changes made
607	854009272	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Issues highlighted however would prefer not to have referendum at all. Voted as part of a democracy and happy to accept majority vote.	agree with the changes proposed	agree with technical changes - no concerns
608	755782423	William Middleton	Individual	Individual	Despite the result in 2014, the Referendum processes, in my opinion were seen as open, fair, and relevant in a fair and democratic society. (unlike the disgraceful lies and obfuscations of the 'NO' side of the debate)\r I therefore conclude that the processes proposed, if they align closely to those of 2014, would be the best way to proceed.	I agree entirely with the technical changes proposed.	I agree with all of this.
609	259647927	Iain crichton	Individual	Individual	1. No electoral commission. Any organisation with links to westminster has to be cut out of the process. An international body should be appointed to manage the referendum.\r2. Votes shold be counted where they are cast. Transferring them to a central counting centre leaves the democratic process open to abuse.\r3. Exit polls this time.	1.Only people who have been born and still live in Scotland, and people who have been permanently resident in Scotland for a minimum of five years should be allowed to vote. Scots who live and work outside of Scotland should not be allowed to vote.\r2.No postal voting. If someone cannot get to a polling station, then the polling station should go to them.postal voting is far too open to abuse.\r3. As said in question 1, votes should be counted where they are cast. Again this is to reduce the risk of fraud.	I have no views.
610	306112541	William Craig	Individual	Individual	I am happy with these proposed arrangements.	I support the proposed technical changes.	I am happy with the proposed changes to these rules.
611	809481134	David Mills	Individual	Individual	Happy with proposal	The changes appearing in line with recommendations and the methods in used in Scotland as it stands.	The proposals are in line with the normal processes in Scotland.
612	24919338	Thomas Carroll	Individual	Individual	I support the proposed arrangements. If the Referendum is to called and it is run as the 2014 one. I'm satisfied.	I support the proposed changes.	I support the proposed technical changes.
613	688322699	Alexander B. Mearns	Individual	Individual	Ceart gu leòr.	Ceart gu leòr.	Ceart gu leòr
614	93054767	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	there should be know arrangements made for managing another referendum, we had one in 2014 stay in UK 55% leave 45%, promised once in a life time, 2 years is not a life time	they seem ok, but should not have to be used.	they seem ok, but should not be required
615	729580300	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	seems fine till the count, there were rumours of polling boxes filled with votes going to the count via london. I do think that there were a lot of people concerned at how the count was conducted and at the unrealistically large percentage of some communities who voted. (Tales of the dead voting! No) I don't know if any of this has any substance but I do think the vote should be conducted in such a way that there can be no dubiety about the votes cast. \rI also read a letter in a newspaper from a woman who crowed about putting relatives, who live in england, on the councils electoral register. She is supposed to have received postal votes for them and to have voted No. If it is possible to do this, it is an area that needs attention.
616	93761719	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Please stop this referendum nonsense.\r We had one just 2 years ago, please respect democracy.	Again, please just stop with this nonsense.\r How much time and money is being wasted on this?	Please stop.
617	361852561	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think this sounds like a fair proposal for managing a referendum.	I agree with all proposed technical changes including eligibility criteria. Furthermore, I very strongly agree with the proposed changes in dealing with proxy voters, although I hold some reservations about the proxy vote scenario because surely it's possible that the proxy could vote differently from the intended vote of the absent voter? On top of that, I agree with the legislation to require 100% checking of identifiers, whether on proxy, postal, or in person votes, because without it, I believe the system is left wide open to the potential of fraudulent votes. I also agree that polling and counting staff should not be involved in campaigning and agree with the verification statements.	I agree with these proposed changes.
618	78209190	Steven Beaton	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
619	946670761	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe that the regulations for another Scottish independence referendum should be tighter than normal elections and that the postal voting system should be more robust than it is at the moment because I think that system at the moment is open to manipulation.\r I also believe that eligibility to vote in the next referendum should be based on residency in Scotland, not nationality.	No Answered	I believe that eligibility to vote in the next independence referendum should be based on residency in Scotland not nationality, and that shouldn't be restricted to the nationalities listed here.\r Not postal, or any ballot boxes should leave Scotland at any point during the referendum and the counting of those postal voted should be more strictly regulated.
620	77799553	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	EU involvement would be preferable. I fear the Electoral Commission could be influenced by the UK government.	No Answered	Postal votes should certainly be tightened up.
621	1015233536	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	My main concern is the security of ballot boxes and the count.	No thoughts
622	109751163	Colin budge	Individual	Individual	the same system as the last election. Postal votes do not go to london,but to a count in edinburgh where snp will be represented.	Anyone living in scotland over the age of 16 can vote. People with a second home in scotland are not entitled to vote.	Agreed
623	883286288	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel generally these arrangements will be fine however, I feel that due to this being related to the Brexit debate there should be EU scrutiny of the process, from the sealing of the ballot boxes, through the transport , receipt and counting process.	Again generally I accept these suggestions , however I would suggest that the postal vote be collected and secured in a secure facility in Scotland, under the supervision of EU monitors.	No issues
624	266644888	John Williamson	Individual	Individual	They seem sensible and in line with existing processes	This is extending the democratic mandate and is to be commended. 100% checking of postal ballots will help allay any fears of voting irregularities	Sensible proposals
625	1020382175	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I consider the proposals are correct.	I am in agreement with proposals.	In agreement as far as I understand them. However I consider participants covers a wide range of involvement. I think that all monies to be spent on the referendum by both sides should come from Scottish organisations and individuals only. It should not be acceptable for foreign( out with Scotland) physical resources to be allowed to influence the result of the referendum as far as is practicable.
626	869056815	Donald I S Skinner-Reid	Individual	Individual	There is no mandate for this issue. The Scottish Executive refuses to accept the democratic outcome of the 2014 vote. Once in a generation turns out to be the generation of a fruit fly.	There is no mandate for this issue. The Scottish Executive refuses to accept the democratic outcome of the 2014 vote.	There is no mandate for this issue. The Scottish Executive refuses to accept the democratic outcome of the 2014 vote.
627	81868849	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As long as the polling, collection and count is transparent and without issue.	As long as the polling, collection and count is transparent and without issue.	As long as the polling, collection and count is transparent and without issue.
628	726593142	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	During referendums, one of the most damaging things we have seen both in the last Scottish Independence referendum and indeed in the recent EU referendum is splits and divisions in our society. No matter if these events happen and no matter their outcome, the priority MUST be retaining unity in our communities. \r It is for this reason that I feel the approach of collating and announcing results on a regional basis is a dangerous one. On both sides of the fence where a region's local result differs from the national, we have seen areas claiming to be 'the independent state of...'... whilst this clearly has no legal basis, it causes division. \r Personally, I believe that when there are referendums, there should be no method of splitting the populations views by region, or indeed by age, race etc.	no comment	no comment
629	501636476	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If Scotland can have a fair and equal political voice within WM or have its wishes heard, then a second referendum is the only option left. We know that the promises made are not being delivered to us.	As long as there is full transparency and no room for errors, rigging or negligence then it will be fine.	Pedantic.
630	629920960	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements for managing the referendum worked well for the 2014 referendum and no significant changes should be made to them.	The restricted access to emergency proxy votes is supported as are the other changes to reflect best practice.	Any changes that improve transparency is encouraged as is the requirement for the person who is to be appointed as the responsible person for permitted participant bodies should sign the application for declaration as a permitted participant to ensure they are aware of their appointment and responsibilities.
631	567449242	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is entirely preposterous that we are even thinking about having a second referendum just over 2 years since the last divisive, disruptive referendum. I am appalled. My vote to remain was not a vote for this to happen. I also wouldn't trust the SNP led Government to manage any arrangements this time fairly or appropriately	I expect that the only reason EU citizens are proposed to be included this time is so Sturgeon can get her way, and assumes that they will vote for her. If we are to be forced to go through this again, it should be a level playing field with last time.	Please see my comments above
632	303565348	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There needs to be an exit poll.\rAnd the postal ballot needs to be counted and kept seperately. I did not trust that they were mixed in with the non-postal ballot papers.\rAlso, I would like a neutral international observer.	No Answered	There needs to be an exit poll.\rAnd the postal ballot needs to be counted and kept seperately. I did not trust that they were mixed in with the non-postal ballot papers.\rAlso, I would like a neutral international observer.\r Sorry, I found the above to be too dense and heavy a read.
633	430053435	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No comment.	I think you need to add another category, 'People born in Scotland but residing in the EU'. I was born in Scotland: my wife is German; my children were born in England but they are German. We are now living in Germany and my children are at school in Germany. I have a UK military pension and the tax is paid in the UK. I rely entirely on my UK military pension for our family income apart from the child benefit equivalent that my wife gets. Since the Brexit referendum, we have seen a drastic reduction in the value of my UK military pension, paid in GB Pounds, when I transfer it from the UK to Germany and convert it to Euros. I believe that I, and other expats born in Scotland and living in the EU, should also be able to vote in any Scottish independence referendum. In my case it will have a direct and effect on me and my family e.g. to remain in Germany.\rI am more than happy to become a Scottish citizen living in the EU.	No comments.
634	893684819	Steven McIntosh	Individual	Individual	I have no issue in the way a referendum would be delivered, I just feel that the majority of Scots are against this. The Scottish Government does not appear to be taking notice of the polls to date and continues to prioritise independence over anything else. \r I personally voted Remain, but I do not want another independence vote on this basis. The UK as a whole voted to leave and I see this as a democratic vote that the SNP should not be trying to derail or use for their own purposes. \r My EU leave vote was not for another independence referendum and if I had known the SNP would use the majority vote in Scotland to justify another independence vote, I would have voted leave.\r I would rather remain as part of the UK than be an independent country seeking admission to the EU.	Again, I have no issue with this other than I do not belief another vote is justified or wanted.	Again, I have no issue with this other than I do not belief another vote is justified or wanted.
635	395594625	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Do not want another referendum - so no arrangements necessary	Do not want another referendum so no changes necessary	Do not want another referendum so no changes necessary
636	700835705	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Positive - glad to see that there was not much change from the previous referendum.	No Answered	Absent voting checks should have been increased ages ago.
637	144374615	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am in agreement with the arrangements.	I think those with permanent residency to stay in the UK should have a vote. My husband is Japanese and has permanent residency here - we have made our life here but he still can't vote.	In agreement with proposals.
638	320982786	Remco de Blaaij	Individual	Individual	I think the management of the referendum are excellent and modelled around the 2014 organisation which clearly has been working well. In a reality that has seen 84% turnout, this cannot be named disorganised. I think the management of postal votes and polling station votes are being considered and using the existing structure as well as the clear and transparent reporting is clear to me.\r I do have a question on article 30 and if it is truly the case Westminster, or the Order would indeed allow for this referendum to happen. What happens when this is not the case, contrary to what is predicted?\r The eligibility to vote is essential and I am more than happy that again the concentration of eligibility is on people that live and work in Scotland. I would have a remark though on the possibility of non-EU citizens that live and work here as well and many for lots of years, could they also not be given an opportunity. I see a gap in there with Americans, Canadians, Asian passport holders not being able to vote, although some of them have lived here already for many years and contribute as much.	I don't have any specific remarks on these changes.	I have no specific remarks on these changes.
639	697145368	n/a	Individual	Individual	Split of responsibilities is fine. Voting should be rstricted to 18+, not 16+. If they still need a Named Person to protect them, and are judged to be insufficiently mature to drink or watch "adult" films, how can they be mature enough to vote in such an important referendum? So eligibility should match General Elections.\r Main comment, though, would be that I do not believe the Scottish Government hold a mandate for another referendum, do not support one being held, and feel that their time and effort would bebetter spent addressing education and health issues that are already fully within their control.	With the exception of the minimum age, these changes all seem reasonable.	These changes seem reasonable, in so far as I understand them.
640	1056628592	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is a sham consultation having no dedicated question where views can be given on the need for the referendum.\r The proposal to hold a second independence referendum after only 2 years is a shocking waste of the government's time and resources. The Scottish people expressed their clear opinion to remain in the UK and this should be respected. The reasons behind this second referendum are purely ideological which panders to a small minority who neither care nor can be bothered by the UK or the EU and desire independence at any cost. The Scottish government should stop this divisive exercise and govern.	This is a sham consultation having no dedicated question where views can be given on the need for the referendum.\r The proposal to hold a second independence referendum after only 2 years is a shocking waste of the government's time and resources. The Scottish people expressed their clear opinion to remain in the UK and this should be respected. The reasons behind this second referendum are purely ideological which panders to a small minority who neither care nor can be bothered by the UK or the EU and desire independence at any cost. The Scottish government should stop this divisive exercise and govern.	This is a sham consultation having no dedicated question where views can be given on the need for the referendum.\r The proposal to hold a second independence referendum after only 2 years is a shocking waste of the government's time and resources. The Scottish people expressed their clear opinion to remain in the UK and this should be respected. The reasons behind this second referendum are purely ideological which panders to a small minority who neither care nor can be bothered by the UK or the EU and desire independence at any cost. The Scottish government should stop this divisive exercise and govern.
641	436409974	Annemarie Gillan	Individual	Individual	I think you should be looking at outside help regarding management of referendum , possibly from EU to make sure it is run in as fair and balanced way as possible. It would also stop any rumours or accusations of any fraud or underhand actions taking place, regardless of the result and this would be helpful in areas were there may be a close result.	No Answered	All postal / proxy votes should be signed off and agreed by both sides on the referendum in order to stop any falsification or fraud taking place. Postal votes MUST NOT leave Scotland to be counted outside of Scotland and must be stored in a mutually agreed location with 24 hr cctv on the boxes. There should be NO ACCESS given to either side until they are to be counted and obviously counted in the same fashion I describe below.\rIt would also be a good idea to look at CCTV in polling stations .\r With regards to the count, I fully believe we should take on the Greek model used in their EU debt referendum. That is, when the polling station closes, all votes cast are counted in the polling station in front of reps from both sides... after this the votes are sent to the central count in the same vehicle with both reps once again present in the vehicle. Once at the central counting office votes are re counted, and tallies verified with those from polling station tallies. Once all present and correct, numbers can be passed on in the normal fashion.\rAlthough this is a longer process and we would wait longer on results, it would remove any doubt of the validity of any vote from any polling station throughout Scotland.
642	582690398	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The referendum should not be going ahead at all. You are wasting public money and putting the economy in further danger at a time it is already suffering. The last referendum in 2014 was not fair and transparent from the point that a lot of false statements and promises were made by politicians and others campaigning. Nevertheless, if you proceed with these selfish and irresponsible plans, the current arrangements for managing voting in this country do not need to change.	The technical changes seem fine. In regards to eligibility to vote, I can't see how else you would decide who is Scottish apart from those registered to vote in Scotland. No-one has a Scottish birth certificate, so there is no method of determining who is Scottish other than through postcode, or opening it out to anyone who wants to claim to be Scottish, which is the worse option.	Fine.
643	340439573	Eamonn Gallagher	Individual	Individual	No postal votes. Turn up at the polling station in pers	No Answered	Fine
644	6204987	stephen mcinnes	Individual	Individual	observers should be from iceland or russia. \r postal votes , do not leave this country..	fine	fine
645	798737638	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Should not be called. We had one in 2014. And All Party's Agreed To the Result being Final. And the NO won. \rThat should of been the end of it.\rThe vote in 2016. As a UK vote on to leave or stay in the EU. Leave won.\rThat is all there is to it.	Everything that was on offer in the Smith's Report has been done. The SNP agree with it.	There is no Chang.
646	233242387	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think this whole thing is an apalling waste of public money and is entirely undemocratic given the 2014 Referendum and the 'once in a lifetime' etc statements from the SNP. I FURTHER FEEL THAT THE PUBLIC MONEY BEING SPENT ON THE PREPARATION AND PROMOTION OF THIS PHONEY DOCUMENT IS PUBLIC MALADMINISTRATION AT ITS WORST. The Referendum has already taken place. Now, I'm an educated and generally mild mannered man but the SNP really are beyond the pale here and are frankly behaving like a bunch of jumped up Redacted text! Manage it into the waste paper bucket.	They are irrelevant. The Country has already had it's referendum. This is a gross misuse of public funds and i sincerely hope the SNP are ultimately personally surcharged for this gross abuse.	Irrelevant....we have already had a referendum on this.
647	989867132	Brian Strachan Gillies	Individual	Individual	Scotland needs to be able to look after the People of Scotland, the ballots are weak, too many ifs and buts, exit polls, ballots not counted until the Referendum is completed, the Ballots should be counted in the ballot stations, so no ballot boxes can be switched during transport, Money for this part of the operation should not be taken into account, this is Scotlands Future	The Tighter the security the better, highly recommend Exit Polls and the Ballots counted at the Ballot stations	People entrusted with Ballots should be Trusted people from their own Constituency, people that are well known in that area
648	515582443	nigel	Individual	Individual	Scotland said NO	Scotland said NO	SCOTLAND SAID NO
649	83595765	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am not in agreement with the proposed 'Simple Majority'.\rI believe for any vote to be ' The will of the Scottish People' then at least 65% of those eligible to vote have voted in favour of independence.\r 'Established practice ... " does not sway me .	No comment	No comment
650	804164729	Stephen goldie	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	I noticed that there is no specific mention of where postal ballots are to be counted. After the revelations after the last referendum where Ruth Davidson had seen results before they were announced I would think it would be prudent to have the ballots counted in. Scotland .\rAlso to prevent calls of foul from either side any ballot papers being transported should be accompanied by an impartial observer including all ballots from polling centres.\rI would also suggest impartial observers in all counting centres to oversee the counts and to make sure no ballots accidentally end up in the wrong pile as was seen on the news the last time.
651	637902664	Graham Pattie	Individual	Individual	I am satisfied the The Scottish Government will use a system they trust, to manage the referendum.	I agree with the changes.	I agree with the changes.\rI also think that people whose primary home is elsewhere, should not have a vote, if their only residence here is a holiday home.
652	410298146	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe that the 2014 referendum was fairly and transparently managed by the Electoral Commission and the Chief Counting Officer and I would like to suggest that a neutral overseer body be appointed for any future referendum to oversee the poll and count of the votes and processes.	The eligibility vote should also include 16-17 years old and all residents of Scotland (above 16 years) regardless of nationality. You have Scottish residents that are not British, EU or Commonwealth citizens and I believe they have the right to vote and express their views on the future of Scotland as much as anyone since they have also made Scotland their home.\rI agree with 100% personal identifiers checking for absent voting.	I agree with the Permissible participants proposed changes
653	986856823	John Gowrie	Individual	Individual	We need to have neutral observers from outside the uk. With powers to report on discrepancies	The sampling of postal votes should be done by neutral observers and not reported to party/ yes or no representatives till after the voting has ended or the postal votes should only be opened after the voting has ended.	Sounds fare
654	57836211	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The electoral commission should be more responsible with the security of information with regard to the postal voting system	No Answered	The Electoral Commission must be held responsible for any leakage of postal voting pre. declaration counts prior to the official declaration.
655	680803329	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There was a clear democratic decision to remain part of the UK and as such we must adhere to democratic decision of UK to leave the EU	Only those attending the ballot box to vote should have thair votes accepted	Only those attending the ballot bosx and understanding the vote should be accepted
656	91744650	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I consider myself a Scot as I was born in Scotland. In an independent Scotland this would no doubt be one of the nationality criteria. However, I am currently living abroad but I would like to vote in the referendum and play my part in shaping Scotland's future. The referendum result on EU membership in England and the subsequent dragging of Scotland out of the EU will affect my livelihood as I have a business based in an EU country. I am sure I am not the only Scottish entrepreneur / business person in this position. \rTherefore I would like to see the possibility for all persons born in Scotland, even if living abroad, to be able to vote in the referendum.	No Answered	I consider myself a Scot as I was born in Scotland. In an independent Scotland this would no doubt be one of the nationality criteria. However, I am currently living abroad but I would like to vote in the referendum and play my part in shaping Scotland's future. The referendum result on EU membership in England and the subsequent dragging of Scotland out of the EU will affect my livelihood as I have a business based in an EU country. I am sure I am not the only Scottish entrepreneur / business person in this position. \rTherefore I would like to see the possibility for all persons born in Scotland, even if living abroad, to be able to vote in the referendum.
657	361804910	Richard Duncan	Individual	Individual	Like many i am unhappy with the Electoral Commission and would rather and EC oversaw the Process. \r Postal voting is suspect i would like that overseen and double checked\r No Votes for the second home owners .and Students less than 2 years residency \r Shut down the BBBC ... ( ok wishful thinking ) but its out now so ...	Independent observers please .	see top box ..
658	698216356	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There was too many rumours about vote tampering etc in 2014 ,there must be more scrutiny next time and exit polls	Totally agree with all the changes,no one on either side should know results of postal votes before published as happened last time with Ruth blurting it out just after voting had stopped	Agree
659	278483685	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am in agreement with them.	Happyy so see the changes to postal polling verifiers.	good
660	166669718	Alison Rollo	Individual	Individual	No vow or promises of more power can made by Westminster Parties during the official campaign.\r No super majority rule accepted. Majority is over 50%.	No Answered	Owners of holiday homes in Scotland should not be on the electoral role.\r Votes should be counted in polling stations with representatives from both campaigns as overseers and votes registered before going to counting stations accompanied by representatives of both campaigns for the second count also overseen by representatives of both campaigns.\r Postal votes must be kept in totally tamper proof secure containers in Scotland until being opened with again representatives from both campaigns being present during verification and count.
661	956278634	Howard Kennedy	Individual	Individual	Restrictions on postal voting should be considered. The lack of effective oversight of postal voting leaves it wide open to fraud. It should not be an elective choice to use a postal vote. The postal vote should only be available to people physically unable to vote in person on election day.\r As with the 2014 referendum, I believe that everyone aged 16 and over who has made their home in Scotland should be able to have a say in its constitutional future.	No Answered	There needs to be a mandatory requirement for registration and checking of all ballot box seals on dispatch from the polling station and on arrival at the counting centre, with exclusion of any ballot boxes deemed to have been tampered with or having inconsistencies in the seal numbers. This was not done at the 2014 referendum, with some returning officers claiming on questioning that they "didn't have time" to check the seals on every ballot box. It should be a criminal offence for a returning officer to fail to ensure this is done.\r All ballot boxes should have anti-tamper alarms fitted, which automatically send a message with the seal number and ballot box number to the Police and the Returning Officer.\r Transport of all ballot boxes should be in secured vehicles with at least two members of staff and cctv installed to prevent interference with the boxes in transit to the counting station. This was not done at the last referendum.\r Tracking devices should be fitted to all vehicles used to transport ballot boxes and all route data made publicly available after the count.\r There needs to be an official exit poll carried out by a reputable independent organisation.\r There should be international observers from the UN or other organisations like Transparency International at every counting centre.
662	536659635	Eric Sinclair	Individual	Individual	This is not a genuine consultation. At no point in the consultation document is there an option to say whether or not I wish the government to hold a referendum on separation from the rest of the UK. I also note that a reason for holding this consultation begins "Given Scotland’s strong and unequivocal vote to remain in the EU..." I am a citizen of Scotland and the UK. The EU referendum was about whether or not the UK should remain in the EU, not about whether or not a part of the UK should remain in the EU. I voted for the UK to remain in the EU, but unlike the Scottish government apparently, I accept that a democratic decision has been made, and now has to be respected. I do not believe the Scottish government should be using taxpayers' funds to hold this consultation exercise, let alone hold another referendum, in an attempt to undermine a democratic decision made by the people of the UK.	None	None
663	515209798	Kareen Rennie	Individual	Individual	I was not happy with the amount of postal and proxy votes. They should be severely limited.\r Postal and Proxy voting papers should be brought to the polling station and put in with ordinary votes.\r The Purdah period was repeatedly broken. That has to change.	No Answered	As above.\r My main worry is the postal and proxy votes and their sampling.
664	37375729	scott mackenzie	Individual	Individual	Very Unhappy. Whether or not there was an orchestrated effort during ref1 to fix the result, the perception remains that there were too many opportunities. Unless such "opportunities", whether its postal ballot rigging or unsecure ballot boxes, another 'win' for the union may result in, to paraphrase Mao, some folk deciding democracy can only be achieved through the barrel of a gun.	Nowhere near far enough. As an absolute minimum, the referendum should have been regulated by the EU (if for no other reason than its largely an EU issue; failing this means my children/grandchildren will not be European citizens with EU rights).\r Preferably I would be in favor of the UN being invited in AT THIS STAGE to assess, comment, and recommend on the inherent flaws of the last referendum that the Scottish Government seem hell bent on repeating. Can a nationalist government be trusted to deliver a nation, or would it prefer to be a (devolved) government?	To put it politly.......Redacted text Where is the check to ensure the names of the voting register are correct? Instread theres a little tinkering around the edges.\r For exanple, nothing there about those with holiday homes who use there address to get a vote.
665	112829332	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fully in agreement with proposals.	Agree with proposals, especially regarding Proxy and Postal Voting, Count Staff not being campaigners, and the Verification Statement.	Proposals agreeable
666	540978908	Helen Yates	Individual	Individual	Agreeable	Agreeable	Agreeable
667	442993625	Hugh Meikle	Individual	Individual	OK	1---There should be no pre counting of postal votes. ie. Ruth Davidson event.\r2---There should be procedures in place to prevent voting papers being left unattended if an alarm goes at a counting station.	OK
668	764173727	GEORGE MACDONALD	Individual	Individual	I am opposed to another referendum on Scottish Independence. \r I feel the question was answered in 2014 and the decision was made then, with the public in the knowledge that there was a good chance of a referendum on the United Kingdom's place in the EU.\r The people of Scotland answered the question of Scottish Independence and decided that decisions such as the EU referendum would be taken as citizens of the UK. \r As we knew in 2014 of the likelihood of an EU referendum and with that carries the chance that the people of the UK would vote to leave the EU yet still voted to remain part of the UK I cannot see how it can be claimed our circumstances have changed.\r Also, I cannot see what benefit becomes of separating ourselves from our largest trading partner, the UK, to try and stay in partnership with a much smaller trading partner in the EU. It does not make sense to me.\r For me it clarifies the position of the party in Scottish Government at the moment as fundamentally a separatist group who want independence at any cost.	N/A as I do not feel another referendum will benefit the country.	N/A as I do not feel another referendum will benefit the country.
669	237488216	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am perfectly happy with the proposed arrangements; it makes sense to use an already tried and tested system.	I am happy that the proposed groups of people can all participate and that the principle of residency above nationality is incorporated.	I have no objections to these proposals
670	53576970	Andrew Ralph	Individual	Individual	brilliant	Good	Think it is great
671	592181672	Nick Mckenzie	Individual	Individual	Arrangements are fine but tighter security needed on postal votes	No problem with this	No problem
672	1054184116	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe the arrangements for managing the referendum are fair.	I do not have any discrepancies with the proposed changes.	I do not have any discrepancies with the proposed changes.
673	559821959	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Approve in entirety.	Approve in entirety.\rI particularly think that 100% checking of personal identifiers is essential.	Approve
674	766029521	Joseph Simpson	Individual	Individual	This seems to be a fair and inclusive way of managing the refereandum	seems good to me	seems good to me
675	510574340	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think Scotland has already voted. We must work together to make the union work.	N/a	N/a
676	432165079	Michael Robertson	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
677	582890642	John Hannah	Individual	Individual	I would like to see a reduction in postal voting. Only for people who cannot physically make it to the polling station.\r I would also like to see the vote overseen by an independent international body.	An internationally recognised observer should be present at polling stations.	No comment.
678	623955049	Ian M Johnson	Individual	Individual	No comment	No comment	No comment
679	458984778	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	There should not be another referendum, the answer has already been NO and that should stand.\rIf it would be yes in another referendum would the no's have a future opertunity for a further vote to see if opinion had changed, I don't think so.\rThe yes vote are therefore getting to repeat until they get the answer they want where as the no get no further chance to change things.\rSo the country gave its answer and that should be the end of it like it or not. If it had been a YES victory the NO's would have had to accept.	Thed sixteen and seventeens should not be included in the vote.
680	30760943	Steve Leitch	Individual	Individual	Fair and straightforward	Seems like common sense.	Seems a good way to get a fairer result.
681	255535573	Mr	Individual	Individual	Government should focus on governing rather than asking the same question again	Why should eu members get a vote in 2020 over other foreign nationals as S Ireland will no longer be in the EU ?	Na
682	125073930	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a referendum the 2014 referendum was decisive and a once in a lifetime decision	Very bad	Bad
683	908298752	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Standard	16 and 17 year olds should not be allowed to vote. No mature enough	Agree
684	506405192	Colin Stewart	Individual	Individual	I agree with the arrangements.	I agree with the arrangements.	I agree with the proposed changes.
685	704272505	Gemma Donnelly	Individual	Individual	I feel that tighter management from the Electoral Commission is required during the Count to ensure the confidentiality of progress (i.e. remove opportunities for images of votes being counted being published) in order to dispel controversy.	I think there should be provisions made for Scottish citizens living in EU countries on a (semi-)permanent basis. Where the 2014 referendum looked for those living in Scotland to vote on the country's future, the proposed referendum has been invoked by broader European considerations and therefore Scottish citizens residing in the EU should be invited to cast their vote.\rThe revision of the Absent Voting allowances, 100% checking of personal identifiers of emergency proxy applications, should be stress-tested for implementation; limited insight can be gained to forecast emergency proxy levels and we must ensure that no citizen is disadvantaged through this process.	I'm comfortable with the updates to this procedure.
686	686327253	Christopher Sewter	Individual	Individual	Seems pretty fair to me.	Disagree with postal votes but otherwise ok.	No view either way.
687	637675361	John Boyle	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	i would like to see votes counted at the polling stations.. & the results posted outside the stations . then verified at the main counting venue ..i would also like to see postal votes and proxy votes only for those who are ill .or disabled .
688	717443577	Audrey Finney	Individual	Individual	I'm satisfied with the current arrangements though would recommend independent observers accompany or follow ballot boxes when these are being transferred to the counting centre.	I agree with the proposals however would prefer that sampling of the postal vote did not happen and that postal votes did not go to England to be counted. This should be done at the count.	I do not have a view on this.
689	528133968	Angela Kennedy	Individual	Individual	Agreed. Happy with the amendments proposed.	3.3and 3.4breaches should have a dire consequence. Thinking back to 2014 and the "vow" this was published outwith these regulations and there should be an agreement and understanding that this cannot happen. All proposals should be documented before the restricted publishing period or not be allowed to be submitted and published to the public. Including media publications. This needs reinforced in the bill in my opinion. And should be referred to both Scottish and UK government parties involved, and all media. 3.5 agreed however if no consequence except to report it it is, in my opinion useless. \rAn appropriate consequence would be for the independent body to impose a large fine on the guilty party and full media coverage announcing the breech and fine on National TV and full newspaper coverage.	Agreed.
690	1025143048	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This seems like a fair process that worked for the referendum in 2014.	It makes a lot of sense to have the referendum based on residency rather than some previous connection with Scotland. After all, it is the people who are living their lives and perhaps raising their families here who have been, and will be impacted by the result of both past and future outcomes of decisions. \rAs a EU citizen I had no vote in the Brexit process, and it was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life to experience such a radical decision being made with the ability to have a say. I have lived my entire adult working life in the UK, arriving with a university degree, getting a job, paying my taxes, and raising my child in Scotland. Not being included in a decision that may have life-altering consequences for me was what made it very difficult to accept the outcomes. Even if a potential Scottish referendum would result in a decision that would be contrary to my vote, it will be immensely easier to accept the outcome when you have been included in the democratic process.	This seems acceptable to me.
691	937834202	Sharon Ferrie	Individual	Individual	Counting should be overseen by people who are impartial - European MPs etc - then we will know it is done properly	No Answered	Polling and counting staff should come from another European country...this way can be trusted to be fair
692	1005735114	Alison Wood	Individual	Individual	I was at the local count in 2014 and there were several instances of counters putting yes votes in the wrong pile. While this was probably simple human error I think next time we need lots of observers to ensure the count is accurate.	Definitely.	No strong feelings here.
693	949050978	Mr	Individual	Individual	I had no issue with the 2014 process and the proposal here appears to be little different	I am very pleased that 16/17 yr olds can vote as well as all those resident in Scotland. Can we stop the interference that occurred in 2014 with the postal vote?	Don't have an issue with these coditions
694	207592697	James Morris	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I would prefer to see the next Independence Referendum entrusted to an international neutral body, rather than the Electoral Commission. My reason for this is two-fold: First, the postal vote in the last Independence Referendum with no transparent oversight of the custody and counting of those votes, further contaminated by the knowledge of the result of the postal vote before the count of polling booths began; and Secondly, the inability of the Electoral Commission to act on breaches of Electoral Law with regard to expenditure on campaigning in the last General Election.
695	840547346	CR Pike	Individual	Individual	Waste of money but keeps an army of admin staff off the streets from claiming benefit thereby massaging the unemoyment figures to show a low unemployment rate	Postal voting requires a more robust process to eliminate fraudulent abuse	Offensive to who and in what capacity?
696	493525344	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	An estimated 1.2 million people born in the UK live elsewhere in the EU - predominantly in France, Spain and the Republic of Ireland. It is thought around 10 per cent of that number are Scots but more have Scottish parentage and an interest in the countries future. \r Right now my understanding is that as a person with one Scottish Parent, this being a Scottish Parliament initiative, and living abroad for more than 15 years, I don't have the right to vote: 'British citizens living abroad can vote in UK Parliamentary and European Parliamentary elections but cannot vote in local elections or elections to devolved bodies such as the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales or Greater London Authority. also, British citizens living abroad for more than 15 years are not eligible to register to vote in UK elections.'\r I would like to see this changed because if the UK leave the EU and implement the migration, immigration policies that they are publicising in the media, mass forced emigration from EU will no doubt be reciprocated by France, Spain and the Republic of Ireland, the latter is where I have lived for 34 years. I will then be forced to return to the UK. As my family live in Scotland this would be my destination. My own future and that of many more across Europe will have that decision made for them by others and I can't see how this can possibly be fair or legally correct. \r If we are to be forced on mass to return then we must have a say in this. We will be leaving behind family - my grandchildren are Irish, friends, jobs, homes and lifestyles that we have built over many years. Not to mention the huge personal financial cost in emigrating - again.	Eligibility to vote should be addressed to include a larger number of expats, please see my comment above. \r I note that citizens of the Republic of Ireland living in Scotland are included in the vote. I would like to see those that can claim Scottish nationality, either through being born there or having one parent or grandparent from Scotland, who reside in the Republic of Ireland, given the right to vote in this referendum and any future referendum or vote of independence. \r The Republic have a special relationship with the UK and the vote to leave the EU has and will continue to have a detrimental effect on the country, this, and many other factors that effect separate countries have not been taken into consideration by the UK in their rush from the EU and could be reflected in this additional voting population.	This all looks appropriate to me.
697	617658862	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are fine.	I don't not think it is fair that EU citizens are able to vote in what is a purely Scottish constitutional issue. This seems especially unfair when Scottish people living in the rest of the UK are denied a vote that affects their own country and their families. Also, giving the vote to 16 and 17 year olds is not acceptable. At that age, people are not mature enough.	This is fine.
698	537765089	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no second referendum to manage. In my view, the Scottish people voted in 2014 and this vote should be listened to. You are completely ignoring the will of the majority of Scotland who voted to stay within the United Kingdom. \r If there was a second referendum I do not believe that 16 and 17 year olds should have the right to vote. Those who I have spoken to have no clue what independence would mean and don't care either way.	I do not believe people from other countries resident in Scotland should be given the right to vote. I believe this would sway the result because EU nationals would vote yes to independence believing that Scotland would stay in the EU.\r Please see my comments above on 16 and 17 year olds.	I have no specific views on this.
699	122563927	Catriona Macdonald	Individual	Individual	The purdah period must not be broken this time \rAlso no room for any promises from uk !!	There MUST be an exit poll !!\rThe count should be done where the votes are made ; less chance of "losing " ballots !! \r More security as regards ballot papers / ballot boxes !!!	Absolutely NO holiday home / second home owners to be given the right to vote !! \rSteonger controls on postal votes .... no taking them to england first !!!
700	625204337	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Scots residing outside Scotland will not be able to vote under the arrangements in the Draft Referendum Bill yet independence would automatically change their nationality from 'UK' to 'Scottish' citizen without them having any say in the matter. I consider that this is inequitable, and may well amount to 'discrimination' under Article 14 of the Human Rights Act 1988.
701	855442661	Kevin Simpson	Individual	Individual	As before good.	Adoption of 16 and 17 year old is good policy.	Ok.
702	570582489	Terry Soutar	Individual	Individual	I agree with carrying it out the same as other elections. Although the question should include being part of Europe as an independent country as that may not have been the case at the last referendum.Europe said then that an independent Scotland WOULD NOT AUTOMATICALLY get into the European Union	As before these seem practical	As before seems practical
703	828880171	Morgwn Trolinger	Individual	Individual	I fully agree with this part of the proposal, in terms of who manages what, and particularly around eligibility to vote for age range and nationality.	The updated restrictions for access to emergency proxy voter registration is understandable and acceptable in my eyes. The voter eligibility criteria are very fair in my opinion and hopefully will encourage a wide group of voters to engage with this referendum, as before.	I definitely agree with paragraph 3 being updated, to 'ensure that the person is aware that they are being appointed and the responsibilities they will take on'. Having that understanding is vital. \r Paragraph 3A being added also sounds very good; to obstruct the offensive publicity at the very root.
704	117703617	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If there is a referendum, the way it was managed in 2014 is suitable for another one. Not that I want one.	I strongly object to citizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland being able to vote in a vote that affects the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; they are not British citizens and should not be entitled to vote on an issue that decides the union of our nation. This is not right and I suspect is an SNP tactic because they think this will help sway the vote to yes. It is suspect politicking at its best and its wrong.	Agreed.
705	831087310	rosemary liewald	Individual	Individual	I agree in principle with the proposals of management and regulation of the referendum	I agree in principle with the above	I agree in principle with the above and agree that that this reflects an open and welcoming Scotland ..One that is prepared to reflect the current changes which are taking place at this time in history .
706	504408054	Martin Gibson	Individual	Individual	It was stated unequivocally by the proponents of independence in the 2014 campaign referendum that it was a ‘once in a generation’ event. The then First Minister defined once in a generation as being 17 or 18 years. He cited the time between the two Scottish devolution referendums and the second of them and the independence referendum as justification for what his opponents thought was a rather short period to be called a generation. Given this, I see no reason to waste government time that should be spent on actually running Scotland on this issue until 2028-29.\rThe claim that the UK’s vote to leave the EU justifies reneging on this promise is false as the Euro referendum was a known risk at the time of the Scottish one. The Scottish Government’s 2013 White Paper setting out the case for independence stated on p. 60 that:\r‘If we remain in the UK, the Conservative Party’s promise of an in/out referendum on EU membership raises the serious possibility that Scotland will be forced to leave the EU against the wishes of the people of Scotland.’	No need to consider this before 2028-29. See answer to question 1 for the reasons.	No need to consider this before 2028-29. See answer to question 1 for the reasons.
707	1053599551	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	I have one issue only.\r I am a UK citizen living overseas. I am entitled to vote in the UK and in fact participated in the recent Brexit vote.\r I was not permitted to vote in the last Scottish referendum and it looks like I won't be permitted to vote in this one.\r I don't understand why I and many others, have been excluded from the electoral process for this specific issue. There is an unfair discrimination being applied here. On something as critical as my Nationality, the constitutional validity of my government and whether it is part of the UK or Europe it is unacceptable that I be excluded. \r I would want the rules to be changed to equal those that apply to overseas citizens in all other elections
708	234061289	Danielle anderson	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I think that Scottish citizens that live outside of Scotland but within the U.K. should be eligible to vote. A lot of Scottish people living in other areas of the UK wish to see Scotland become and independent country and should that happen, they may chose to move back home. I live in England but am passionate about Scotland and find it slightly unfair and I don't get a vote when I have scotlands interests at heart.
709	1012667642	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I fully support the Scottish Governments proposed arrangements and reasons for a referendum.	I am very happy with this.	very happy with the changes
710	627020649	Robert McPherson	Individual	Individual	I strongly object to our "supposed" Scottish Governmental resources being totally wasted in pursuing this nonsensical policy, supposedly in my name. SNP were elected in order to utilise our scarce resources to address major areas of concern to the population as a whole - not this narrow minded, blinkered attempt to split the UK.\rFurther I have no wish to see my tax pounds squandered in pursuit of SNP headline policies, typically: Independence, non economic wind power with excessive subsidies, reduced investment in NHS (Tayside have major problems)\rand education failures to name but a few points of concern.	No interest in your proposals - Why should I pay for this illegal referendum preparation?	Why should my daughter & Son in Law who live in England be disallowed a vote whilst a French born local be allowed?
711	1028317837	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I disagree with any proposal to have a second referendum and I disagree that the current Scottish Government has the right to do this and waste more public resources.	The technical changes apply to any election process	This change would apply to any election process
712	540508556	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I consider the Scottish government (lowecase G) is going beyond its remit. If we follow the logic of some of the UK voted out ergo we need to have our own settlement, I'd like to be ensured the same logic will apply in this referendum,	These individuals have chosen to move away from the jurisdiction and take their votes in that jurisdiction, they should not be afforded a vote. They forego that right in the full knowledge of their circumstances	I feel the proposal widens the electorate too wide, I would not expect to vote in a referendum or election to a state or country where I was not a national.
713	736602629	Kenneth Braes	Individual	Individual	Postal votes are my biggest concern.	OK	OK
714	445856068	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I object to being excluded as I currently do not live in Scotland but I was born and bred in Scotland. You give a vote to the 16 year olds but if work or other matters takes you out of Scotland you are ignored and disenfranchised. This is very undemocratic and requires to be resolved.	I object to being excluded as I currently do not live in Scotland but I was born and bred in Scotland. You give a vote to the 16 year olds and anybody who has just arrived in Scotland but if work or other matters takes you out of Scotland you are ignored and disenfranchised. This is very undemocratic and requires to be resolved.	I object to being excluded as I currently do not live in Scotland but I was born and bred in Scotland. You give a vote to the 16 year olds but if work or other matters takes you out of Scotland you are ignored and disenfranchised. This is very undemocratic and requires to be resolved.
715	1023322122	54	Individual	Individual	Having read the above I can't see anything that I would have issues with, it all seems quite clear and fair	Again I am happy with these proposals	Can't see any unfairness in these proposals
716	56834903	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Asking a yes / no question is inappropriate. In 2014 it was a deliberate introduction of "acquiescence response bias" and made the process intrinsically unfair. This mistakevshould not be repeated. This would mean the result would not be respected.\r The premise of another independence vote because of voting patterns on a split from the EU is tricky. Yhe same premise could readily be used for eg the Borders or the Northern Isles to disregard a referendum vote for Scottish Independence.	-	-
717	780353631	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals.	I would like there to be foreign/neutral observers at the count otherwise I am satisfied with the changes.	I have no objections.
718	1039832572	David MacDonald	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum.	I am disappointed that as a Scottish citizen living and working abroad, with a vested interest in its outcome, if this proposal is ratified, I would be disbarred from taking part in this referendum, when non-citizens are able to vote, and therefore have a say in the outcome of my long-term future, where I am not.\r As a Scottish Citizen I am affected by this referendum, and have an active interest in it's outcome, and the long-term future of Scotland, beyond my own life, for the sake of my children and grand-children; regardless of where I am resident, I am still a Scot, and should be allowed to have a say.	I view the proposed changes as common sense, and therefore agree with them.
719	319370242	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Using the same question as the 2014 referendum means repeating the same inherent bias. It would be reasonable to change the question to the opposite bias this time. The question ought to be "Should Scotland remain part of the United Kingdom?" This question is still clear and easily understood, so the change would not be confusing. It would also give the government more reason to remove the huge amount of residual vandalism in the form of the "Yes" stickers from 2014 which still plague our nation.
720	585884788	Frank Inglis	Individual	Individual	my only comment in relation to the management of boxes is that boxes from a polling station should all leave at the same time at the end of voting. this of course would impact on the time taken to complete the count but be less open to crys of tampering	fine	fine
721	389319163	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	more checks on the Electoral Commission or a new watchdog and NO postal votes\r and a vote on the EU	No postal votes and Scottish people only and a vote on the EU	And a vote on the EU
722	822842459	N/A	Individual	Individual	Any election should be run to the same standards as a UK wide parliamentary election or the EU referendum. However it is my view that there is no mandate for a second independence referendum and that a referendum to establish a clear mandate to hold this referendum is required.\r Should a second independence referendum be held then the original 2014 independence referendum question should amended to match the more neutral tone of the 2016 EU referendum., specifically:\r "Should Scotland be an independent country?", with a YES/NO response implies a positive sentiment to independence and a negative sentiment for remaining part of the United Kingdom. In my view this is biased. The question should be as follows:\r "Should Scotland remain a member of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or leave the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?\r Remain a member of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland\rLeave the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland"\r This is more impartial and more accurate in constitutional terms.	Any election should be run to the same standards as a UK wide parliamentary election or the EU referendum. However it is my view that there is no mandate for a second independence referendum and that a referendum to establish a clear mandate to hold a second independence referendum is required.\r Should a second independence referendum be held then the original 2014 independence referendum question should amended to match the more neutral tone of the 2016 EU referendum., specifically:\r "Should Scotland be an independent country?", with a YES/NO response implies a positive sentiment to independence and a negative sentiment for remaining part of the United Kingdom. In my view this is biased. The question should be as follows:\r "Should Scotland remain a member of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or leave the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?\r Remain a member of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland\rLeave the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland"\r This is more impartial and more accurate in constitutional terms.	Any election should be run to the same standards as a UK wide parliamentary election or the EU referendum. However it is my view that there is no mandate for a second independence referendum and that a referendum to establish a clear mandate to hold a second independence referendum is required.\r Should a second independence referendum be held then the original 2014 independence referendum question should amended to match the more neutral tone of the 2016 EU referendum., specifically:\r "Should Scotland be an independent country?", with a YES/NO response implies a positive sentiment to independence and a negative sentiment for remaining part of the United Kingdom. In my view this is biased. The question should be as follows:\r "Should Scotland remain a member of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or leave the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?\r Remain a member of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland\rLeave the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland"\r This is more impartial and more accurate in constitutional terms.
723	212674924	Kath Ramsay	Individual	Individual	To ensure transparency, we need to ensure all areas declare individually. A grand total at the end is open to Undemocratic behaviour. There should be a total of yes and no votes as counts declare.\r In the event of any distraction, e.g. Fire alarm, cctv pics from the counting hall need to be transmitted on the election programme, and party polling officers allowed to see the hall at all times from behind a fire door.\r The polling procedure and official marks on papers should be broadcast several times prior to polling day.	Totally agree with all changes, especially those on postal votes.	Good.
724	400028570	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I originally voted NO on a marginal decision but now see the benefits of having an independent Scotland. Westminster look to pull us into wars and ruining our country.	No Answered	It seems fair.
725	752636721	Lawrence Target	Individual	Individual	Well how are you going to combat rigging and access to postal votes ? By doing the same thing all over again and learn nothing ? How stupid and idiotic is that ?\rChange the voting system\rMake it a double blind vote with an electronic vote and a paper vote that needs to match up at the other end, it's the 21st century it's not difficult, let them try and hack that, they couldn't, a double blind vote, stop mucking about and lying to yourselves that they won't cheat if they can, they will	Again just make sure it's a double blind an electronic vote either by phone app or touch screen at the polling stations	Don't go far enough
726	646840345	Robert Graham	Individual	Individual	I believe an outside body the United Nations should oversee all stages of the referendum vote , a UK organisation cannot be trusted .\rAny organisation previously used to compile votes should be replaced ( Idox ) with links to former Tory cabinet minister being one of them .\rNo political organisation should have any access to , or be able to view postal votes.	All eligible voters must show some form of verified identification at polling stations .\rPostal vote security must be tightened up and verification of eligibility confirmed	no view
727	374722014	Mrs	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum.	I am happy with the proposed technical changes.	No objections.
728	562178066	Jim McCracken	Individual	Individual	A completely independent international body should be in charge of all electoral procedures excepting companies like INDRA who have been involved in dubious results in Argentina,Venezuela, Bolivia etc	Completely wrong! who dictated this format? In the U.N. articles on self determination it is the right of the indigenous people of Scotland to decide the way forward - not residents!\rCurrent practice do not fall in line with the UN Articles and are a breach of the rights of the indigenous peoples of Scotland, These current practices were no doubt put in place by the Crown, who according to the UN Articles should have promoted the vote for self determination - read the articles!\rThe referendum means nothing unless a constitution is offered to the indigenous people of Scotland that states quite clearly the rights, laws and obligations of the indigenous population and limitations of incumbent governments, to ensure that the elected (and voted for) constitution is not altered by any incumbent administration. This should be the first vote - to accept or refuse a properly debated and constructed constitution which should clearly state in plain terms not open to legalese "interpretations" how our country will be run after the independence vote! You should be publishing the UN articles on self determination in order that the people of Scotland realize that it is only the indigenous Scots who will be voting - not economic migrants nor Crown supported migrants as is our right according to the UN Articles	Fit and proper person must be indigenous Scots, And clearly authorised and publicly notarized by a constitutional committee.
729	652789281	Richard Shore	Individual	Individual	No Answered	These proposals seem regular and reasonable.	I am concerned about this proposed change, because it is my view that the Transparency of Lobbying (etc) Act 2014 places undesirable restrictions on charities from campaigning. In order to make use of the opportunity for a national discussion afforded by a referendum, Scotland needs its civil society to play as large and creative a role as possible. However this Act restricts charities far too much from their vital democratic roles - for example, from campaigning for marginalised groups, voicing positions or policies which political parties would find hard to take up, and scrutinising the Government.\r I am not informed as to whether it would be possible for the Scottish Government to decide not to implement, here, the changes set out in the Transparency of Lobbying Act. However if the application of this Act to the rules of this referendum is mandatory, then I would urge the Scottish Government to do everything that it can to counter-balance them, and to make sure that charities, NGOs and Trades Unions are able to spend the money we need them to on campaigning. We need our civil society unfettered at the heart of this conversation.
730	605841778	Robert Geelan	Individual	Individual	Fine.	I don't think "Scots" resident outside Scotland should be given a vote. Somehow I think this goes against "Inclusive" society. If the Scots are those who live here then surely that is who gets to vote.\r What about EU citizens resident in Scotland?	No view
731	158144367	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My only concern would be this time we as a country should demnd that the referendum should be overseen by outside officials as I do not believe that even if we vote for indy that the Westminster gov will give it and there may be some fixing going on	As I said before get outside counters even if it means from another country	NONE
732	724220031	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The SNP talk about being Stronger for Scotland...this is lies the snp have done more damage to Scotland than the Tories or anyone else in history. I completely oppose yet another referendum. It is causing yet more division and hatred in our once beautiful Scotland. There is so much uncertainty in Scotland today thanks to the snp shouting every 2 minutes about referendums. I live from day to day wondering if today will be the day my employer decides to quit Scotland and move to the rest of the UK where there is more stability. \rAt least Margaret Thatcher United Scotland the snp have ripped the heart out of Scotland and divided it for what could be forever more...never to be forgiven.	None	None
733	607821303	Lachlann Ryan	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are acceptable	I think British/EU citizens living in Scotland who were not born in the country should only be eligible to vote if they have lived in the country for at least 5 years	The arrangements are acceptable
734	254068652	Craig Hunter	Individual	Individual	I agree	I agree	I fully agree
735	140090731	Craig Stewart	Individual	Individual	Tried and tested should not incur any obstacles	Sensible proposals	Ensures no confusion and a level of clarity
736	681753804	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The electoral commission do a good job of managing our elections but those involved should not be subjected to the vile accusations that were levelled against them in 2014 of corruption and wrongdoing.	Seems straightforward enough, however, the whole document refers continually to giving 16-17 year olds the vote like this is a golden prize. Look at Scotland they are so forward thinking that they lowered the voting age, all very well but when the majority of these voters are leaving school with diminished basic skills in literacy and numeracy because the SNP have and continue to destroy education the vote for youngsters is not really a priority.	Seems straightforward.
737	36936005	Jillian Anderson	Individual	Individual	All good	All good. In fact this addresses some of my concerns re fraud.	Ok
738	229083848	Denys Partington	Individual	Individual	The counfs need to be more closely watched by independent organisation	No Answered	The postal votes must be watched and security of them raised. Tho votes should not leave Scotland at any time. Thefe needs to be international representation at all the coungs too.
739	338712983	Stanley Berman	Individual	Individual	I believe the 2014 Referendum was managed efficiently. Unfortunately, I think it was hijacked by lies and deceit from the No campaign where many promises were made but few were kept and where many threats were made but rarely materialised.	This all seems good but please remind those who will be 16 or 17 when the time comes that they will be eligible to vote since they may have been only boy 13 last time and not paid much attention to what was going on.	OK
740	427931649	NEIL SINCLAIR	Individual	Individual	I think that managing of the referendum should be done by an international organization that has no stake in the result.	I agree with the proposals	I agree with the proposed change to rules on permissible participants.
741	60508036	MR STEPHEN PILLANS	Individual	Individual	100% agree	Fully agree	Agree
742	215301694	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a referendum as this issue was settled in 2014.	There should not be a referendum as this issue was settled in 2014	There should not be a referendum as this issue was settled in 2014
743	387754581	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no problem with them	I have no problem with them	The referendum effects and only effects upon the status of some UK citizens, those living within Scotland and those born in Scotland who live elsewhere.\rFor those individuals after the referendum may find that they are no longer UK citizens but citizens of a new state, Scotland.\r No one else will suffer a change of citizenship, hence a French citizen living in Scotland will still be a French citizen following the referendum whatever the outcome. \r It seems fundamentally wrong that people whose status as citizens will be effected by the vote, Scots born but living outwith Scotland, have no say in their future.\r It seems fundamentally wrong that a person whose citizenship is not effected by the vote should have a say in determining someone else's citizenship, especially when that person may have no say.\r If a foreign national wishes to campaign there is no reason why they can't and if they want a vote there is no reason why they should not apply to be UK citizen.\r The only people who should have a vote in this referendum are those people whose citizenship may be changed and all those so effected should have a vote.
744	830216803	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements put in place for the 2014 Referendum in general worked well. There was some controversy over access to postal voting papers by senior Scottish politicians in advance of polling day which should be addressed.	I agree with the eligibility to vote criteria and that the franchise should be based primarily on residency in accordance with the principle that sovereignty lies with the people of Scotland.\r I am concerned that freely available postal voting has the potential to distort the outcomes of elections and referenda for two reasons: firstly elections and referenda gather a momentum in the days leading up to polling day and the way people vote can be swayed by unfolding events well after postal voters have cast their vote. Secondly, there have been reports of families where the head of household directs how other members of the family vote, thus compromising the principle of a secret ballot. \r For these reasons I believe the eligibility for postal voting should be tightened up. The accepted norm should be for people to cast their vote in person on polling day unless there is good reason for a person not being able to attend, for example not being in Scotland due to being on vacation or absent on business.	I agree with the proposed changes and the reasons behind them.
745	70001303	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum.	There should not be another referendum.\r However if the farce is to take place, members of Her Majesty's armed forces serving abroad should be entitled to vote. Students from outside the UK, temporarily resident in Scotland, should not be entitled to vote.	Other than that there should not be another referendum? No objection
746	55646072	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am not supportive of another independence referendum taken so soon after the Scottish people mandated a desire to stay in the UK. \rThe Scottish people have mandated a desire to stay in the EU only as part of the UK.\rTherefore there is no mandate for this independence referendum and it would waste public funds.	No views	No views
747	165044048	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My view is that there should be no second Scottish referendum, the people have spoken. It is atrocious to attempt to rip our country in two again in the interest of satisfying Sturgeons ambitions of personal fame and glory.	My view is that there should be no second Scottish referendum, the people have spoken. It is atrocious to attempt to rip our country in two again in the interest of satisfying Sturgeons ambitions of personal fame and glory.	My view is that there should be no second Scottish referendum, the people have spoken. It is atrocious to attempt to rip our country in two again in the interest of satisfying Sturgeons ambitions of personal fame and glory.
748	981568719	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My view is that the result of the last referendum should be respected. The SNP are inconsistent in suggesting that Scotland's vote in the European referendum should be respected while our vote in the Scottish referendum can be ignored.	No view. There should not be another referendum	Scottish citizens living abroad should have a vote
749	45862265	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with proposed arrangements as laid out by the Scottish Government's consultation paper.	I agree and endorse the proposed changes as laid out in the Consultation Paper.	I agree and endorse.
750	1043710740	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
751	941022058	David de Croy	Individual	Individual	Will there be external observers of both vote and count? Whilst Scotgov and others assured us that the referendum of 2014 was " fair and transparent", it would be reasonable to suggest that many were left with the opposite view. Any external observer would need, by necessity, to be independent and impartial - similar to the UN observers role. Otherwise the effort to build a credible and sustainable national electoral system fails at its first test.	Am delighted to see "legislation to require 100% checking" of postal votes and the requirement of any/all proxy voters to be on the electoral register.\rHowever, again I would feel much more assured if the polling and count staff were not only as described above, but there activities were also independently verified. \r Will each vote paper - postal or otherwise - be bar-coded so as to be further checked for accuracy and veracity?	This will be fine if the information is thoroughly checked by an independent source and made public. Any, regardless of party affiliation, who break the rules MUST understand they will be punished in accordance with the legislation and, additionally, I suggest they are stripped of any right to perform such duties in ANY further election - local or national. Deterrents only work if they are wholly enforced and enforceable.
752	636675812	john devine	Individual	Individual	i fully agree with your referendum management..but would like you to have a much stronger input towards scrutiny of postal votes etc..I don;t trust the English slanted electoral system..	No Answered	I fully agree.
753	990555578	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In my view the Electoral Commission needs vast improvement. There should be more inspectors at more poling stations. Enforcing the rules of the election. Also I was at the count in Glasgow and overheard an employee saying that 'it wasn't looking good for Glasgow looks like Glasgow is going yes' therefore I think there is an issue with allowing council employees count the bundle's of votes. On another occasion were a ballot was in the view of the count staff a spoiled ballot the count supervisor over ruled that, I feel that they should not over rule what the count staff feel is a spoiled ballot.	More checks should be made that voters reside in Scotland as it is simple to register at your mums/dads or a relatives address a few months before election date and get on the voting list. \r Polling and Count Staff\rIt is unclear what is meant by being involved in campaigning, are we talking about talking, trying to convince friends, being a member of one of the official campaigns, what about council staff were the council has a political view, this could influence the staffs at the count. Also if this is the case it should be applied to all elections. \r Verification Statements \rThis issue raises no issue and should have been carried out on in previous election.	I see no problems in implementing these changes.
754	893011808	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe that these arrangements are fair and totally reasonable. However, after the minor outcry surrounding YouTube footage suggesting votes not being counted, there should be more prior explanation of the counting process. And possibly restrictions on posting video on social media, although that steps over into censorship.	I believe that this is fair and reasonable too. This vote affects all who live in Scotland and should be open to them.	Slightly technical this one - seems fair and reasonable, but I'm not sure I understand all of the implications.
755	229415742	Mark Yule	Individual	Individual	I am happy with those arrangements.	I agree wholeheartedly that EU citizens that are residing here have a vote. I have read that the 2014 result would have been different if English born nationals residing in Scotland had been excluded. As the basis of this referendum is that we were "promised" our EU membership was only secure if we voted No - I believe that we MUST allow EU nationals residing here a say.	Sounds good.
756	480298181	P- ict training Ltd.	Individual	Individual	I think that independent observers from the EU should "support" the people of Scotland in their quest for self determination.	Postal voting should be more tightly controlled and results should be published separetly. Postal vote counts should not allow for the possibility of sampling by election agents at the count.	If "holiday home" owners were given a vote last time, I believe they should not be included this time. It should be for the people who permanently live here to decide.
757	338583138	Kenneth McRae	Individual	Individual	So long as the "proposed arrangements" remain under the control of unionist councils there is a distinct possibility that things will be "arranged" in such a way that is detrimental to the Scottish population at large.	All seems quite acceptable SO LONG AS residency qualification EXCLUDES non-resident students and holiday home owners who do not reside full time in Scotland.	Rules on postal voting eligibility need to be tightened up considerably. Postal voting provides opportunities for voting fraud which is totally unacceptable.\r There MUST be exit polls at the next referendum.
758	294931544	Jane Serafy-Nafis	Individual	Individual	I don't think there should be another referendum	I don't think there should be another referendum	I don't think there should be another referendum
759	982049147	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree in full.	Agree in full.	Agree in full.
760	676153354	Colin Dawson	Individual	Individual	No comments	No comments	I wish to augment the previous response I have provided in order to clarify why I believe that training and monitoring were inadequate during the first independence referendum.\r One of the concerns I had with the conduct of the first referendum was that my ballot paper was blank on the back. I know this for certain but only discovered, after the event, that it should have had a bar code and other identifying marks on the reverse. I complained in writing to the officials responsible for the Fife count and was told that, even if this were true, my vote would still have been counted if it arrived in an official ballot box. I was told that that, if I wasn't satisfied, then my only course of action was to submit a petition to the Court of Session. This is an extremely expensive process and would, by itself, have made no difference to the result. \r I then asked the official how many blank-backed ballot papers were included in the Fife count. They replied that they did not know because they didn't check the backs of the ballot papers during the counting process. Under the rules of the referendum, my understanding is that they should have conducted this check so this was a clear breach of process which I assumed would be noted in the final report into the conduct of the referendum. Several months later, when that report was published, there was no mention about the many thousands of claims regarding blank-backed ballot papers and no mention of the fact that the Fife count (and potentially others) did not check the authenticity of ballot papers by examining the reverse to ensure they were authentic and had the correct information.\r By this time, I decided that taking the matter any further was going to be pointless and extremely expensive and, in any case, if any fraud had taken place, it would likely have been well covered up.\r The next referendum needs much tighter processes and needs to follow them diligently. All staff and observers need to be properly trained, their competence assessed and adherence to processes needs to be closely monitored.
761	831852885	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I would like to add to my previous response, that the referendum should have the clause to re-run the referendum if the votes do not give a decisive % difference between the Yes/No votes. Personally I believe a distinct majority for either side would be 10-15%. Anything less and the referendum is re- run.\r I would also like to see everyone vote, those that still hold no view should have a "none of the above" box to mark. \r Anyone then choosing not to vote should receive some sort of penalty either financial or legal.
762	396187786	Angela Bruce	Individual	Individual	There was a lot of speculation at the previous independence referendum about the result being 'rigged'. More should be done to ensure that all ballot papers handled are fully accounted for and that everything surrounding the voting and counting is fully transparent.	This is an improvement but I'm not sure it will fully address the previous issues over 'rigging', for example the photos showing yes votes in front of a sign saying no.	I have no views on this point.
763	245016985	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I support these proposals for managing the referendum.	I agree with the proposal to ensure 100% checking of postal vote identifiers.\rI agree with the proposal that returning officers should not knowingly appoint polling or count staff who have been involved in campaigning.\rI agree that 16 and 17 year olds, as well as EU nationals who live in Scotland, should be able to vote in this referendum.	I support the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
764	270801117	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	they all look fine to me.... my vote on the EU referendum was not a vote for the Scotish government to try break up UK again.	I think EU and RoI citizen must not have a vote on such an important choice for the people Scotland ( split loyalty)	they all look ok to me
765	429590865	James phimister	Individual	Individual	We need to ensure that electoral rules are followed during purdah unlike last time where the better together campaign used a number of tactics including the infamous vow which I believe broke purdah.\r Last time there were reports of missing ballot boxes fire alarms going off mid count resulting in the building being evacuated.\rBoth the.a82 and the a9 were closed at some point during the early.hours of the 19th Sept. All very suspicious.\rPostal.votes mustn't be opened at all until after polls have closed at 10 pm.	No Answered	We must have a neutral body overseeing counts this time perhaps eu ministers can over see this. There were a lot of opportunities last time for unfair practise to.happen.
766	332346673	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I disagree with another referendum being held
767	1012791790	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This seems to be appropriate	My only concern is with postal vote eligibility. There were many claims in the 2014 referendum of persons registering to vote at holiday homes who were not normally resident in Scotland and who did not vote in other elections, local or national, in that area.\r Whilst this is anecdotal in nature, it did appear credible at the time. I am aware that there have been changes made to the electoral register in the meantime and this may mitigate the possibility of such happening but feel there should be some built in safeguard. I have no idea, unfortunately, what that might be.	I don't see anything controversial there
768	961226416	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	All votes cast in Scotland must stay in Scotland for counting. All votes must be clearly identified and fully traceable to voters, ie no blank papers as in 2014. Polling station must provide exit polls, number of votes cast must be traceable and should match the final result. Postal votes should not be opened days before main vote and they must stay in secure locations prior to counting. Counting methods must reviewed to ensure that votes are not assigned to the wrong vote, pictures should that yes votes were assigned to no counting areas.	Postal votes must be reduced, they are a major risk of voting fraud. Population should re-apply for postal votes based on need only. All postal votes should be checked to ensure they are correct and only a single vote has been cast. Postal votes should not be carried over from council elections, but as single stand alone request. This means that most people should vote at poll stations not postal votes.	Donor amounts should be limited and fully declared. Amounts that are higher should be returned to the donor. Elections should not be brought and must be fair and open.
769	386865231	Roddy downie	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Individual	No feelings
770	745367057	Harry Hayfield	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	I would like to see people with a proven heritage link to Scotland being invited to register to vote in the referendum. By this I mean people living outside Scotland who can either provide documentary evidence (by means of physical evidence) or are willing to undertake DNA testing that connects them to Scotland
771	974054038	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Although not proved, I still think that there was some voting papers destroyed prior to the last count in 2014. I now think that there should be a police presence in all voting and counting halls during the voting and counting period. In Dundee there was a couple of fire alarms during the count, which meant that the hall had to be evacuated. But CCTV reportedly showed people in the counting hall, during the fire alarm. Again the police should have access to all counting halls during these fire alarms. With the option to lock all doors of the areas in question, if a fire alarm is activated. If the police option is not available, due to manning problems, then a private security company should be used, or even bring in the army to act as security where possible.	I have some concerns about members of the House of Lords resident in Scotland being able to vote. I do not think that any member of the House of Lords should have a vote, due to their position in society.\r Verification Statement. I agree that the number of ballot papers counted should equal the number recorded. But what is the procedure if there is a difference in the ballot papers counted, to the number of ballot papers issued, including spoiled or damaged voting papers. This checking option should be carried out as part of the verification process and not just put in place if a counting agent requests this to be done. \r One way to confirm the number of ballet papers issued would be for the officers in the voting hall at the end of voting, to count the number of voting papers issued. This information would be available from the score off sheet that is used when you tell the officer who you are prior to be being handed your voting paper. This number could then be written on the voting box. The numbers of voting papers in the box could be confirmed at the counting hall prior to counting.\r Any discrepancy could then be compared and confirmed by checking the score off sheet.\r I also feel that all counting officers in the course of their duties, should declare which political party they support. So as to have a more balanced and fair count. So if any discrepancy occurs, with a particular officer, then this might point to a possible problem area or biased view, as to the outcome of the count.	No comments.
772	1006528364	Gerald Hanretty	Individual	Individual	I consider that reducing the age of the constituency to 16 leads to a less well informed and educated assessments of the issues concerned.	See the above.	No comment.
773	848922455	Finn townsley	Individual	Individual	That sounds fine.	That sounds like an improvement.	Also fine.
774	150167384	Yvonne Maxwell	Individual	Individual	Why don't you just give it a rest! We had a referendum two years ago where the majority voted to stay in the UK. Don't insult mine or anyone else's intelligence in Scotland by saying things have changed. Every single person in Scotland knew there would be a referendum on staying in the EU and that it could go either way.\r I have three brothers who were very strong Scottish nationalist and had been since the 70s. They have given up their membership of your party because they all WANT OUT OF THE EU. Don't assume all SNP supporters want to stay in Europe.\r Get on with your job and stop centralising everything because it is a disaster!!!!! I have had to call the Police twice since centralisation they haven't got a clue where anywhere is and this could be life threatening.\r Get a grip and DROP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!	We don't need a referendum, on second thoughts lets have one soon and then you will be shut up permanently.	We don't need a referendum, on second thoughts lets have one soon and then you will be shut up permanently.
775	346893566	Ian Sanderson	Individual	Individual	See my comments on Absent voting below.	Absent Voting (Postal votes)\r a) I trust that house-owners not normally resident, i.e. " holiday home owners from outwith Scotland", will NOT be allowed to vote?\r b) can I take it that ALL votes MUST be counted in Scotland and that they will be counted by the same staff as do the main count on the day of the referendum i.e.. not contracted out to any outside agency?\r C) Is "sampling" of postal votes by any individual or organisation still allowed?	No comment.
776	324000197	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The SNP do not have a mandate for a second referendum. Only Westminster has the power to conduct a constitional referendum. A second referendum is not required as the result of the last one was definitive, and the SNP agreed to abide by the result. Any attempt at a further referendum is reneging on the agreement	No changes should be made	No changes should be made
777	644214464	Bryan Allan	Individual	Individual	We need to have neutral, international observers to ensure fair play all round.	There should be no pre-count sampling. All votes, including postal votes once received should not leave a secured area in each council area.	Good.
778	369196752	Florent Chevalier	Individual	Individual	Entirely agree	Entirely agree	Entirely agree
779	14302949	Jim mclean	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	This should never happen,a complete waste of time, money and expertise.
780	52076847	jamesw richmond	Individual	Individual	A complete waste of time and money	Rules should be the same as for general election No tinkering to try and rig the result	No view
781	48801577	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum, the Scottish People voted to stay as part of the UK and as a whole the UK voted to leave the EU. That's how democracy works, if you split everything up into smaller groups to get the decision you want the country will be lost.	None	None
782	421110916	Robert Taylor	Individual	Individual	I am no expert on these matters but I dispute the statement the 2014 referendum was fair and transparent. Not enough time or space obviously to go into details but the one issue I would highlight is postal votes.\rWhy were they sent down to England to be counted, the warning signs were all there but ignored. \rAlso the electoral commission seemed to be without teeth so many irregularities reported at polling stations again ignored. This time it is to important to be lax, nobody expected the establishment to sink so low so their perhaps some naievety on the Scottish governments part\rPlease I beg you tighten up all regulations that are within your power to do so	Well I'm glad to see the postal and proxy votes are going to be more strictly scrutinised but what about the actual places where votes are counted and the many reports of people going to the polls only to be told they have already voted\rThe system at present is just to open to fraud and I do hope that your officials most who will have better minds and more experience than me will have been taken into account\rAnother thing that does concern me is the amount of people who perhaps have second homes here but are not really domiciled in Scotland registering to vote or registering to vote at an address in Scotland in order to vote Now I know from personal experience how easy that is. I had a friend from Canada who hopes to stay in Scotland and who stayed with my wife and I and registered to vote. There was no difficulty in doing this now my friend has since moved out and is no longer registered at my address. My point is this what is to prevent people from coming from say, England and registering for a vote in the referendum at an address and then just moving back home afterwards. Please tell me rules are in place to prevent this	Ion do not believe I am qualified to comment on these changes but I take it on trust that everything that can be done has\rOne thing I hope does not happen is busloads of people coming up from England to campaign on the referendum Also non Scottish MP's crossing the border to spout, let's face it lies and misinformation visa vie the scandal of telling pensioners they would loose their pension we won't be able to use the pound etc. etc.
783	579102023	David Anderson	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements for managing the referendum are perfectly satisfactory, as was the case for the previous referendum.	Again, this is perfectly satisfactory. In particular, it is to be welcomed that the previous normal informal practice of checking all personal identifiers of absent voters is to be enshrined in law, thereby ensuring that this ideal practice is maintained for this and any further elections or referendums.	These changes are welcome, and further enhance the spirit of honourability that is exhibited in this draft paper, which in turn will rightly demand the same from permissible participants.
784	685464251	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Seems fine	Fine	Fine
785	562060457	Neil Fraser	Individual	Individual	I am satisfied with the arrangements to manage the referendum. I do think however, that the arrangements for postal votes require greater controls.	I think that anyone who chooses to live in Scotland should be entitled to vote on the referendum	It's all good
786	784133490	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals	I particularly agree that the postal voting procedures are robust particularly in the scrutiny of votes cast. I would not like to see a re-run of the 2014 postal votes fiasco.	Agreed
787	125357341	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Perfectly acceptable and satisfactory.	Fair and democratic. It is right that ALL residents in Scotland should have the vote, aged 16 and above.	Agree.
788	587783986	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	no comments, other than for eligibility to vote as noted in question 2	While I broadly agree with the eligibility to vote criteria for the election, I believe measures should be established to allow Scottish citizens living and working abroad, who have links to Scotland such as owning property etc, to be able to vote and be part of the decision for independence.	no comments
789	267002449	Jim Hume	Individual	Individual	I must say that some of the procedures for casting votes was rather contentious in the last referendum. Especially with postal votes.	I and 1000's of other would like to scrap postal voting as it's too open to massive fraud. \rPostal voting should be replaced by an identifiable proxy voting system. \rThe proxy vote must be completed with their voting preference on a different coloured voting slip. \rThe vote is then handed to the proxy agent, who will take it to the polling station. When he presents it to the polling clerk he will hand over the council card with the voters name on it. The proxy voter will also hand over Identification with his/her name and address. The details will be recorded by the clerk next to the voters name on the roll. \rAt the end of voting, the amount of proxy votes will be counted from the register and this amount recorded on an official polling station stamped paper and enclosed with the votes. \rOn arrival at the count, when the box is emptied, the different coloured proxy votes are counted and they must tally with the amount taken from the ballot box. \rThis eliminates fraud and is more safer. \r Regards......Redacted text	No change.
790	884396763	Sandra	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There should not be a second referendum as the outcome in 2014 was perfectly clear. The Scottish Government should respect that democratic outcome and move on rather than stirring up more uncertainty. \rThe money that holding another referendum would cost would be far better spent on schools, hospitals, public transport etc.
791	301019946	Hugh Paterson	Individual	Individual	Happy with the arrangements but want more independent overseas observers to witness the counts	Happy with the changes with the exception that the postal ballot papers remain in Scotland in a secured location prior to the count. There is NO requirement for that to.be done in England.	No objections
792	411168066	Ian Petrie	Individual	Individual	I am content that we should move to another referendum. I approve of the provision banning UK and Scottish Governments publishing information or views which may affect the outcome of the referendum 28 days before the referendum date. This is key to stopping any bias or misinformation in the run-up to the vote. There is also the provision for greater scrutiny of postal votes. These were leaked the last time and used to try to influence the electorate. And a good old fashioned count makes for better transparency in any disagreements about the result.	Agree all persons ordinarily resident in Scotland should have a say and that the age groups include 16 and overs. An inclusive vote is essential.	All reasonable provisions as far as I can see.
793	150231820	Jack Magill	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
794	853559912	Mark Anderson	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	This worked well in 2014, so it makes sense the same rules are applied.
795	576410327	Stuart Simpson	Individual	Individual	No UK involvement. Limit postal votes. Postal votes only opened at official count.EU observers.Ban Political Parties and their agents from any contact with postal ballot papers including nursing homes. Exit polls arranged by Scots gov. Enforcement of purdah period which must include polling.	Need a severe limitation on absent voting. This is one of the main sources of abuse in 2014.	candidate's name and any political party should be on campaign literature. This to prevent candidates presenting themselves as something they are not.
796	193147173	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think it is an absolute disgrace that the Scottish Government are beginning this nationalist nonsense all over again. Brexit doesn't give them a right to just call a referendum because they are throwing a temper tantrum at the result. We now need the UK more than ever to secure Scotland's economy.	Absolute disgrace	Absolute disgrace
797	415501865	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I was satisfied with large aspects of the way in which the referendum was managed, however I think reporting by the media needs to be looked in to given the bias shown to the no campaign by most mainstream media outlets (even if not an official bias, it was shown to be the case that the BBC more heavily reported negative consequences of voting Yes, than positive ones).	No Answered	I think it is fair that any person who calls Scotland their home, lives here, pays taxes here, should have a right to vote. The referendum is about the political future of the country and shouldn't be split on ethnic lines nor have minority groups excluded from the process. I believe asylum seekers who have lived here for a significant enough amount of time should be allowed to vote.
798	1045654744	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	1. I have concerns about allowing groups such as non Scottish domiciled students, workers or holiday home owners resident in Scotland on a short term basis being allowed to participate in voting for this type of referendum. \r 2. UK political parties should be prohibited from transporting activists from elsewhere into Scotland to work in their campaigns. \r 3 Steps should be taken to eliminate abuse of postal voting procedures.	100 per cent checking of personal identifiers of postal voters is essential.	Agree
799	485093273	Geoffrey Cohen	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I feel strongly that the wording of the question should be changed. I believe it is unfair that one side should be associated with 'Yes' and the other with 'No', as there is evidence that this produces bias. I think there should be two lines on the ballot paper:\rScotland should remain a part of the UK\rScotland should leave the UK and become an independent country\r and voters should be invited to tick just one of the two lines. \rThe order of the two lines should be randomised, so that half the ballots present the leave option first and half present the remain option first. This would obviate any bias towards ticking the first line.
800	1047322283	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	That is acceptable. Please ensure transparency in all stages.	Agreed with this.	Agreed with this.
801	346078500	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another term ndependence referendum, this goes against both verbal and written promises that it would be a "once in a generation" opportunity. That promise was made by both the current and then FM, and was echoed throughout the campaign material.	Only UK citizens should be allowed to vote, citizens of another country should not have a say in our future. If someone wants to commit their future to this country, they should becom a citizen and not be given the right to decide our future.	None see above.
802	519986669	James Elliott	Individual	Individual	I believe that we should have international and impartial observers, to ensure the transparency of the referendum. Thus ensuring a completely fair and open referendum.	The vote should only be open to those who are domiciled in Scotland.	N/A
803	1006409882	John Stephenson	Individual	Individual	The statement "Should Scotland be an independent country?" is unfair, as this allows a vote for independence to be associated with a "Yes"-branded campaign, which is more readily seen as a positive stance; conversely those against the proposal have to campaign on a platform of "No", with the corresponding connotations. The question also makes no mention of the implication of the break up of the UK. A fairer question would comprise two options such as: "I believe Scotland should remain part of the United Kingdom" and "I believe Scotland should leave the United Kingdom"; from which respondents choose one option.\rThe use of a simple majority is entirely inappropriate for a referendum which could result in permanent and substantial change to a long-lasting status quo. The consultation document states: "As in 2014, the referendum would not be subject to any minimum turnout requirement or approval threshold where approval is required by a minimum\rpercentage of registered voters. This is in line with established practice within the UK and across Western Europe". This last statement is simply not true - the Council of Europe for example uses Qualified Majority Voting. Finland and Switzerland are other countries that do not use simple majority voting. Furthermore there cannot be said to be "established practice" of any kind within the UK as there have only been a very small number of referenda in recent history in this country. Not only that, but the reference to "Western Europe" deliberately ignores custom in Australia, USA and elsewhere in the world where the use of super majorities and/or multiple majorities are very commonplace.\rThe use of a simple majority allows a status quo lasting for over 300 years, characterised by continuous majority support within Scotland for the Union to be permanently overturned by what may be a very temporary shift of political opinion slightly above the 50% mark.	A referendum on independence amounts to a referendum on the break-up of the United Kingdom. As such, every UK adult citizen should have the right to participate in such a referendum (including those resident in England, Wales and Northern Ireland), not just those identified in the consultation document.\rThere is no justification for inclusion of 16-17-year-olds in the franchise. Throughout the Western world, 18 is considered the youngest age at which individuals have the maturity to make an informed choice. Why should the situation in Scotland be any different? Opinion polls clearly show that there is a majority of support for independence amongst 16-17-year-olds, so this is a blatant attempt of the Scottish government to franchise more of its own supporters.	No comments
804	871009781	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Satisfactory	Satisfactory	Only those born in and resident in Scotland should vote in this referendum.
805	1041213295	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Postal votes need to be monitored better.	Postal votes called the ligitimacy of the process into question in 2014, we need to be assured they are being handled properly.	Satisfied
806	59088756	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Seems OK. I'm very glad that 16 year olds will still have the vote. (My youngest is now 18 but was able to vote in the 2014 Referendum at 16. I feel young people are hugely engaged in this issue - as they should be - and have if anything more right to be heard than older people.)\r Is there anything that can be done about the appalling reporting by the BBC?	Generally happy with these, though not convinced that members of the House of Lords should be allowed to vote. The Scottish ones must surely be mainly major landowners who spend most of their time in London or abroad?	Seem OK.
807	388743983	David Blackford	Individual	Individual	We do not want or need another referendum	We do not want or need another referendum	We do not want or need another referendum
808	288469386	Sue Reid	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Individual	I am a spanish resident .and of scottish nationality.I have lived in Spain for 25 years although my family continue to live in Scotland and are I was not allowed to vote in the referendum for Brexit although I had more to lose than most when the UK left the Europeann Union .\rI would like to set up a branch of the SNP in Spain where I'm sure there will support for the future referendum. I'm sure there will support for people to have Scottish nationality and be Europe.I would like you to consider if this is a possibility . Unfortunately there is no dual nationality agreement between Spain and Britain so I will have to take Spanish nationality if I stay here .Something I do not relish as my heart is Scottish ...Can we vote ?
809	105965765	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This excercise is complete waste of public funds and time, Scottish government would be best advised to look up the "ladder of accountability" on any internet search engine and decide at which rung they are based regarding their day to day governance of our country. \rI would suggest government is far from the top rungs of "acknowledge reality, own it, find solutions and make it happen" and rather loitering around "I can't, blame others and wait and hope"\rAnother referendum is another smokescreen of blame.	This excercise is complete waste of public funds and time	This excercise is complete waste of public funds and time
810	242569544	Martin Hannah	Individual	Individual	I am personally opposed to the mooted referendum. There was a referendum only two years ago and the result concluded that Scotland should not be Independent, leading to the break up of the United Kingdom. The result of the last Independence referendum although disliked by the SNP was nevertheless unequivocal and the Government and SNP stated at the time that the referendum was a once in a generation event. Most people understood and accepted this and voted accordingly. It is premature and wrong to propose yet another referendum using the result of the recent UK wide referendum on membership of the European Union as some form of pretext. The initiative smacks of political opportunism and if pursued could at this juncture be extremely damaging to Scotland and its population - an act and timing that I feel would not easily be forgiven by our neighbours and countrymen. Perhaps that is the political intention here, to spread discord and create division wherever possible, but if there are now rising concerns about the future relationship between the UK and the rest of Europe and possible acrimony around Brexit negotiations these would pale if Scotland secedes from the Union now and takes a huge step into an unknown and unstable future that would be far from secure.\r The UK as a whole faces a unique set of challenges over the next few years. The long term prosperity and stability of the country as a whole demands that partisan politics be set aside in order to secure the best negotiated outcome for all UK citizens, business, agriculture and fishing and the service economy.\r Another referendum on Scottish Independence is unwarranted and unwelcome at this time.	No Answered	If a further referendum is commissioned I feel that all Scots regardless of current residency should be permitted to participate and vote. Why exclude Scots with a legitimate and strong interest in the future of their homeland but currently resident elsewhere for work or family reasons but still permit EU citizens resident in Scotland (perhaps only for a short time ) to vote on a matter of great constitutional significance to Scotland and the rest of the UK?\r If a referendum were to be successful interesting questions around birthright and citizenship would arise. If Scotland were to secede from the Union following another referendum Scots living abroad but unable to vote under the draft bill could soon find themselves ineligible for British citizenship - in addition to lost EU citizenship. \r I am worried that if the independence agenda is advanced at this uncertain time during a period of uncertainty and upheaval, without some serious thought about the real, practical implications of a likely future outside both the EU and potentially the UK; the consequences will not be good for Scotland or any other resident of the UK - very far removed from the positive vision of self-determination and progressive social democracy that is peddled. \r The current Scottish Government tends to dismiss or seek to defer these concerns or anything really that is either inconvenient, awkward or doesn't suit the Nationalist script but they must be weighed carefully before any further constitutional upheaval is put to the people of Scotland in the form of yet another referendum. The timing of this Bill is ill-judged and will only please the most starry-eyed nationalists, political hacks and the enemies of liberal capitalist democracy abroad and closer to home. \r Two years ago, Scotland rejected Independence unambiguously. Inconvenient to some but true. Only a few months ago the UK as a whole voted to leave the EU following a debate that divided the nation, friends, family, neighbours and colleagues. Unexpected but again true. The result perhaps was more equivocal but nevertheless staggering given the odds stacked against the Leave campaign. The Will of the People expressed through the ballot has surprised and disappointed the political class on both sides of Hadrian's Wall but it is important to democracy that the outcome be respected regardless of position or politics. If it is not then why should anyone agree to or abide by another referendum result ever again?
811	975720641	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I voted yes previously and given our position following Brexit it us clearer to me that we should be able to make decisions independently that affect our nation. The arrangements appear ok but hound be done in as short. Timescale as is acceptable	Happy with these	Satisfied
812	1045917561	Home	Individual	Individual	I have no concerns regarding these arrangements.	I have no concerns regarding these arrangements.	I have no concerns regarding these arrangements. \r QUESTION: I feel the question should be reviewed. The EU referendum established best practice in formulating an unbiased question. Scotland should build on this. \r MAJORITY: The EU referendum result is a example of where a narrow result can lead to profound and irreversible consequences. Likewise, the 2014 referendum result was never accepted by many Scots as it was so narrow. Scotland should consider a super-majority requirement for any referendum vote to be carried.
813	703070323	Alan Dracup	Individual	Individual	There were some calls of irregularity in the last referendum, however I feel that the same arrangements should apply, but perhaps with closer scrutiny.	I think that Scots living outside of Scotland should be allowed to vote. Many people leave Scotland at an early age to find work in England & the wider world, although their roots are always in Scotland with the intention that they will return one day (usually at the end of their working life). I feel that anyone with a deep rooted connection to Scotland, should be allowed to have their voice heard!	Sounds okay!
814	69557478	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If a referendum must be held then the usual conditions should apply	Acceptable	Acceptable
815	57391102	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	-Would be interesting to have international observers to ensure corruption is not happening. This also could help with political aims, for example, if the Scottish Government's position is to gain automatic access to the EU or EEA, it would be a good idea to have the European Union's institutions observe the election, alongside an EU/EEA state such as Ireland. This could prove favourable with the EU and its member states to ensure they accept the will of Scotland in the case of a Yes vote for independence, and in the case of a No vote, this would cover the base of people claiming that the vote was fixed.	would be interesting to implement a feature to track postal votes. If each vote has been received and accounted for, this should be recorded thorough an individual identification code that can be searched on local council website or phone number to give confidence to the voter that their vote has been received and will be counted. \r It should also be made against the rules for political activists to collect postal votes from voters, especially the elderly in case there is foul play at hand.	seems straight forward and sensible.
816	768655854	Bob Wyper	Individual	Individual	I'm fine with the basics of the voting system, but unsure of how secure the system was in 2014 as there are too many (unsubstantiated) stories of tampering to accept that everything is perfect.	No Answered	I am in full agreement that all proxy voters should themselves be eligible registered voters as this will reduce one area of possible misuse of a vote.
817	434762090	Peter Dow	Individual	Individual	"In 2014, our objective was for the conduct of the referendum to meet the highest standards of fairness, transparency and propriety. That objective was achieved then and remains crucial for any future referendum."\r- The Rt Hon Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland\rConsultation on a Draft Referendum Bill, October 2016\r______\r Well if that was Salmond's government's objective in 2014 then that objective was NOT achieved.\r UNFAIR\r * the conduct of the 2014 independence referendum campaign was UNFAIR\r* there were UNFAIR police arrests and court orders to terrorise some campaigners to stop campaigning\r* in July 2014, 7 weeks before the vote, police UNFAIRLY raided my home and arrested me and court orders to stop my campaigning were UNFAIRLY imposed on me, (a YES-campaigner from Aberdeen, Redacted text) which UNFAIRLY prevented me from campaigning for YES on Twitter or on my own website, the Scottish National Standard Bearer website - Redacted text * the broadcasting media was UNFAIRLY biased to refuse 24/7 coverage with a dedicated indy-ref TV channel and denying opportunity for most unofficial campaigners to be broadcast\r* the coverage that there was was UNFAIRLY biased to support the United Kingdom\r* the "Edinburgh Agreement" UNFAIRLY imposed an outcome of 100% of Scotland being surrendered to the majority of the vote, as it turned out, to the 55% who voted "No"\r* the 45% who voted YES were UNFAIRLY refused any offer of a 2-state solution or partition of Scotland into\r1. an independent state for the 45% who voted YES and\r2. a UK state of Scotland for the 55% who voted NO\r NO TRANSPARENCY\r The fact that Sturgeon is in denial that the indy-ref campaign in 2014 was unfair is proof positive that there has been no transparency either, that the unfairnesses and rigging of the 2014 independence campaign have not been widely reported and have largely been covered up by the mainstream media.\r IMPROPRIETY\r The police arrests, court orders and banning from TV broadcasts are an improper way to conduct any referendum.\r QUEEN'S PRIVY COUNCILLOR STURGEON\rNote that Sturgeon has signed her foreword in the consultation document as "The Rt Hon Nicola Sturgeon".\r By that "Rt Hon" Sturgeon is reiterating her oath as a Queen's privy councillor when she swore to prevent anything from being said or done which would be against the Queen remaining as head of state of Scotland, when she swore to prevent the Scots ever getting our own independent Scottish nation state which could elect its own head of state, a president of a Scottish republic, ridding ourselves of the Queen's rule.\r Sturgeon has sworn to prevent the independence of the Scots from the Queen and that's how she intends to go on.\r So in Sturgeon's foreword to the "Consultation on a Draft Referendum Bill" there is a clear intention to do in future as was done in 2014 - cheat those Scots who want a true independence, to sell a variation of DEPENDENCE on the Queen as some sort of pretend so-called "independence" which is no such thing.\r So this "consultation" is a fraud because it is really Sturgeon trying to pull the wool over the public's eyes so that she, as the Queen's First Minister of Scotland, can continue to subject all of the people of Scotland to rule by the Queen's United Kingdom.	No comment	All voters must be allowed to participate, without restriction.\rAny police raids on voters to arrest them for something they have commented on social media - as was done in July 2014 to me - will totally invalidate the referendum campaign.
818	778019227	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is the correct way of managing a referendum vote HOWEVER this was supposed to be a once in a generation vote - but here we are 2 years on and you have the audacity to propose running it again! the will of the people doesn't matter to you. If there had been a yes vote 2 years ago you wouldn't have run it again - you cant just re-vote until you get the answer you like. This should never go ahead. its a total disgrace.	there should be no polling and no counting. And if there is Westminster should refuse to accept the outcome.	there should be no participants
819	1042518605	Rupert Penny	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	As this Scottish Independence referendum is a result of the UK EU referendum, I think that should be the focus. As only England & Wales voted to leave the EU and not Scotland, Northern Ireland or Gibraltar, I think England & Wales should leave the UK - not the UK leave the EU. This would then accurately reflect the result of the referendum.
820	243963290	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have concerns regarding postal votes and the opportunity to tamper with them. Would email votes option be a better system?	I absolutely agree that 100 % of postal votes personal identifiers are checked.	I absolutely agree.
821	881619057	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I consider this proposal to be a waste of time and money for both the Scottish Government and their Civil Servants.\rThe Scottish Government does not appear to accept democratic decisions.	If it does go ahead then all British Citizens, throughout the UK, should be eligible to vote on this.	No donors should be involved with this.
822	843828065	Sandy	Individual	Individual	These arrangements are fine.	These changes are fine.	These changes are fine.
823	379498420	Helen Provan	Individual	Individual	I am satisfied with the proposed management arrangements and trust that due process will take place.	No Answered	I am satisfied with the proposed technical changes following a range of recommendations
824	830323745	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements	I agree	I agree
825	253180355	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	- payments made to chief counting officer etc are unacceptably high - should be recognised as part of existing duties and responsibilities of LA Chief exec. \r - current practise of allowing LA staff to take paid leave while receiving additional payment for elections is unfair \r - costs of referendum is too high - we should accept the will of the Scottish electorate as shown by the result of the last referendum	No Answered	there should not be another referendum on independence
826	460889134	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	OK	I like the increase of personal identifiers checking to 100% of the postal votes (from a minimum of 20% in 2014) but I am not sure if this is enough to safeguard the integrity of the referendum, have international observers in counting stations been considered?	Fair
827	447478900	Margaret Smith	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements.	I agree with the proposed changes.	I agree with the proposed changes.
828	575406244	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Students temporarily studying in Scotland do not meet the criteria for residency.\rThere should be electronic voting.\r The question should be unchanged.	I agree but these are insufficient\rScotland should use electronic voting.\rThere should be the requirement for photo identification at polling stations \rPostal votes should not be sent outwith Scotland but held centrally and counted at the same time as those votes cast on polling day\r While I accept there has to be verification of postal votes I believe this should be done at the same time as the count even if it means the result is not available the next day. However electronic voting should mean this is unlikely.\r Particular care should be given to the voting arrangements for care homes and this should be overseen by independent monitors.\r There should be an independently and internationally monitored exit poll.	There should be no campaigning, including news coverage the day before voting day.\rThe question is binary and equal coverage should be given to both camps.
829	26723868	Abhishek Chanda	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
830	900045940	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	.I do not believe there is any legal authority to hold a referendum as we as Scots voted to remain in the UK and therefore we must accept that the UK voted to leave Europe. We cannot have everything our own way when we have elected to remain in the UK and not as an independent country.	I do not believe that residents from the Republic of Ireland and EU countries should be allowed a vote on the future of Scotland as an independent country. If these people wish to remain in Scotland they should be citizens of this country and not just passing through. I would not expect to be able to vote on issues which concern other countries if I was not a citizen of those countries.	If this was written in plain English I might understand the importance of it but as it's in a language I don't understand I must pass.
831	265006971	David Wilson	Individual	Individual	We do not need another referendum. The people have spoken already and the Scottish Government cannot keep going until they get the result they want. Its an expensive vanity project which is being run at the cost of actually governing the country	My answer above refers. We should not have a referendum and therefore there are no need for any technical changes. Once again the Scottish Government should spend the time running the country and respect the views of the people	Non question as we should not have another referendum.
832	1066795593	Jo	Individual	Individual	I am fine with all this	Agree with all of these	Fine with this too
833	653780134	Kevin healy	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
834	550177312	Aitken Scott	Individual	Individual	Satisfied	Satisfied	Not happy that ex-patriot Scots are barred from participation in this referendum but WERE included in the EU referendum which is the proximate cause of this exercise.\r Anyone with a UK passport and a legitimate claim to Scots nationality should be eligible to vote. If English born voters in Scotland can cast a vote for/against Scottish nationhood the same right should be extended to Scots abroad/south of the border many of whom have been forced out of the mother country by dint of circumstance brought on by the very grievances which independence seeks to address.
835	423160909	Margaret Johnstond	Individual	Individual	Scotland was almost torn apart by referendum just over 2 years ago. The country voted overwhelmingly NO , remain part of UK. As far as I am still aware Scotland is a democratic Country , the people said NO to an independent Scotland, what part of NO do the fanatics in SNP not understand ? Please Miss Sturgeon do not insult our intelligence with the Brexit vote nonsense you would destroy this Country as long as you get your Independence. I listened to part of your speech "Scotland is open for business"! When exactly did Scotland close for business?!\rPlease get on with important issues i.e our hospitals , go to Ward 36 and 37 RAH and hang ur head in shame, dementia patients abandoned, uncaring nursing staff etc. Go to Beatson where your people sit for hours to see Consultants, even the layout is so undignified for patients. Go to ward 66 Royal and watch uncaring Consultants and staff. I could go on but I won't .\r Our education was envy of UK now standards are dropping rapidly. \r Give your independent Scotland cry a rest \r M	Leave as is why would you change it? Not impressed	Not interested
836	187320124	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There MUST NOT be a referendum first of all. If there is to be one the managing of it should be the same.	No further views apart from Scotland is part pf the UK and as such the UK Government view on sovereignty should also apply. I also want it be clear that it is the view of the Scottish Government as an institution, not of the current administration holding the role of governing party, that is important - as such it has to be the agreed view of all the political parties in Scotland, not just one that happens at this moment in history to be in administration.	No particular views
837	360445603	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not wish another referendum to be held. We voted in 2014 on this issue.	I do not want another referendum to be run. We voted in 2014 on this issue and the result was clear.	I do not want another referendum to be held. We voted on this issue in 2014 and the wish of the Scottish people was clear.
838	458786003	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum. The Scottish People spoke n 2014 to stay part of UK and consequently to abide by UK democratic decisions. The 2014 referendum contained no caveats to that such as is being touted by the SNP.\rThe question has to change this time if there is to be a referendum to I want Scotland to remain part of UK and I want Scotland to leave UK - a straight choice.\rThere should be a caveat that there is a clear majority to leave i.e. minimum 5 percent to avoid this scenario we are now in. There should also be caveats that if GDP for example falls to a certain level below the promises that might be made in an SNP case for independence then that is a change that warrants another referendum to be part of UK again - of SNP administration can play that card of a material change as an argument for a second referendum then logically the same can be true for having a third referendum.	none	none
839	506744698	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum as it is against the democratic process completed in 2014. As such there should be no question of independence. I voted on the basis of a straight Yes or No to being part of UK - not to it being on the basis of other conditions such as being part of the EU. This was not part of the question put to the people. As such this administration is acting contrary to the democratic will of the people. Just because I voted to stay part of UK does not mean that as the SNP administration argue that I did so on the basis that the UK would stay in UK. I know many who voted to stay but leave EU. The SNP has no right to assume what people think just to suit their own ends. A second referendum is not needed nor is there a democratic mandate for it.\rIf there is one the management arrangements are agreeable, but change the question from a Yes No as there is an inherent bias in it - one can be perceived and therefore sold as more positive than the other. Psychologically the two responses have a different impact. Change to something like a choice between I want Scotland to remain part of the UK and I do not want Scotland want to remain part of the UK.	none	none
840	93047244	John Austin Gaughan	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed way to manage and regulate the referendum, I found them to be fair back and 2014 and continue to do so now.	These are all reasonable changes to be made in light of the increased use of postal and proxy votes.	I am concerned about restricting a campaigner from registering a name which is "offensive" because of how subjective this term is, I would prefer to see clear subjective definitions of terms as subjective as this before agreeing to it.
841	87637407	Connie Young	Individual	Individual	I think that people who were born in Scotland but are living outside of Scotland should be entitled to vote, provided they are (i) students normally resident in Scotland but studying abroad; (ii) living abroad due to work placements; (iii) were living in Scotland within the previous five years. \r I do not think that people living in Scotland but not born here, should be entitled to vote in a referendum unless they have lived here for more than five years, and have citizenship intending to remain in Scotland.	This seems good.	This is good.
842	969717413	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	FRAUD\rMuch more control must be given to possible frauds committed both within and outwith the polling booths, incuding postal votes and proxy votes. \rI would suggest that the whole referendum be witnessed by an international group of volunteers/security staff who have no interest in the outcome of the referendum. \rAll postal votes must be kept in Scotland, and definititely not send to England for "sampling" and return. \rAll postal votes should be counted in an approved area which is witnessed by the volunteers/security staff as mentioned above.\rAll voters should be asked for photographic identity and proof of address before they are handed their voting cards - their driving licence or similar identity document(s) would suffice. \rVoters should be shown the number on the back of their voting slip as they pick it up at the polling booth.	No Answered	RESIDENCY\rNon-Scots must be able to prove they have lived and been resident in Scotland for a minimum of say 5 or 10 years before they are allowed to vote - this would mean that there would be no "moving to Scotland with the intention of voting against the Referendum" moves as was noted in the 2014 Referendum.\rVOTING BOXES\rIf the boxes of votes are to be moved from one building to another the boxes must be accompanied by a minimum of two people from the International group of volunteers/security staff to ensure the votes are not "lost" en-route.\rAll boxes must be sealed before departure from the voting station.\rVerification of the numbered boxes should be made by two of the international independent volunteers/security staff before the boxes leave the voting stations and checked on arrival at the counting station. \rSECURITY\rCameras should be used during counting to ensure that the counting is legitimate.\rIf fire alarms go off, international observers and/or security staff must ensure that all persons leave the hall, taking nothing with them, and re-enter bringing nothing in.\rToo many incidents occurred during the last referendum which made the result tenuous to say the least. To quote Wikipedia: "According to observers at the last referendum, the conditions under which the votes were counted were not up to international standards and that the procedure used made it impossible to check on irregularities." \rGOOD PRACTICE\rIt should be against the law for companies, trade unions etc. to lean on their employees to vote in a specific manner. Numerous letters were sent to employees during the 2014 referendum telling them not to vote for independence. It is not the responsibility for employers to tell employees how to vote. \r It is imperative and important for Scotland and the Scots that this referendum is conducted openly, properly, honestly and in accordance with the rules.
843	588884420	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	OK nothing to manage	OK	OK
844	109874128	Robert Traquair	Individual	Individual	I am not happy that the voting arrangements shall be overseen by the electoral commission, as they are not independent from the UK government. It is my opinion that they are covertly partisan and will act and react in the best interests and instructions of the UK government , as I feel was demonstrated by the way in which Ruth Davidson acted illegally yet was not severely censured or investigated properly by her public pronouncements that she knew the results of postal votes prior to the official counts and announcements.\rIt is beholden of the Scottish Government to ensure that an Independence referendum for Scotland is conducted professionally, honestly, and fairly,with any attempt to subvert or fraudulently manipulate the votes and wishes of the Scottish people should immediately be subjected to investigation by the police and if proven should face the full force of the law. Television and radio media should also be made aware that fraudulent broadcasting of lies and deliberate misinformation may lead to legal repercussions. \rI would request that as this vote is of the utmost importance to Scotland, the Scottish people and their future development, that the SG should endeavour to enlist the assistance of neutral observers from the EU and NATO to ensure fairness and impartiality. \r These conditions may appear onerous but make no mistake the UK government will do everything in its power ,legally or otherwise to ensure Scotland's wealth is tethered to a financially and morally bankrupt UK \r It is imperative that a exit poll is conducted to ensure that every effort has been taken to address the needs and wants of the Scottish electorate, and to ensure no ambiguity in the result	Eligibility to vote should be restricted to 16 year olds and above,overseas students should not be allowed to vote , you must have resided in Scotland for a minimum of 5 years with proof, and second home owners should not have the ability to vote. Postal votes must be severely restricted with proof being required as to qualification of need\r.Postal votes should also be required to be counted at the relevant counting office and should also be witnessed by impartial official observers eg NATO or EU observers, they should not be ferried around unless accompanied by witnesses.\r All unused voting papers should be returned,audited and securely stored and exit polls should be conducted with votes matched	lobbying activists should have to register their interests, activists should also have to have a connection to Scotland, it should not be permissible for unionist parties to encourage or arrange bus or train journeys for groups to promote their unionist preference
845	619506360	thomas marshall	Individual	Individual	as it seemed there appeared to be discrepancies in some of the counting methods last time I think a more regulated approach is needed	I believe members of the House of Lords resident in Scotland have a conflict of interests and should be excluded	I agree with them on the whole
846	976430070	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed management of the process	agree	agree
847	487625948	Colin Macleod	Individual	Individual	Fair and transparent referendum. Achieved in 2014!!	No Answered	As last time I believe 16 is too young for such a significant vote.
848	238382740	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with these arrangements.	I agree with these arrangements, but would add that Scottish nationals resident overseas who clearly intend to return to Scotland should be included.many felt disenfranchised during the last referendum and if they are, for example on a contract of work but own a house here, then they are signalling an intention to return after that contract expires and should be allowed to vote.	I agree with these changes
849	36357028	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As this is a matter affecting the Constitution integrity of the United Kingdom as a whole, arrangements should be made for ALL UK citizens to have a vote in any referendum held on this issue. The principle of "No Taxation without Representation" should apply and as English Taxpayers fund the Scottish Government deficit, ALL U K citizens should have a vote on this issue.	As above. As this issue affects the Constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom as an entity, ALL citizens of the United Kingdom should be entitled to a vote in any referendum on the is issue.	The ability to campaign should be open to any U K based organisation.
850	453045995	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The process seemed fair in 2014, I just think another referendum after only 2 years is unnecessary and a distraction that will once again divide Scotland.	Good that EU residents included.	no view on this
851	537664450	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A specific majority should be stated such as 55% and not “A simple majority”. This arrangement has led to the present confusion with BREXIT and will be divisive unless a clear majority is in favour one way or another.	All people born in Scotland and resident in the UK should be eligible to vote. \rNon Scots ie EU or Commonwealth citizens who have not taken out UK citizenship should not have the right to vote on a proposal that primarily affects the Scottish people. These groups are generally transient and should not be allowed to vote on such an important issue which affects our Homeland.	Political parties should not be allowed to fund separate campaigns but should be treated as a “Permitted Participant” with information coming solely from either organization which represents one side or other of the discussion.
852	180764101	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	I'm sure there is a good reason for it but I would like to extend the voting to those people from outwith the EU/Commonwealth who have made Scotland their home.	Agree
853	242674118	Phelim Garrett-Hanna	Individual	Individual	I feel the situation has changed drastically since the Brexit vote. If the vote was to stay, then I don't feel there would have been a strong mandate for another referendum soon, however, with such a seismic shift in the political circumstances of the UK and with the Scottish population mostly not favouring this change, I feel a further vote is required to allow the Scottish people a chance to decide the future which they feel is best for them.	No qualms	No qualms
854	165658433	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No need for referendum, voice of Scottish people was heard in 2014	none	none
855	747659701	BUSAYO MICHAEL ORIMOGUNJE	Individual	Individual	APPROVED	APPROVED	APPROVED
856	992118050	william Moore	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals	I agree with the proposals	I agree with the proposals
857	547029167	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am broadly content with the proposed arrangements as set out in paragraphs 2.1 – 2.10 of the consultation paper.	I believe that the franchise should be amended to extend to more than those groups listed at paragraph 2.11 of the consultation paper and Clause 2 of the draft Bill; and that postal voting should no longer be available on demand, but should be restricted to those who can demonstrate that they will be away from home on polling day, e.g. for work reasons, or to those with a genuine medical reason. \r The franchise\r Eligibility to vote in a future referendum should not be based only on nationality, but should also include those of any nationality who have chosen to make Scotland their home. \r Paragraph 2.11 of the consultation paper and Clause 2 of the draft Bill set out that the following groups of people will therefore be entitled to vote in the referendum (if they are not subject to any legal incapacity to vote):\r:\r• British citizens resident in Scotland\r • Commonwealth citizens resident in Scotland\r • Citizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland\r • Members of the House of Lords resident in Scotland\r • Service/Crown personnel serving in the UK or overseas in the Armed Forces or with Her Majesty’s Government who are registered to vote in Scotland.\r I agree that the groups listed above should be eligible to vote. However, this proposed franchise is inconsistent with the principle – set out on page 4 of the consultation paper - that 'decisions on the future of Scotland should be for those who live and work here, including all those who have chosen to make Scotland their home'.\r Suppose a person from Botswana (in the Commonwealth) and another from Côte d’Ivoire (outwith the Commonwealth) both moved to Scotland, both lived here for the same length of time, and both did similar jobs: under the franchise as proposed, the person from Botswana would be eligible to vote but the person from Côte d’Ivoire would not, not because their contributions to Scotland were different, but rather because Botswana was a former British colonial possession, whereas Côte d’Ivoire was a former French colonial possession.\r Similarly, a Norwegian or Swiss national would not be able to vote (not EU member states), whereas a French or Swedish national would be able to vote as these are EU member states. \r If part of the moral justification for including Commonwealth Citizens in the franchise (and I confirm that I support their inclusion) is historic and cultural ties, then the exclusion of Norwegians is particularly bizarre: Scotland's historical ties to Norway stretch back to the 1266 Treaty of Perth and beyond, and examples of Norse influence on Scotland are ubiquitous, and not merely confined to Shetland. There are few countries in the world, outwith the British Isles, that have stronger cultural ties to Scotland than does Norway. \r I therefore suggest that the franchise should be open to persons from countries in addition to those listed in Clause 2(1) of the draft Bill, subject to them being able to demonstrate permanent residency in Scotland for a defined period, say, three years. A 'permanent residency' test would exclude from the franchise those in Scotland on only a temporary basis, but would include those 'who have chosen to make Scotland their home', in line with the stated principle of the consultation paper. \r The legislative mechanism for broadening the franchise in this way would be to add a new sub-clause (e) to Clause 2(1) of the draft Bill, with the details of the permanent residency test being left to regulations to be made by ministers. \r Postal voting\r Postal voting should no longer be available on demand, but should be restricted to those who can demonstrate that they will be away from home on polling day, e.g. for work reasons, or to those with a genuine medical reason. The purpose of this restriction would be to reduce the potential for electoral fraud, and just as if not more importantly, would increase public confidence in the outcome of the vote. \r There are circa 4.3 million voters in Scotland, of whom circa 800,000, nearly 20 percent, are registered to vote by post. \r Postal voting on demand was introduced by the Representation of the People Act (2000). Before then, postal voting was essentially restricted to those who could demonstrate a medical or work-related reason for being unable to attend the polling station on the allotted day. \r Postal voting on demand was introduced with the perfectly laudable aim of increasing turnout. However, it is widely perceived to be more susceptible to fraud than fraud through other means, such as personation. Statistics on the Electoral Commission website do not show widespread evidence of postal voting fraud. However, this is likely to be because it is much harder to detect than other types of voting fraud. Indeed, Richard Mawrey QC, a Deputy High Court Judge, who has presided over a number of electoral fraud cases, has repeatedly criticised the UK postal voting system. In one case, in 2005, he found six councillors guilty of 'massive, systematic and organised' postal voting fraud to win two wards during local elections. \r Richard Mawrey may or may not be correct, though it would seem reasonable to accord him the status of 'expert witness' in this area. What is more important, however, is that many people share his concerns about postal voting. Another referendum on independence must be both fair, and must also be seen to be fair. In the event of a narrow result, the suspicion that the outcome was the result of postal voting fraud would be extremely divisive. A restriction on the current on demand basis of postal voting would avoid this.\r As a further check on the possibility of postal voting fraud, I also support the proposals, set out at paragraph 2.15 of the consultation paper, to require 100% checking of personal identifiers and bring the legislation into line with previous practice and accepted practice at other elections.\r It is entirely reasonable that those who are unable to attend a polling station on polling day by virtue of incapacity or work commitments should be able to vote by post or by proxy. And, as previously stated, the aim of introducing postal voting on demand in the UK – i.e. to increase turnout – was perfectly laudable. However, postal voting on demand means that many voters are now voting by post simply for reasons of convenience. Exercising one's democratic right to determine the future of your country is not the same as popping out to the supermarket. Universal suffrage was achieved in the UK only after centuries of struggle and at the expenditure of blood, whether by the Chartists in the early nineteenth century, or the Suffragettes in the early twentieth. If someone who is perfectly capable of attending a local polling station, but cannot be bothered to do so to exercise this precious and hard-won right, I would respectfully suggest that they do not deserve that right.	No comment.
858	670366746	Alex Bishop	Individual	Individual	I am convinced that the last referendum was not conducted fairly by the NO Campaign and am concerned that they will try their utmost to scupper it again. There was video evidence of " counting officers " who were derelict in their duties to say the least.I would prefer an independent source of counting and returning officers.There were NO Exit Polls.	No Answered	The postal vote should be scrapped, this has always been a controversial issue and the fact that Ruth Davidson had claimed to have seen them prior to counting, made uncomfortable reading. Why was approx 900,000 postal votes sent to England ?
859	445787967	Eric Gillies	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I'd like to see a mirroring of the UK Government's language in the question, ie "Should Scotland be a sovereign, independent country?".
860	54511458	Frances Carney	Individual	Individual	This is fine but better security for votes in transit	No Answered	Remove House of Lords right to vote
861	109057274	Lucky Isah	Individual	Individual	I believe the arrangements are adequate.	I believe the changes are effective and required.	No response.
862	159835197	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I would like a new referendum and would vote Yes, not because I want to be separate from the rest of the UK but because I do not want to leave the EU.
863	561059888	Ian MacFadyen	Individual	Individual	I believe that a future Referendum like the last, will be of huge significance to our neighbouring countries security services, long before we even consider the security of the count for ourselves. We must therefore treat each voter's ballot paper with the high value that it deserves, and ensure the Scottish Government leaves no stone unturned when considering how to protect each person's vote, for some people their choice on a ballot paper, is the only thing of value that they have left in life. \rWith this in mind I propose that the Scottish Government take some measures to fraud-proof the vote. For example:\r 1. Stricter rules around, or abolition of postal voting. There are many reports i.e the Argyle area, of the numbers submitted by post, where it was unlikely, that so many would have chosen to vote by post.\r2. All counting done via dual verification, however long it takes, I believe we have to dispense with our microwave way of thinking during this Referendum and devise a fool-proof method of voting, however long the result takes, it's that important, we could even export the idea when it proves successful.\r3. Independent trusted overseas observers, local councillors to accompany ballot boxes to counting station.\r4. Cancelling the contract with IDOX, whatever the cost, people may complain at the loss of revenue, but the Scottish Government will gain peoples confidence, by being seen to take every precaution in ensuring a fair vote. There is an awareness by many that a Yes vote would not suit the corridors of power in our neighbouring country, and although we as a country would never meddle in another countries free choice, the same cannot be said for certain other's. \r5. Investigate why the Local Electoral Registration offices are sending out numerous "check details" cards out to voters, even when the voter has returned their card. It says on each card that if not returned, the eligibility to vote is lost, which could cause doubt, and dissuade people from casting their vote on the day.\rThere needs to be a cut-off date, set well in advance of the vote, so that all voters can be registered, and checked well before the Referendum. No-one should be able to register after this date, and voters should be resident officially 3 months at least prior to qualify to vote. We cannot depend on fair play in this Referendum, the reasons why are there to see, in that case we have to make the security of this vote of the highest priority.\r6. While we are thinking about delivering a Referendum, the BBC is already busy being the NO campaign's mouthpiece, and will be until the vote. I had a discussion with a group of friends the other day, they voiced a positive response towards Scotland needing to be Independent. The next day, after a continuous barrage of negative spin on the news, the night previously, an opinion was offered and every person in that group, had changed their minds, quoting leaving a Referendum till after Brexit or not at all. This is the Elephant in the room, and we need to devise our own counter measures, continuous, intelligent, billboard advertising may help. When people drive to work, even hearing positive interviews with Yes friendly speakers on radio would change the tone in many workplaces. \r7. I know Politicians are very busy people and that your opposition will seek to keep you busy on less important matters, but I would say you need to let the opposition demand all they want, and do the opposite during the Referendum campaign, as it's all a diversionary tactic, you need to get speaking engagements anywhere you can, people will forgive you for not keeping an eye on hospital waiting times, for we have a far more important issue at stake for now, the conducting of a fair vote to win our country what we deserve, freedom.	No Answered	I don't agree with allowing H.M Forces personnel to vote in a Scottish Referendum, as they have a conflict of interest. Having served for 14 years myself, I was not allowed to vote in G.E, because you are sworn to protect the government in power of the Queen. The decision to allow H.M Forces the vote, could be seen as naïve as this could leave the vote wide open to another nation's security services.
864	89078429	Brian	Individual	Individual	Mostly satisfied with this, although the counting procedures could be clarified. Essentially what I'm talking about is, the various YouTube videos that surfaced after the counting process in which "wrong-doings" were apparently exposed. I'm not going to say that I believe anything untoward actually happened but clear definitions of what the full process involves would be to the benefit of all.	I am satisfied with this.	I am satisfied with this.
865	230045047	Nicholas Smith	Individual	Individual	I think there should be a maximum voting age just as there is a minimum and for the same reasons. Maximum voting age should be set at # years less than the highest (female) average life expectancy. Or at least that there should be a vote weighting system. People age 80+ are unlikely to actually experience the change they vote on and are likely to be affected least if they do.	I agree, all citizens should be allowed to vote if they are resident in Scotland. Effort should be made to ensure that holiday homes etc are not able to be used as a temporary registration. There should be a minimum time limit for registration some # months registered as residing at an address in Scotland preceeding the Referendum.	Only funds raised directly within Scotland should be eligible.
866	160045294	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These arrangements appear fair.	These changes appear logical.	These changes appear logical
867	68054386	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements for managing the referendum are unnecessary as there has been no 'material change' in circumstances, as Scotland would have been out of the EU anyway if the vote had been a 'yes' in 2014. So a re-run of the referendum is not required.	None - see Q1.	None - see Q1.
868	279834405	Paul Laidlaw	Individual	Individual	Happy with these arrangements	Happy with these arrangements	Happy with these arrangements
869	607388825	Graham Flannigan	Individual	Individual	Bring forward the outdated proposed bill about woman who deliberately cut harmless loving dad's out their kids life's. This is a form of mental abuse and it very well does cross into physical abuse when the dad's have been used to having some sort of control of all things in their life, and by woman doing this when the father feels he has no control x when he had been through 4 different lawyers and then for to be knocked back legal aid because according to the board, there hasn't been 3enough correspondence between mum and dad, bit it's mim that's not entertaining the lawyers letters and is the one ignoring the father, has the father to be around the mother home when he's been told not to approach her home, so he sends of 4 appeals, and guess what knocked back again, with the exact same reason, there hasn't been enough correspondence between mum and dad, so with no were else to turn the pain and stress is robbing him of hos own life, he has no motivation, he has no self respect, he becomes a down and out, he constantly thinks about death, it's a very hard world to live in like that when everyone is about woman's rights and all equal for woman, that's fair enough but what about the guy who hung himself last week coz all he wants to do is love his children but his mum says no, and that's the end of it, how can she just say no then that's how it goes, 3 funerals I could have been to this month if the guys succeeded in what they were trying to do just because mum can't let the kids go over for a few hrs, it's a disgrace	The polling was a disgrace, everyone thought it was rigged even some no voters,	Don't no much tbh
870	301953333	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Yes	Yes	Yes
871	622710695	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No more referendum	No more referendum	No more referendum
872	1006932953	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It caused so much bad feeling the last time that I feel it would be unfair to put the country through it again. Having it so soon is an insult to the people that won the vote last time. Would we have had chance to vote again if the decision went the other way? No, I don't think so! I also voted to get out of the European Parliament and don't want to re enter!	I feel the age of voting is set at 18 for a reason, I don't feel that people under that age know enough to vote, they can quite often just follow the crowd. I had children under 18 and over and could tell the difference in their maturity for voting with an informed mind.	This seems reasonable
873	862484819	Patricia Spencer	Individual	Individual	Aware that a number of irregularities were reported following the 2014 Referendum and I have concerns that a rigourous quality control process was not in place. This must be guaranteed both from an internal and independent perspective with international observers being active throughout each stage.	No Answered	Tightens up procedures which is an absolute must.
874	567761989	Tracey Shaw	Individual	Individual	Need impartial observers from outwith UK	No Answered	Need impartial observers from outwith UK
875	446339459	clive thomson	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There should be no postal votes allowed.\rThe count should be supervised closely by independent neutral bodies.\rThe ballot boxes should be transported in secured non public vehicles.
876	986991503	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	the rules regarding management and regulation of the referendum and the\rfranchise are likely as before to ensure that the conduct of the referendum will yet again meet the highest standards of fairness, transparency and propriety.	good idea to ensure returning officers cannot knowingly\rappoint polling or count staff who have been involved in campaigning. Useful too to have 100% checking of postal votes identifiers	N/A
877	900584343	fiona savage	Individual	Individual	the poll and the count will be managed in the same way as for elections, by local returning officers (designated for the referendum as “counting officers”) directed by a Chief Counting Officer	I dont understand enough about this and see what alternatives might be	this seems ok
878	634438050	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no problems in this being managed as noted.	I totally disagree with EU and Irish citizens having a vote. It should be only for UK and Commonwealth citizens resident in Scotland. Allowing the others a vote will skew it totally in favour of remaining in Europe.\r It would be RIGGED! \r Postal voting should only be allowed on doctors line or having shown proof (such as travel agents receipt to ensure voting not done by, say, the head of a family. All should have the right to make their own choice. Helps reduce fraud also.	Paragraph 3A.\r Obscene/illegal rightly should not be allowed.\r I am concerned about 'offensive', as this becomes an opinion then. Free speech allows the right to offend. As long as not obscene or illegal, 'get over it.'
879	792733896	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There needs to be independent international monitoring of all aspects of the referendum, including the campaign, postal voting, the poll and count itself. I do not trust in the impartiality of a UK organisation to oversee the process and feel it makes sense to have an official international arbiter responsible for maintaining fairness. This referendum needs to be fair and to be seen to be fair.	No Answered	For transparency, the postal votes should be counted and recorded separately to other votes. There should be turnout figures available for postal votes.\rSecond home owners who are mainly resident outwith Scotland should not be allowed a vote
880	297852784	Sean Robert Lauder McBride	Individual	Individual	I have strong concerns over MI5 involvement with our next referendum. We won a yes vote on 79 and we're denied freedom by Westminster.\r In 2014 I have no doubt that David Cameron knew he could get a jo vote by forcing the referendum onto us. upon realising that it may be a yes, I'm sure he made some calls to sort out our postal vote.\r Ruth Davidson telling the nation that she has seen them days prior to the vote tells you everything you need to know about the Tories.\r in 2014 our vote was illegal. Not our process, bit all three big parties at Westminster got involved with 2 weeks to go and started promising lies that never happened. Changing the deal of what your voting for, weeks after many people had already posted their vote is illegal.	Electing counting staff process reads well but last election we had candidates sons counting in areas, so it is difficult to keep on top of.\r I firmly believe that younger voters are good. Gets then involved earlier in life and making a decision on their future. \r At the risk of sounding ageist, our elderly population is going up which will naturally create a solid block of 'set I way' voters. I don't think that that is fair when discussing the future of our nation. So it's good to see 16/17 year-olds getting involved.\r I also believe that any person living and working on Scotland should have the right to vote as they are ultimately shaping Scotland's future just by being here, so should have a say here to.	Reads fine.
881	539847342	Kenneth Abbott	Individual	Individual	We need independent counters so as there is no question of interference wih the count	That seems a better control but I think the thing on most peoples mind is the postal fraud.	that seems ok
882	769237191	Ian Garvie	Individual	Individual	1. Eligibility should be for those over 16.\r2. No postal votes should be allowed, and if they have to be, should be kept in Scotland and only opened on the night of the count.\r3. No sampling of the postal votes should be allowed.\r4. Any breaches of the rules should lead to criminal prosecution.\r5. Supervision of the count should be overlooked by independent bodies, i.e. members of other governments with in the EU.\r6. No input, supervision should be allowed from south of the border.\r7. No breaches of the purdah rules should be allowed.	1. the count has to be overseen by independent people, not related in anyway to westminster or English constituencies.	1. The electoral commision should be disbarred from having any input/control of the election/count.2.\r2. An international body from within the EU should take the place of the electoral commission.
883	245634720	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My views are based on the many irregularities identified during the last indy referendum eg Ruth Davidson having prior knowledge of expected results through the postal voting system. To sum up, Who is responsible for those who are legally viewed as responsible? I like many others would welcome an independent country verifying the poll count.	Seems to encompass everyone it should.	Again the changes to procedures will hopefully close doors and loopholes that were made evident in the 2014 referendum.
884	771389427	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum except for 2 points: \r1. There has been major confusion by the Electoral Commission following the 2014 referendum where thousands of people lost their right to vote having been taken off the register. I understand this is because they have changed the voting system but I, and many others, are experiencing extreme incompetence regarding this issue. I have been sent letters 3 times to register despite having registered online twice. My partner, who has not completed the new online form to register to vote, is getting letters in his name at our address, obviously they know he lives there so why can't they automatically continue his right to vote. I am afraid that many disenfranchised people who were encouraged to register have now been taken off and will not go back on. This is a serious issue. \r2. The process has to be better managed. There were numerous reports of dodgy dealings at polling stations from incorrect ballots (not barcoded), photocopied completed ballots, reports of vans driving off without having sealed the boxes, and dumped ballots. This has to be sorted out.	No Answered	Happy with this.
885	710399833	Henry Gibson	Individual	Individual	No comment	These proposals disenfranchise all Scots living and working abroad.	No comment
886	104234861	alex thomson	Individual	Individual	Should go ahead after Brexit negotiations are completed	Should be supervised by an international organisation such as the UN.	Fine.
887	302612795	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe there should be another referendum.	I do not believe there should be another referendum therefore I have no views on this subject.	I do not believe there should be another referendum - therefore I have no views on this subject.
888	49609637	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the way the previous referendum was conducted	No Answered	i agree that it is important that everyone who lives in Scotland has a say.
889	111642695	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel that given the amount of speculation about the possibility of rigging in the previous referendum, there has to be independent oversight of the whole process. As the referendum is in Scotland the count should also be in Scotland.	Postal votes still carries the greatest security risk and as such the request for a postal vote has to come under greater scrutiny and other avenues must be explored before than postal vote is allowed. Counting officers should be totally independent, possibly appointed by the UN.	seems ok
890	272312525	Zack Lister	Individual	Individual	Scotland should have the right to hold a new referendum as Scotland no longer shares the same political views and does not have a big enough say in parliament and all the English government did to was is lie to the Scottish people and prey on the vulnerable and the scared during the first referendum.	No Answered	More security in polling offices, cctv in transport vehicles and morr people watching those who are counting with cctv to make sure a fire alarm doesnt go off for no reason.
891	1048964428	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm happy with the current arrangements	I'm happy with the arrangements for casting postal votes - with the proviso that the count of postal the votes should remain confidential until the appropriate time	I'm happy with the proposed amendments
892	874707938	Allan petrie	Individual	Individual	There should be a mechanism in place to prevent those who have holiday homes in Scotland from registering this home as their main residence just to obtain a vote in the referendum.	16 and 17 year old son should be automatically registered through school roles	Only those eligible to vote can take part in the campaign thereby preventing the outside interference of the project fear campaign. \r It should also be an offence to campaign on a promise that will not be implemented
893	391952449	Colin Johnson	Individual	Individual	My only view is that there should not be another referendum	My only view is that there should not be another referendum	My only view is that there should not be another referendum
894	447515392	Lorraine	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I believe the government should concentrate on running Scotland instead of worrying about another referendum. If they do this they in effect are saying to all those who voted in 2014 that they are not willing to respect the majority of those who voted. \rPlease don't waste more time or money on this. I believe doing this would result in people losing faith in the Scottish government.
895	732363694	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This seems OK, but I think there should be a minimum turnout required.\r I can't find the question about whether I agree there should be a referendum AT ALL.	there should be a minimum turnout required	OK
896	314323936	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements are satisfactory albeit an unnecessary use of scarce public resources at a time when public services are overstretched and underfunded	I believe only those registered to vote in Scotland and aged 18 or over should be eligible to vote	No firm views
897	843443686	Douglas Norrie	Individual	No Answered	Individual	Polling and count arrangements should be made to be as close to completely fair and accurate as possible. When will pencils be replaced with pens in polling booths? I can't fill out any other official forms in pencil for good reason. It's farcical.	16 and 17 year olds should be allowed to vote, and it was disgraceful that EU citizens were allowed to vote in the indyref and not in the Brexit referendum. I would fully expect most EU nationals to vote for Scottish Independence in the event of indyref 2 as they were lied to regarding the EU by Westminster and the press last time round.
898	480128233	Tom Berwick	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements.	Every effort should be made to implement the proposed changes.	I agree with the proposals.
899	661677185	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The rules should be the same as a general election. Only UK citizens should be allowed to vote.	This is a Scottish vote and no EU citizens should be allowed to vote. The SNP have been playing the EU for a favourable vote.	None
900	803656432	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am in favour of these arrangements	No Answered	In agreement with these arrangements
901	298596552	Angel Selmani	Individual	Individual	I have concerns about potential for votes to be rigged. I have concerns about English people who have second home or holiday home being allowed to vote. I have concerns that many English retirees do not have any interest in Scotland's future. I have concerns about private companies handle the counting of votes being linked to Tory party.	I don't know what to say except that the number of voters who are British but not born in Scotland should not be allowed to vote if they have never worked in Scotland, i.e. retirees.	don't know
902	636863789	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A waste of public money. The cost of the last referendum could have been spent rescuing our ailing NHS. How can the Scottish Government justify spending such a huge amount of funds out of the public purse when the views of the people were clear. We do not want Independence from the rest of the British Isles.	No issues with proposed changes but totally disagree with another referendum ..money should not be wasted on this. The British government listened to the voice of the voting public how come the Scottish government don't ... is it because they disagree with the result? Rather immature behaviour to play the game again if you don't win!	Appropriate but not required as a repeat referendum should not take place. The people of Scotland cast their vote and the result was loud and clear!
903	8622795	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Referendum is required.\r If the Scottish National Party wants to put the idea forward they should hold a general election with a clear mandate for an independence referendum. \r If elected then they could discuss how to manage it.	It should be a clear first past the post vote,as per the last one.	Only those residing in Scotland should be allowed to vote.
904	883390185	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Referendum is required\r If the SNP want a second referendum they should hold a general election with a second referendum as a mandate\r Then they could discuss the arrangements for managing it	They should remain the same as the previous referendum	Only residents of Scotland should be allowed to vote, there should be no changes
905	498705447	Gill Greenshields	Individual	Individual	I have no concerns about this and agree with the consultation	I completely agree.	I agree. With this part of the consultation.
906	409382684	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Glad that no special arrangements are being made.	Positive changes	No comment
907	711255004	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Content with the proposed arrangements	All Scots should be allowed be vote, even non-residents. Especially those resident in the rest of the UK.	All Scots should be allowed be vote, even non-residents. Especially those resident in the rest of the UK.
908	858159275	Calum Carlyle	Individual	Individual	There were SERIOUS issues with the 2014 referendum, not just at the counts, but at several stages of the process. Leaving the procedure to the Electoral Commission was a huge mistake, as was the way international observers were treated as a casual afterthought. \r Main issues might include the fact that ballot box seals were unnumbered and not checked, as wrll as the use of the UK postal vote system, which has been shown in court to be flaws for many years, as well as the practice of ballot boxes being escorted to counts by lone drivers. \r Another potential issue was the many blank backed ballots which Ms Pitcaithly assured us would be counted anyway. That's all wrll and good but it does mean an unimaginable of duplicated ballot papers with nothing on the back could have been added or substituted to the real ballots, and would, as she said, have been counted anyway. \r My further thoughts here:\rRedacted text	Residency should, imho, be the key to eligibility, I agree. However many Scots living abroad do so in part because Scotland cannot offer them appropriate opportunities, which is a situation I believe would change under Scottish independence. It's difficult to argue that this alone should allow expats to vote in an independence referendum, however. \r Another concern I have is that residents of Scotland from the USA and several other countries did not get to vote in 2014. That seems to me to be a loophole in the "residency" idea. Should those people not be allowed to vote too?	My only thoughts on this are that unless each side of the campaign has equivalent spending limits, then the campaign itself is biased. In practice I doubt that will be applied. As far as donors are concerned I'd urge full disclosure even knowing the sort of personal gutter attacks this is likely to prompt in the popular media.
909	61214655	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with these.	Suggestions\r 1/.I would like to see all votes counted in Scotland including postal votes.\r2/.Polling and counting overseen by international observers\r3/.An exit poll conducted.	Happy with these.
910	167494903	Mary Sinclair	Individual	Individual	In the last referendum there seemed to be a lot of suspicions that the security was not as tight as it could have been. In the event of a second referendum, I hope that the security will be tightened up both at the polling stations, transporting of the boxes and at the counting stations.	I am glad to see that the citizens of EU countries who live in Scotland get a vote as it affects them as much as anyone.\r The changes to the checking of postal votes are pleasing. Tje personal identifiers should be checked for every one.\r I like the fact that the verification statement should confirm the number of ballots counted equal the numbers recorded.\r Could I also suggest and exit poll at the polling stations?	Fine
911	446089801	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Need to have an airtight system in place, with staff at polling stations. The parliamentary elections had way more stringent checks at the polling station than the referendum in 2014 had. The difference was very noticeable!\r Why not an exit poll?!!	Agree these proposed changes urgently need to be implemented. \r Us voters must have confidence in the system.	Requiring a signature should be mandatory.
912	930500947	David bruce	Individual	Individual	satisfactory	satisfactory	ok
913	907043091	Aileen Innes	Individual	Individual	Clear and concise	Government need to ensure that the voter categories are carefully monitored.I think holiday owners not permanently resident in the country should not be able to vote. I think there were abuses around this by some during the last referendum.I think a 6 month residency should be included for those entitled to vote unless in a profession such as the armed services.	Clear and concise
914	276362866	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Totally disagree with this waste of money. While I agree that Scotland is better off in Europe, being outside will cost us less than being outside the UK.	Diasgree totally as many non UK resdients (of not long standing residence!) got to vote. Many of them were voting on a whim rather than well though out decisions. As several said to me if Scotland goes independant and it goes wrong, I can go back to my home country! This option is not open to Scottish residents, nor is it open to many friends and relatives who are currently based in England but are likely to return in the next few years but WOULD NOT GET A VOTE even though they are born Scottish.	I do not agree with any donors supporting any political view. This is buying votes and cannot be declared democratic as it is based don the biggest pocket.
915	67151057	Andrew Morton	Individual	Individual	I believe that arrangements for Postal Voting should be much more tightly controlled. The present arrangements appear to be wide open to fraud and there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that whole households who do not reside in Scotland used postal votes in the previous referendum. Postal votes should only. be granted where you can prove you are a permanent resident and that you have a valid reason for not voting in person.	See my comments above. In addition, any person, regardless of nationality, should be able to vote if they have been fully resident for three years.	No comment.
916	723313930	Jean Price	Individual	Individual	I am in agreement with this arrangement	I am in agreement with this arrangement	I am in agreement with this
917	592544130	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposals for organising and managing another referendum are fine But I don't think it should happen!	Fine But I DON'T THINK THERE SHOULD BE ANOTHER REFERENDUM.	Ok But I DON'T THINK THERE SHOULD BE ANOTHER REFERENDUM.
918	188438765	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No views on the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum. At a complete loss as to why the SNP wants to take us down this route again. I am trying to understand how the First Minister will not respect the view of one referendum (independence) but is staking everything on Scotland voting to remain in the EU - hanging her hat on the results of another - the EU referendum was based on the UK as a whole and not just Scotland - and as Scotland voted to remain part of the UK, we should respect the decision of the majority of the UK. What a pity the SNP doesn't concentrate on the task of addressing our appalling NHS (and their failure to meet all their targets) and improving the economic prospects of Scotland (which are the worst of the union - despite being in the EU). Concentrate on your day job Mrs Sturgeon - not your individual dream!	No views on proposed technical changes. At a complete loss as to why the SNP wants to take us down this route again. I am trying to understand how the First Minister will not respect the view of one referendum (independence) but is staking everything on Scotland voting to remain in the EU - hanging her hat on the results of another - the EU referendum was based on the UK as a whole and not just Scotland - and as Scotland voted to remain part of the UK, we should respect the decision of the majority of the UK. What a pity the SNP doesn't concentrate on the task of addressing our appalling NHS (and their failure to meet all their targets) and improving the economic prospects of Scotland (which are the worst of the union - despite being in the EU). Concentrate on your day job Mrs Sturgeon - not your individual dream!	No views on proposed changes but At a complete loss as to why the SNP wants to take us down this route again. I am trying to understand how the First Minister will not respect the view of one referendum (independence) but is staking everything on Scotland voting to remain in the EU - hanging her hat on the results of another - the EU referendum was based on the UK as a whole and not just Scotland - and as Scotland voted to remain part of the UK, we should respect the decision of the majority of the UK. What a pity the SNP doesn't concentrate on the task of addressing our appalling NHS (and their failure to meet all their targets) and improving the economic prospects of Scotland (which are the worst of the union - despite being in the EU). Concentrate on your day job Mrs Sturgeon - not your individual dream!
919	94509798	Aileen Mcniven	Individual	Individual	Acceptable and appropriate	Agreed with above views	Agreed
920	1043883828	William Raymond Walker	Individual	Individual	I trust the Scottish Government to manage the referendum,as long as their isn't an outside agency dealing with the count.	Fine	Fine
921	566042126	William Hunter	Individual	Individual	Recently the information that a Tory MP was part of the electoral commission is worrying. I would hope for stricter controls with the counting, especially the postal votes.	I'm in agreement.	I'm in agreement.\rHowever, lies being told during campaigning should be punishable by law.
922	320660120	Paul Duguid	Individual	Individual	1) The 2014 referendum was neither fair nor transparent.\r2) Exit polls MUST be taken at every polling station.\r3) Postal votes should only be agreed for health/medical reasons and MUST remain in Scotland to be counted.\r4) The Electoral Commission aren't exactly a bastion of truth and honesty. See tory spending irregularities during 2015 GE for further details.\r5) EU and or other nations should be asked to supply independent observers in order to monitor every single polling station.\r6) The electorate should be informed of exactly what their ballot papers will look like, I can testify myself that my wife and I did not have barcodes on ours in 2014.	No Answered	"British citizens resident in Scotland" was a useful way for the more monied from England and elsewhere with holiday homes here to use their vote against Scotland. Why not have a requirement of "sole residence" or "continuous employment in Scotland for 12 or more months"?
923	764462775	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There was a major problem with the 2014 referendum and for that mater the BREXIT one as well. Neither had turnout thresholds which meant that a major change could occur without more than 50% of registered voters wanting it and in the case of the BREXIT vote that's exactly what happened. As a minimum it should be 50% +1 of the registered voters voting for the change before it can be allowed to happen and I would argue higher than that to minimise the divisions they can cause in society.	Limiting the vote only to residents is potentially denying many Scots outwith Scotland a say on the future of their homeland. Many may simply not be in Scotland due to work that has taken them out of the country but they have every intention of returning.	No problems with the changes.
924	1007987963	Frann Leach	Individual	Individual	I think it's vital that amendments to the first referendum procedures are put in place: \r(a) we need international observers at all the counts and to accompany the transfer of the voting boxes to the counting centres. They should ensure that all boxes are sealed in the way laid down by law, rather than left unsealed as was the instruction, mostly followed, at the last indyref.\r(b) there should be exit polls as a cross-reference to help bolster the validity of the vote.	A way should be found of eliminating postal votes by people who have moved out of Scotland but retained residence purely for the purpose of voting. There was at least one person boasting that they lived in England but would be voting No in the referendum, and posting photographs of themselves mailing their vote on social media. Only people who are eg. disabled, in hospital or on holiday on the date of the referendum should be eligible for a postal vote.	Funding from abroad is not allowed under the existing rules, I understand. In the case of a Scottish referendum, this should surely exclude donations from persons and organizations based outside Scotland.
925	806441012	Chris Darroch	Individual	Individual	I think that he proposals to run the referendum along very similar lines to the first do not introduce the degree of trust that voters deserve.\r I think that the postal voting system is deeply flawed in this respect as it allows for fraudulent opportunity, as stated by QC Jonathan Mitchell here at point 3\r https://modern.scot/grounds-for-judicial-review/\r My suggestion to counter this issue and generate greater confidence in voters, would be to use systems in place in the continent. \r To have the referendum on a weekend or public holiday to allow many who would require a postal vote some help from friends, relatives, neighbours etc,to physically attend the polling station.\r For those who are truly incapacitated or cannot attend; a system of mobile collection could be used.\r In general, I think that to imbue much greater confidence, we should reduce postal voting to a bare minimum if at all, using these outlined methods.\r My second concern is the relative bottleneck, in terms of fraud opportunity, presented by centralised counting. For confidence that no manipulation of figures or otherwise could be carried out at these relatively vulnerable bottlenecks, I would again propose methods used on the continent, where ballot boxes do not leave polling stations. They remain there to be opened and counted in front of party representatives and possibly other witnesses.\r Both of the arrangements outlined here, would be cheap and would certainly alleviate large scale fraud opportunity. This is not a matter of conspiracy theory but a matter of voter confidence. A better system, done cheaply like this, would imbue greater confidence in the veracity of the result.	No Answered	Refer to my answer in part one.
926	237048342	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	With regard to Eligibility To Vote, \rWhat measures are in place to protect Scotland from a mass invasion from the rest of the UK,where people temporarily rent properties in Scotland only for the purposes of swinging the result, by means of claiming Scottish residency for tactical voting purposes?
927	994107764	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Do not agree arrangements and management of 2014 referendum where transparent! Question over postal votes being tampered with yet to be addressed! Thousands of voters stating handed ballot papers with blank backs i.e. no barcode nor local authority id, reports ignored! Ballot papers found in a council office, others found in a bin, whistleblowers arrested for handing them in, though no charges to answer as all evidence conveniently lost! Witnesses at count making claim of no # being recorded for ballot boxes and being told it doesn't matter! Photo evidence of ballot boxes being transported in boot of private car with only the driver! Being told month before count our ballot boxes where travelling to count by helicopter, but actually where transported by boat - reason given weather forecast on Thur morning indicated may not be suitable for helicopter, sounds feasible until discover the boat to transport in its place was brought over on the Wednesday evening, over 12 hours before that weather forecast! \rPlease no crazy statement this time round that the result will be accepted no matter what. Also we need to make sure there are Exit Polls and preferably International observers and postal votes must NOT leave Scotland.	No Answered	Add trackers on ballot boxes.\rWe need to do all we can to make the ballot process as secure as possible!
928	935410106	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not feel that the SNP or the Scottish Government are listening to the public with regard to the 2014 vote. I voted yes to independence however I would not vote yes again. I vote to leave the EU due to the problems associated with bureaucracy and EU Human rights. This stops the UK and Scotland from making and enforcing their own laws. How would Scotland afford the cost of membership and we WILL have to take on the Euro after a defined time... Failure to take the Euro as the currency will be a breach of the EU rules. People do not want the Euro. Europe will also prevent international trade with the rest of the commonwealth which it is already preventing the UK from doing. The money being spent on this useless endeavour could be much better spent on public services. Listen to the people of Scotland for once! We already said No in 2014 and over 1 million people in Scotland voted to leave the EU.	I do not feel that the SNP or the Scottish Government are listening to the public with regard to the 2014 vote. I voted yes to independence however I would not vote yes again. I vote to leave the EU due to the problems associated with bureaucracy and EU Human rights. This stops the UK and Scotland from making and enforcing their own laws. How would Scotland afford the cost of membership and we WILL have to take on the Euro after a defined time... Failure to take the Euro as the currency will be a breach of the EU rules. People do not want the Euro. Europe will also prevent international trade with the rest of the commonwealth which it is already preventing the UK from doing. The money being spent on this useless endeavour could be much better spent on public services. Listen to the people of Scotland for once! We already said No in 2014 and over 1 million people in Scotland voted to leave the EU.	I do not feel that the SNP or the Scottish Government are listening to the public with regard to the 2014 vote. I voted yes to independence however I would not vote yes again. I vote to leave the EU due to the problems associated with bureaucracy and EU Human rights. This stops the UK and Scotland from making and enforcing their own laws. How would Scotland afford the cost of membership and we WILL have to take on the Euro after a defined time... Failure to take the Euro as the currency will be a breach of the EU rules. People do not want the Euro. Europe will also prevent international trade with the rest of the commonwealth which it is already preventing the UK from doing. The money being spent on this useless endeavour could be much better spent on public services. Listen to the people of Scotland for once! We already said No in 2014 and over 1 million people in Scotland voted to leave the EU.
929	510317934	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Why is the Scottish Government not honouring the decision made only just over two years ago by the Scottish people to stay part of the UK?\r If we have to proceed with this undemocratic farce, the question should be: Should Scotland remain part of the UK? Yes or No.	I'm sure the SNP will have engineered this to suit themselves.	See previous comment
930	867965861	Julie Blakley	Individual	Individual	I believe the way voting was done last time opened the vote up to fraud. I believe invalid ballots were distributed last time, and postal ballots were sent to England and opened before it was time. I think each polling station should be monitored and that ballot boxes should be sealed with numbered seals and that more than one person should be present when boxes are taken to be counted. In the Highlands, the Highland Council admitted that ballot boxes were not sealed and people were saying boxes were transported on public transportation and in private vehicles with only one person present. I also think there should be exit polls and that counting should be monitored by an independent outside source. I also think postal ballots should not be used. I also think there should be legal and financial penalties placed on area governments where rules are not followed.	I don't believe postal ballots should be used at all and I certainly don't think they should be sent to England and be allowed to be sampled before they are supposed to be opened as Ruth Davidson had knowledge of in the first indyref. If postal ballots are to be used, they should remain in Scotland and be guarded by an outside group that has no personal interest in the outcome.	I have no views on this.
931	954166926	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a second referendum in the first place. It is not this will of 'the people of Scotland'- it is the personal crusade of the SNP. Where is there evidence that a second referendum is the will of the people of Scotland? You have no right to spend this money. Why would anyone want to break up the UK? (Not everyone wanted to stay in the EU either so you cannot say that you speak for the people of Scotland there either). We wanted honesty and integrity - The Scottish Government clearly do not reflect this and some of us who initially voted for them are very sorry that we did. It is self-serving and calculating.	Citizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in\rScotland should not be given a vote: totally unfair.\r(Nobody ever consulted us on whether children age 16 or 17 should be given the vote and many people think this too is completely wrong). \r Nobody was asked either for approval for the university fees to be paid for EU citizens but not for English people - this is racist!	These proposals are not made clear enough for the general public - perhaps this is the intention?
932	319401643	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No referendum required	Do not want another refarendum	Still no referendum required
933	907370008	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	There has to be tighter controls over the postal ballot. These ballots should not leave Scotland and have to be kept securely.
934	244795496	carol mundie	Individual	Individual	I would like for the question of independence to be straightforward do you agree to independence or not	I think this is ok.	this seems ok
935	609185916	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There should not be another referendum at this time, it is the last thing Scotland needs. Whether we like it or not the economic case for independence is worse than it was 2 years ago and none of the unanswered economic questions of 2014 have been answered. Scotland needs stability right now so all of us can focus on the problems we are facing, focus on that not a referendum which will take all effort away from these things and which will stop business from investing in Scotland. Let's make Scotland better first. If further down the line a referendum is to be held it should be done on the basis of knowing that Scotland is in a good place economically. When that happens:\r1. The questions should not be "Yes" or "No" but "remain in the UK" or "leave the UK".\r2. The vote should be open to Scots living elsewhere in the UK. My son has had to go to England to get a job this year, he would prefer to be working in Scotland and would come back - why shouldn't he have a say?\r3. The % vote required for leaving the UK should be 60%, not 1 vote more than 50%. If the country is to make such a huge decision then we should do it in the knowledge that a clear majority have voted for it otherwise we will have decades of split and rancour.
936	76896185	Alan Smith	Individual	Individual	All polling stations to be manned with observers, no ballot boxes to leave Scotland, exit polls conducted at all polling stations	All eligible votes to be included	Happy to go with this point
937	837259644	Chris Geddes-McEwen	Individual	Individual	I have absolutely no problem with these arrangements.	I think it is important that anyone who of voting age and who would be affected by any changed as a result of the vote has an opportunity to have their say; I believe that these arrangements take into account this fact.	I have no problem with this.
938	380881012	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No referendum required. Had your chance 2 year ago. It was a 1 of ballot. which was stated by both parties. Accept this, also that we are leaving the EU. Do your job and manage the country.	No comment.	Ru8bbish
939	523826046	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Comment: I was born, brought up and educated to degree level in Scotland. I have worked in England thereafter, but spend much of my non-work time in Scotland, and may shortly be returning in retirement.\r My UK taxes include support for government expenditures in Scotland.\r The franchise needs to be extended to include Scots like myself. \r There would be cost associated with this, but an internet based application process would seem to be appropriate.
940	919755611	Colin Morris	Individual	Individual	I'm totally against any referendum. We were told in 2014 it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. The first minister is not respecting the will of the majority of Scottish people.	The SNP shouldn't be allowed to pick and choose who votes.	Again the SNP shouldn't be allowed to pick and choose who votes.
941	499004213	Derek Grierson	Individual	Individual	I would recommend mandatory exit polls as a minimum, given the suspected amount of voting malfeasance apparently practised last time round. I am particularly suspicious of the postal vote, and would like reassurance that this form of voting would be monitored to level rendering it beyond reproach. It might be an idea welcomed to both sides of the debate to have the process monitored by UN observers, as they have no stake in the outcome.	These seem adequate and fair.	I have nothing to add to this.
942	102800398	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The last referendum was open to various places for fraud and we need a more robust way of dealing with the count next time around. Many things lead me to believe that this happened and would like a more international way of someone over seeing this than UK and Scottish governments.	Postal Voting should only be offered to people who desperately need it as again this is an area that seems to be open to fraud!	I think that the only people that should put money into campaigning are the people who will be directly affected by the referendum. No outside international funding from big businesses unless they have a major base here in Scotland.
943	152716959	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals for management and regulation of the referendum.	I agree with the proposed entitlement to vote categories, but would advocate that Scottish born people resident outside of Scotland be eligible for postal vote.	I agree with the proposed arrangements re permissible participants.
944	1007576544	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have some specific comments on the proposed arrangements. However, I have strong objection to the contextual statement provided in the Foreword to the Consultation paper: i.e. that the reason that the Scottish Government is publishing the bill for consultation now is that the recent 'Brexit' situation demands it. I see now evidence of a 'wider democratic deficit' as mentioned, given that all adults across the UK were able to exercise their right to vote. If, in any Scotland-wide referendum, one constituent part or parts did not vote in favour of Scottish independence, would this Government find it acceptable for that part or parts to declare that there had been a democratic 'deficit'? Therefore, and taking into account my personal views on the last Scottish referendum, which was to be 'once in a generation', I do not support the need for this bill at this time.	No comments.	No comments.
945	155151479	Lachlan Mackay	Individual	Individual	I am opposed to another referendum. Like the majority of Scots, I am happy to remain part of the United Kingdom.	I am opposed to citizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland being allowed to vote in the referendum. This is a matter only for the Scottish people. Your proposal is a transparent attempt to manipulate the result.\rI am also opposed to allowing 16- and 17-year olds to vote in the referendum. They do not have the maturity to make a decision of this gravity. Here too, your proposal is a transparent attempt to manipulate the result and undermines genuine democracy.	No position
946	191270158	Ian Lowe	Individual	Individual	The electoral commission did not police funding matters appropriately; they did not act until after the election was complete, by which time, it was too late. They have not acted against cases of electoral fraud by Tories in GE2015. \r A body should be capable of intervening in election funding matters - as they are happening, and before the outcome is set.	This is a problem waiting to happen. Postal Votes are incredibly open to fraud - and there were widespread social media campaigns by the No side to get people who were not resident in Scotland, and should not have been eligible to secure postal votes.\r If they cannot be retricted fully, can there be a cross-check against SRIT records, ensuring that people who declare themselves resident outside of Scotland for tax purposes are not able to magically be "inside" again when it comes to voting.	There needs to be stronger protection to ensure that participants have to declare interests and relationships (business and other) with other participants.\r It is clear from fundraising happening at the moment that "scotland in union" for instance, is soliciting a great deal of money - considerably more than would be allowed for a participant under 2014 rules. Something must be put in place to prevent them from proxy spending through sock puppet groups.
947	544901	Ian Chard	Individual	Individual	For my views on voter eligibility please see my response to section 2.\r Otherwise I have no views on this section.	The government should reconsider section 3 of the proposed Bill which provides for a blanket ban on prisoner voting in the referendum. There are two reasons why it should do this.\r Firstly, the European Court of Human Rights has consistently held that a blanket ban on prisoner voting is a violation of Article 3 of Protocol 1 ECHR. A margin of appreciation may be acceptable—for example, a minimum sentence leading to disenfranchisement—but an absolute ban is not. See e.g. Hirst (No. 2) v. UK; Greens & anor v. UK; Firth & ors v. UK. \r The draft constitution for Scotland, which was published before the 2014 referendum, provided that—\r26(1) Every person has the rights and fundamental freedoms set out in the European Convention on Human Rights.\r26(2) Scots law is of no effect so far as it is incompatible with those rights and fundamental freedoms.\r26(3) The Scottish Government and public authorities must, in carrying out their functions, respect and comply with those rights and freedoms.\r In the light of these provisions, any referendum should comply with the ECHR. This includes eligibility to vote. Failure to do this calls into question the commitment of the Scottish Government to human rights in an independent Scotland. It would also lead to the absurdity of post-independence elections respecting human rights law, while the referendum enabling those elections would have been illegal under the constitution it sought to bring about.\r Secondly, the effect of the referendum will be more far-reaching that that of a local or general election. If successful, it will change the nature of Scotland as an entity and will permanently alter the relationship between the people of Scotland and its institutions. The profound nature of such a result demands that an exemption be made to the general rule against prisoner voting. For most disenfranchised prisoners, they could be released into a country which has been changed in a fundamentally democratic way, and yet they were unable to participate in that change. To build an inclusive and progressive independent Scotland, the conduct of the referendum must also be inclusive and progressive.\r For these two reasons I urge the government to relax the ban on prisoner voting in any future independence referendum.	I have no views on this section.
948	692358329	William Raymond Walker	Individual	Individual	More needs to be done about the actual count.	none	Any person with a Scottish birth certificate who lives in Uk shoud be eligible to a vote.
949	177007725	Annie Harrower-Gray	Individual	Individual	I believe the 2014 referendum showed the postal vote to be especially vulnerable to fraud. I know there is legislation that enables everyone to have a postal vote but I would like to see each request for a postal vote accompanied by copies of a birth certificate/passport/bus pass and two items showing address. Utilility bills such as electrity would also reveal if the person applying lives at the address permanently. \rAs many students are only here for the duration of their degree and there are also many who came up over the border to stay with friends/relatives just to vote, I think it might be wise to restrict the vote to those who have lived in Scotland for at least four years.	I agree that every postal vote should be checked but would also like to see that those checks are carried out manually in Scotland.	Agree.
950	883498034	William Grewar	Individual	Individual	quite happy with this format	Quite happy with the changes	Seems ok
951	838292963	Alan Corcoran	Individual	Individual	As long as there is clear accountability I have no objections.	I believe the franchise is now as fair as it can be.	I believe that only those in positions of authority should be able to make pledges for new laws or trade agreements rather than what happened before the last referendum where there were promises made which affected the vote and were reneged. The Electoral Commision should be able to publish a neutral fact-checking bulletin which would prove or disprove claims by both sides.
952	214544266	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Favourable	Seem appropriate	Favourable
953	673982516	Barbara Leslie	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements. With a caveat on how the votes are counted, particularly the postal votes so that there can be no doubt about outcome. Very difficult to achieve but worth the effort in the long run.	See above statement regarding postal votes. Otherwise I am happy with technical changes.	I am happy with the proposed changes to rules.
954	965649999	Findlay Struthers	Individual	Individual	Not happy with the way it was conducted last time. It reeked if corruption and tighter controls should be put in to place. I would also like to see international monitors in place to oversee it.	No Answered	Tighter controls on postal votes. Am I correct in dating that during 2014 postal votes were sent down to England for a count?
955	317014602	john love	Individual	Individual	absolutely no postal votes, every ballot box checked and sealed before it leaves the polling outlet with said transport being escorted to and from the polling centre ,every single voting table watched over by international observers, Above all Westminster not to interfere with our referendum in any circumstances, in other words they cannot take part in or any of the process, as per International law. barcodes should be manditory on every ballot paper and checked very vigorously throughout the proceddings.	No Answered	people who own holiday homes in scotland if they are not resident, should not in any circumstances be allowed to vote
956	759782958	Debra Hamilton	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	I think the postal and proxy vote has to be more regulated as this is were discrepancies were report in 2014 referendum and only people who can prove they have lived I'm Scotland for a time period previous to the referendum eligible to vote
957	855624451	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	I would like closer attention to the votes being counted. Also the counting of postal votes,
958	1039518631	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would like to see an impartial external supervision for the management of the referendum.	Concerns that Services or crown personnel could be temporarily posted in order to skew the outcome of a vote.\rPublic need reassurance on retention of paper votes to verify count figures.\rReassurance on valid ballot paper being included in count figures via code number that can be checked at a later date and that ballot box seals are securely robust and not simple cable ties.\rPublic scrutiny periods extended if using computer counting/analysis software which has been documented as as insecure and open to corrupt usage to ensure exact percentage skew of outcomes sought.	No comment
959	745740797	winifred wilson	Individual	Individual	In my opinion all votes should be counted in Scotland and not to be overseen by any political party, particularly as Ms Davidson interfered in the last referendum. Neutral countries should be invited to oversee the count, which should be counted by the people of Scotland. That way the count would be fair.	I agree with the proposed technical changes.	I agree.
960	857761476	Andrew McNally	Individual	Individual	Fine as long as postal votes are sent to local secure offices - not England	i agree with these changes	i agree to these changes
961	692444441	Katla gamble	Individual	Individual	Please....please...we need to progress with a referendum!!!!	Completely agree with these changes.	Completely agree
962	419305870	Hugh Boyle	Individual	Individual	No postal votes should leave Scotland at anytime.votes	No Answered	Votes should be held on databases for the public to check how their vote was recorded.\rEveryone wo wishes to vote must produce photo id.
963	258699864	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These proposals seem to be OK and fair,not complicated, understandable.	An excellent idea re postal votes as this is where returns have the highest likelihood\rof being interfered with.	These changes certainly address problems that have occurred in previously held elections.
964	404060587	John	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
965	359377274	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Why am I not being given the opportunity to answer the real question here - do I wish another referendum at all?	Why am I not being given the opportunity to answer the real question here - do I wish another referendum at all?	Why am I not being given the opportunity to answer the real question here - do I wish another referendum at all?
966	534361761	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe that results from the counts should be counted by Scottish Parliamentary Constituency much like the way Glasgow City council has done in the EU referendum and the first Independence Referendum. If possible data from each count such as local counts in each Local Authority by counting officers should be published. Results from postal should be published also to ensure that full transparent results are announced	No Answered	I believe the use of IT and counting software should be improved to ensure quicker results and accuracy at counts as well as to provide full in depth results of counts
967	834009586	Dr Ronald William Crawford	Individual	Individual	I object in the strongest terms with the condition that eligibility to vote should be the same as for Scottish Parliament and local government elections (see below). I also disagree with the introduction that the Audience is "People of Scotland"; it should be "All Scots".	I disagree in the strongest terms with the Eligibility to Vote criterion and the principle of Residency that only people resident in Scotland may vote. I am a passionate Scot who has chosen to live in England and I demand my democratic and birth right to vote on the future of my country. The criteria for eligibility to vote in this referendum should be if you were born in Scotland and are currently on the UK Electoral Roll then you should be eligible to vote in this proposed referendum. \r I also have issues about permitting 16 and 17 year-olds to vote in this referendum which is inconsistent with other age related legal and financial contracts.	Agree.
968	345516160	Daniel	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	"citizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland"\r The right to vote in Britain is a privilege of British Nationals, and as such citizens of other countries forgo that privilege as they are not citizens and hold no allegiance to this Nation or the Crown.
969	768454195	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	I would much rather the vote was for the people born in Scotland only but I will accept the recommendations with the exception of people with holiday homes not residing but owning property should not be allowed	Happy with the changes
970	822969802	Deborah Clark	Individual	Individual	I would like to see the second option of having the referendum process in the hands of the electoral commission reporting to the Scottish Government.	No Answered	Proposed changes are acceptable as I feel that it is important that people involved in the electoral process are vetted.
971	936026980	Tommy McClellan (aka Tàmas Mìcheil MacGill’Fhaolain)	Individual	Individual	Nae bother.	The changes are all good and proper, in my view.	That is all fine.
972	913905561	Alan Bithell	Individual	Individual	Very good that those over 16 will retain their franchise. "No taxation without representation".\rGreater security is warranted especially for the postal votes. These were not above suspicion in the last referendum. Better would be a proxi vote system, enabling the entire vote to take place on one day; reducing the need to keep secret the votes on the postal ballots.	I would wholeheartedly support the checking the personal identifiers on all postal votes, if postal voting is not replaced with proxi voting.	No objections to any of this.
973	576011585	Beth Cowan	Individual	Individual	I would personally like to see tighter controls at the polling stations with voters being asked for photo ID to enable them to cast their votes.	I would also suggest stricter control on postal votes with no one except those working for the electoral management structure at the opening of said votes.\rI agree with the rest of these proposals.	This information should be a matter of public record if that is not already the case. We need total transparency and accountability on all things relating to voting to deter any wrong doing.
974	579920520	Andrew Rae	Individual	Individual	Given that I truly believe that there was "external interference" in the 2014 independence vote i.e. parties with a vested interest in the maintenance of the status quo. Then any future referendum held under the same guidelines will suffer the same result - "external interference" There must be a genuine impartial adjudication process that does not include interference from westminster.	As a whole I don't see any major issues with the technical changes other than members of the House of Lords resident in Scotland or Service/Crown personnel serving in the UK or overseas in the Armed Forces or with Her Majesty’s Government who are registered to vote in Scotland. To me these individuals represent unionism and should not be entitled to vote.	There doesn't appear to be any issues with the proposed changes.
975	390839314	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	???	???	???
976	557728938	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	an EU management team NOT and nothing to do with Westminster and no sampling of votes before the official voting closure time . Postal votes kept to a minimum	Who owns the franchise? if you read this please get back to me	not got a problem
977	77342846	Mark Robertson	Individual	Individual	I happy with this and arrangements being made	I am happy with these.	I am happy with this
978	513677551	Angela Connor	Individual	Individual	I feel there needs to be increased scrutiny of the proposed election process with regards to security of ballot boxes during transit to counts, postal votes, photographic or other official forms of identification and residency in Scotland and exit polls to minimise the risk of tampering and abuse of system	This will address some of the concerns raised following the 2014 vote	In agreement with changes
979	799218913	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No means No.........\rNo new Referendum...	No means No........\rNo new Referendum.	No means No......\rNo new Referendum.
980	1038413418	Irene McGettigan	Individual	Individual	I know of people who were illegal to vote but managed to get a postal vote hopefully what you propose will stop this from happening	To be perfectly honest I'm 47 and have never had to provide I'd to vote it's about time this was rectified	Excellent
981	189191886	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Go for it we need independence	Doesn't bother me	Doesn't bother me
982	755772068	VICTOR CAVIN	Individual	Individual	I think international observers should be put in place for this vote with members from both sides accompanying ballot boxes to counts and greater scrutiny of the postal vote being done to ensure the 'dead' don't vote, i.e. random checks that those postal votes made were made by those actual persons rather than potentially being hijacked by groups with electoral rolls	No Answered	An independent (international) observer at each polling station who is responsible for taking an exit poll.
983	215274810	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The problem I had with the 2014 count was that it was not all counted in Scotland, postal votes (some) had been opened beforehand as stated by Davidson. Which is not the right way to do things as it leaves too many questions.	No Answered	The counting system should come into the 21st century, as in get rid of paper votes and have tabs in the poll booths or something that will count votes there and then.
984	10175075	Paul Weychan	Individual	Individual	They are satisfactory arrangements.	These are satisfactory arrangements.	These are satisfactory changes.
985	960319579	Edward Duncan	Individual	Individual	Have another neutral country in attendance to keep things accurate.	Postal votes MUST NOT leave Scotland. Postal votes are wide open to fraud. If you must have postal votes the system must be changed in order to be sucure. No sampling of votes as I believe this to be illegal.	No change
986	670693725	Alexander Thomson	Individual	Individual	Not impressed, we have all saw the pile swapping that went on in 2014 and the postal vote was certainly compromised	Unless your bringing in international observers, I believe you will get the same result as 2014	Common sense
987	925397161	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	For many the counting process was a major issue with the 2014 referendum.\rThe Postal voting had a major impact on the results, these votes need to be secure within Scotland and not open to preview or tampering before being counted.
988	1031710477	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Despite claims that people made the 2014 voting arrangement were fair and transparent and I'm happy with the proposals made in the draft bill. One small point is the new voter registration system where people must register individually and confirm yearly instead of as a household and as a consequence people have been lost from the electoral register. There must be a mechanism in the bill that ensures that these changes arn't detrimental to make people aware of the changes - because many are not aware of them - to allow them to make provision to stay on the register.	Changes are reasonable, and the changes to polling staff involvement in campaign is welcome. \r I agree with the principal that those who are resident in Scotland should be able to vote, I believe there were concerns from people I spoke to that were proposals within the bill to open voting to expats and how would this be defined? Those resident in Scotland should be the ones choosing Scotlands future.	Changes are reasonable and welcome.
989	318754359	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Do not believe arrangements for managing are adequate due to reliance on unsafe digital programmes to be used. \rDo not believe results secure and identities of all persons voting are adequately checked.	Do not believe arrangements for managing are adequate due to reliance on unsafe digital programmes to be used.	N/A
990	828084741	Ross Dundas	Individual	Individual	On the whole I am supportive of the proposed arrangements with 3 caveats:\r 1) I strongly disagree that Scottish ex-patriots should be given the vote unless they are ordinarily domiciled in Scotland for at least 6 months of the year.\r 2) I believe that should sufficient assurances be given from the European Union the referendum question should be:\r"Do you agree that Scotland should be an Independent country and join the European Union?"\r 3) The administration of the count, chain of custody of both postal ballots and polling day ballots should be monitored by international observers to prevent any interference by the security mechanisms of the UK. They see independence as a threat to national security.	Only people ordinarily resident in Scotland for at least 6 months of the year should be able to participate in the referendum.\r Count staff must not be a member of any political party and should undergo deep vetting (including of their social media accounts) to ensure that they have not engaged in any political activity in the last 12 months other than participation as an ordinary citizens in plebiscites or elections. \r All counts by individual counters should be randomly checked without warning to prevent inconsistencies.	I have no issues with what you have outlined.
991	938357572	Allan McAllister	Individual	Individual	I agree with the above, but would like to add the following:- (1) People owning holiday homes in Scotland but reside in another country should not be allowed to vote.\r(2) All voters should have some form of identification. (3) Voting forms should carry a stamp of identification, and voters should be made aware of this. (4) All votes, including postal, to be counted in Scotland. (5)The Westminster government and all known associates should have no input whatsoever in the Scottish independence referendum. (6) A country from the EU should be in place to monitor the voting process. (7) There was a very high postal vote in 2014. This should be checked 100% for fraud.	Please see above.	Please see above.
992	132968215	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	UDI
993	468350413	charles kirk	Individual	Individual	there should be no party involvement that has any ties to the tory party , i.e. idox who has peter lilley as a director I do not trust the electoral commission they are not impartial , the postal votes are a great concern to many people and there should be no sampling of them and they should be counted separately and recorded not just mixed in to the votes , they should not leave Scotland and should be kept securely until the count . I am speaking as both a polling agent and counting agent at the 2014 referendum .	No Answered	I am against the vote being allowed to personnel not resident in Scotland at the time of voting.\rthere must be a secure and checkable watch on the proxy voting .
994	892284571	Irene Burt	Individual	Individual	I believe that there should be international observers in place and very strict rules in place for the transport of election boxes to counting centres.	Agree with the above but would also add that no political party should have access to the results of postal voting before the outcome of the final result!	Agree.
995	201752239	Daniel kent	Individual	Individual	Ludicrous	no issue	Jargon
996	585359270	Barbara Hind	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
997	773912107	Gérard Devlin	Individual	Individual	Want security to be much tighter than last time. No sampling get of postal votes to be allowed.	Fine	Fine
998	587785414	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	i think it should done hands on using paper....and not done electronically as i don’t trust the system as i think it is too open to abuse.	i trust that the powers that be do all possible to remove any chance of fraud.	i’m happy with the changes.
999	1072046903	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I voted to stay in the UK in 2014 and was happy with the arrangements for the referendum until I got to the Polling place. Outside I was approrached by 2 members of the SNP that demanded to know how I was going to vote. I refused to say and they didn't want to take no for an answer. I eventually had to push my way past these people. These tactics are not right, some poor old person would have been intimidated to vote for leaving and that is not right. Keep the thugs away from the polling stations. When people go to vote they have already made there minds up. Keep it fair, no thugs needed. Scotland can vote themselves, they do not need to be intimidated. Ever since that day I have chosen to vote by post.\r We had the referendum in 2014 and Scotland agreed that we would remain as part of the UK. Nothing has changed, we should still remain part of the UK. The vote for leaving the EU was taken as the UK, what right do we have for not following the outcome of the result. The UK decided to leave, we are part of the UK. If this referendum goes against the SNP do we have another one the next time Theresa May wears a dress that Nicola Sturgeon doesn't like? Time to grow up and listen to the people, we are part of the UK and we must follow the rest of the UK.\r THE REFERENDUM IS NOT NEEDED AND A WASTE OF TAX PAYERS MONEY	No comment	No comment
1000	905362805	Louise McCafferty	Individual	Individual	no comments	2.11 the list doesn't include people from non-EU countries who reside in Scotland, why is that? I don't agree that commonwealth countries should be treated any differently from the rest of the world.\r2.11 don't understand why House of Lords is mentioned, if these people reside in Scotland then they should vote, if they don't then they shouldn't be allowed as per 'normal people rules'\r2.14 having worked election day before I feel people should be able to apply for a proxy vote on the week leading up to the vote, if someone has taken ill can can't attend the vote. Also awareness must be raised on the possibility of applying for a proxy, as I don't think many people are aware of this option.\r2.16 polling staff are told that they can not campaign so I am assuming this is part of the legislation already for voting I don't see why this is relevant or required.	summary - I think the limit should be set at less than £10,000\r3.5 do campaign rules include punishment for lying during campaigns, politicians and campaigners should not be allowed to say just anything as was the case during both Scottish 2014 and EU referendums, they must be held accountable to the promises made during campaigns.\r3.7 in section 3.2 you say you want a 'level playing field' then in section 3.7 you say the selected campaign receives special treatment, this doesn't make sense, either it's a level playing field for all or it is not.
1001	1072228133	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel we the Scottish people have voted on the issue of independence, are within the UK and need to go with the UK-wide result of the EU referndum.	Seems reasonable	Fine
1002	860821215	Graham	Individual	Individual	I have a problem with the way this consultation is constructed. I only appear to have the opportunity to comment on the management of the vote, but not the specifics of the question itself. Given an opportunity comment, I would say that I do not think that this question should be used again; this is the same wording as the previous referendum in 2014 and is therefore likely to result in the same result.	The changes proposed have limited effect in nature and are not substantial and appears to imply the result of the consultation, which is that there will be a second referendum. This question is not open to consultation and the Scottish Government has clearly already decided in favour of it.	Again, the question posed appears to have been designed to elicit a pre-defined response, with no real opportunity to address the substantive elements inherent within the material. My problem is therefore with the limited scope of the consultation and the Government's attempt to secure approval for another referendum through a meaningless consultation process.
1003	747440448	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am wholly opposed to there being another referendum. I do not think the Brexit vote gives the Scottish Government any mandate at all to hold another referendum when we understood the 2014 vote was a decision to last "a generation."	Don't hold a referendum.	Don't hold a referendum.
1004	409179227	Kyle Forrest	Individual	Individual	That "opposition to a rerun of the 2014 plebiscite has hardened" is totally irrelevant as there is no proposal for such a "rerun". What is being demanded by those who truly respect democratic principles is an entirely new referendum to enable the people of Scotland an opportunity to make a fresh decision in the light of significant changes to the political reality since 2014.\r It is, in fact, quite impossible to have a "rerun" of the first Scottish independence referendum, as the circumstances in which that referendum was held no longer exist. The people of Scotland voted in that referendum on the basis of a unionist prospectus which they now know to have been totally false. And even where that prospectus wasn't entirely or obviously false at the time, it has been rendered so by subsequent events - principally, the exposure of Better Together/Project Fear lies; the failure to honour solemn commitments; the outcome of the EU referendum; and the worsening of the democratic deficit with the rise to power of a UK Government that is even more the antithesis of Scotland's political culture than that which was in office in 2014.\r The democratic right of self-determination is wholly and exclusively vested in the sovereign people of Scotland, to be exercised entirely at their discretion. The anti-democratic forces of British nationalism must not be permitted to deny this right. They must not be allowed to thwart the democratic process. They have absolutely no right to block a new referendum just because they got the result they wanted. And even less right given the despicable methods that were used to get that result.\r There will be no rerun of the 2014 referendum. There will be a completely new referendum in which the people of Scotland choose between the ugly reality of the British state and the potential of an independent Scotland.	That "opposition to a rerun of the 2014 plebiscite has hardened" is totally irrelevant as there is no proposal for such a "rerun". What is being demanded by those who truly respect democratic principles is an entirely new referendum to enable the people of Scotland an opportunity to make a fresh decision in the light of significant changes to the political reality since 2014.\r It is, in fact, quite impossible to have a "rerun" of the first Scottish independence referendum, as the circumstances in which that referendum was held no longer exist. The people of Scotland voted in that referendum on the basis of a unionist prospectus which they now know to have been totally false. And even where that prospectus wasn't entirely or obviously false at the time, it has been rendered so by subsequent events - principally, the exposure of Better Together/Project Fear lies; the failure to honour solemn commitments; the outcome of the EU referendum; and the worsening of the democratic deficit with the rise to power of a UK Government that is even more the antithesis of Scotland's political culture than that which was in office in 2014.\r The democratic right of self-determination is wholly and exclusively vested in the sovereign people of Scotland, to be exercised entirely at their discretion. The anti-democratic forces of British nationalism must not be permitted to deny this right. They must not be allowed to thwart the democratic process. They have absolutely no right to block a new referendum just because they got the result they wanted. And even less right given the despicable methods that were used to get that result.\r There will be no rerun of the 2014 referendum. There will be a completely new referendum in which the people of Scotland choose between the ugly reality of the British state and the potential of an independent Scotland.	That "opposition to a rerun of the 2014 plebiscite has hardened" is totally irrelevant as there is no proposal for such a "rerun". What is being demanded by those who truly respect democratic principles is an entirely new referendum to enable the people of Scotland an opportunity to make a fresh decision in the light of significant changes to the political reality since 2014.\r It is, in fact, quite impossible to have a "rerun" of the first Scottish independence referendum, as the circumstances in which that referendum was held no longer exist. The people of Scotland voted in that referendum on the basis of a unionist prospectus which they now know to have been totally false. And even where that prospectus wasn't entirely or obviously false at the time, it has been rendered so by subsequent events - principally, the exposure of Better Together/Project Fear lies; the failure to honour solemn commitments; the outcome of the EU referendum; and the worsening of the democratic deficit with the rise to power of a UK Government that is even more the antithesis of Scotland's political culture than that which was in office in 2014.\r The democratic right of self-determination is wholly and exclusively vested in the sovereign people of Scotland, to be exercised entirely at their discretion. The anti-democratic forces of British nationalism must not be permitted to deny this right. They must not be allowed to thwart the democratic process. They have absolutely no right to block a new referendum just because they got the result they wanted. And even less right given the despicable methods that were used to get that result.\r There will be no rerun of the 2014 referendum. There will be a completely new referendum in which the people of Scotland choose between the ugly reality of the British state and the potential of an independent Scotland.
1005	963966700	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Returning Officers must not be affiliated to, nor members of, any particular political party.	No Answered	I would also suggest postal votes received at each electoral Officers department, in all constituencies, be automatically placed, unopened, in a sealed "postal ballot box", said to be taken to the counting rooms at the same time as the polling ballot boxes, opened and counted then and only then. No number of "sample" postal votes to be opened prior to the end of the actual polling day.
1006	588914152	richard st.c walthew	Individual	Individual	I believe that everyone whose permanent residence is in Scotland and whose address is that permanent residence all the time, should have a vote, in addition to the Service Personnel mentioned below.	I believe that a Party's Polling Station Agent should not only be allowed to seal ballot boxes with a Party's recognisable seal, but that ballot boxes are not allowed to leave the station until it has been sealed where a request to do so has been made.	agree
1007	131337047	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This question is posed in such a way that the respondent has to comment only of the process and the words 'align closely, and 'closely mirror ' are vague. There is insufficient detail provided to enable a balanced response	This question is far too lengthy - Allowing 16 and 17 year olds to vote on matters on which they have little understanding of the impact and consequences is wrong.	This question is full of jargon and legalistic and would fail a Plain English test.
1008	941125849	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The UK government should be supported to get the best deal for the UK.	No current view	No current view
1009	821998114	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think only the SNP want this referendum.\r I would like a vote to see if the people of Scotland want another Independence Referendum.\r This could be done quickly, relatively cheaply and without all the bitterness of the last campaign.	No problem	No problem
1010	988390518	Malcolm Osborne	Individual	Individual	I agree 100% with the proposed arrangements, or any amendment made to them by the Scottish Government.	I support any changes made by the Scottish Government	I support any changes made by the Scottish Government
1011	291972833	Peter Barlow	Individual	Individual	There were areas of doubt (shall we say) surrounding the 2014 referendum.\rThese need to be resolved and prevented.\rVoter registration needs to be clear. In 2014 it was too easy to register using a friend's address. Voter numbers dropped sharply before the next election , suggesting that a large number of temporary voters could have taken advantage of the loophole before registering back in their home constituency in time to vote in the Westminster GE.\rPostal votes need much closer scrutiny.\rThe methods for numbering ballot papers need to be simply and widely known - probably to reassure voters more than to prevent widespread fraud.\rWould it be possible to exclude from voting those who do not vonsider themselves legally domiciled in Scotland - and perhaps to invlude Scots resifing in rUK who are legally Scittish-domiciled?\r I agree that EU vitizens in Scotland and 16-year-olds should be able to vote.	Postal votes cast should be advised to polling station staff to prevent multiple voting and/or detect attempts at fraud.	Seems fair.
1012	632976783	KENNETH WRIGHT	Individual	Individual	The arrangements for managing the referendum should be as close to Scottish parliamentary elections as possible.	I agree with the focus upon residency in Scotland as the qualification for voting in any future referendum. see also answer to Q1.	Organisations or individuals who are involved in a future referendum should be based in Scotland. It is not acceptable for Westminster politicians to visit Scotland late in the campaign, make offers which alter the nature of the referendum question and then leave again.
1013	920006920	John McNaughton	Individual	Individual	The arrangements as they stand are acceptable, although I for one don't see the need for another referendum and would like us as a country to stay part of the UK.	I feel people from the Republic of Ireland and EU should only be allowed to vote on any issue if they have been a resident citizen of say at least five years. I also feel that the minimum voting age should be eighteen years of age.	These rules are acceptable and make sense.
1014	525278751	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think this arrangement is appropriate	No Answered	I agree with the appropriateness of these changes. I would query what the definition of 'resident in Scotland' - there are many people whose official country of residence does not reflect where they spend the majority of their time. Will there be any attempt to tackle this group?
1015	944563058	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Should be managed and directed by the Chief Counting Officer.	I don't want another referendum.	There is no need for another refrendum.
1016	296896422	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not impressed as Ruth davidson was aware of an election outcome in one of the polling stations BEFORE the count had taken place, no confidence in the structure if this is true.	Scots born citizens cannot vote in Poland for example unless they have citizenship\rDisagree that other nationals (ROI and other EU) should be eligible to vote in Scotland, unless they are have citizenship then no vote. All Scots should be able to vote for their country regardless of where they actually live.	see above
1017	53904741	dorothy wallace	Individual	Individual	agree with proposed arrangements.	agree with the technical changes.	agree with proposed changes.
1018	633054771	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No referendum should be held. There was a clear and unequivocal result in 2014. Live with it and respect the majority of people in Scotland who voted No. Talk of another Referendum is dividing Scotland yet again. Work on delivering the powers you have	No Answered	No Referendum should be held so moot point
1019	253025216	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This referendum should not happen. We were told in 2014 that this would be a once in a generation vote and we voted no. Why can you not understand this? Families and communities were broken up over this, there was violence, disruption and significant physical and emotional damage caused across the country. Do you really want to put us all through that again?	This referendum should not happen. We were told in 2014 that this would be a once in a generation vote and we voted no. Why can you not understand this? Families and communities were broken up over this, there was violence, disruption and significant physical and emotional damage caused across the country. Do you really want to put us all through that again?	This referendum should not happen. We were told in 2014 that this would be a once in a generation vote and we voted no. Why can you not understand this? Families and communities were broken up over this, there was violence, disruption and significant physical and emotional damage caused across the country. Do you really want to put us all through that again?
1020	817618331	Angus Dixon	Individual	Individual	I think that there should not be another referendum on independence, because Scotland voted no in 2014 and another referendum will create more uncertainty, at a time when there is too much already. \rBrexit is bad enough and a worry for the economy, but even worse for business would be to be cut off from our main market in the rest of the UK.	n/a	n/a
1021	796957772	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I don't think there should be a second independence referendum. Scotland clearly voted to remain part of the UK in 2014 and the Scottish Government should respect that decision, regardless of the outcome of the UK European referendum. I don't agree with the proposed arrangement for managing the referendum as I don't think that there should be one. \rMy view is that the more talk about a second independence referendum is having more damage to the economy and social divisions than the results of the European referendum. The Scottish Government should be concentrating on managing and improving the economy and public services with the devolved powers that it has, and working with the UK government to get the best deal for Scotland as part of the UK (with Scotland) prepared to leave the European Union. They should not be wasting resources on the idea of a second independence referendum and get back to running the country.
1022	691135566	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is fine. Following the recent brexit fiasco legal ruling by the High Court I would like to be assured that any further referendum on independence could not be challenged in a similar way and that the result is binding i.e. if Yes wins next time round no remainers could thwart independence by raising a legal challenge and claiming referendum was only advisory.	I feel that you should have been resident in Scotland for a specified period of time anywhere between 2-5 years.	All OK.
1023	985657727	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	You say that "The franchise will be the same as that for the Scottish Parliament. That will mean two important groups of people would have a voice denied to them in the recent referendum on EU membership: 16 and 17 year-olds and citizens of EU countries who have made Scotland their home."\r There is however an important group of people who were allowed to vote in the EU referendum but who would, under the proposals, be denied a voice in this proposed referendum: that is Scottish voters who are living abroad. I believe they should be allowed to vote in any Scottish independence referendum.
1024	758859855	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Stuff and nonsense. The Scottish Government needs to spend more time dealing with more important issues in running the country. I am totally fed up with all the continual nonsense spouted by Nichola Sturgeon on the subject of Scottish Independence. Enough is enough.	Ok	Ok
1025	858722545	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	1. One might dispute the description of the referendum as 'fair and transparent' given the framing of the question as 'Yes' of 'No.' A fairer question would be based on asking us whether we wished to remain or leave the United Kingdom. \r 2. As a matter of principle it would be better if any substantial change to current constitutional arrangements required a super-majority of say 60% of preferably electorate or failing that 60% of those who actually vote. \r 3. In the light of the Scottish Government's argument about Brexit and such a major constitutional change requiring the assent of all the nations of the UK, it would seem important that a similar principle be established for a referendum here in Scotland whereby each local authority area would have to vote in favour of a constitutional change.	No Answered	I am aware of many friends and family members who although born in Scotland or of Scottish parentage and who are resident in other parts of the UK who intend to return home and contribute to Scotland's future and it seems only fair that the franchise should extend to them when it comes to the counties constitutional future. While I welcome it does seem odd that these Scots are excluded while people who may only be temporarily resident get to participate in such a major decision.
1026	825851213	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We need no other referenda	No referendum.\r The Scottish Nasty Party does not speak for the majority of Scots, and will only be humiliated once again.	No referendum.
1027	240073051	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is acceptable.	EU citizens should not be permitted to vote as they could have a vested interest in Scotland splitting from the UK, only those citizens of the EU who are also UK citizens and resident in scotland should be allowed to vote.\r All members of the Commonwealth Realm in Scotland should vote. \r All members of the Armed Forces who are serving in Scottish Regiments, as well as those who are register to vote in Scotland should be able to vote.	I have no veiw
1028	981733420	Denise montgomery	Individual	Individual	How can we be independent when we will be told what to do by fat cats in Brussels, the way things are going and by listening to family and friends,because of you pushing for another referendum people are going to vote Tory & if we do end up with a Tory Scottish parliament it will be because of you,maybe you should do what you were voted in for & that is get our country & people right first,you go on about "economic migration" is that the migrants that are beginning in our streets,just take a look at your own constituency govanhill it's just a dumping ground,and you have done nothing for the poor people who your supposed to help,	Too late	Too late
1029	251327944	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree with current processes suggested.	Sensible and appropriate.	Appropriate to follow these recommendations, however unable to understand the final point of schedule 4 of the 2013 Act.
1030	301719860	Frank McCollum	Individual	Individual	The referendum should be monitored by independent European representatives. No postal votes should be sent down south for counting or processing. This should also be monitored by independent European representatives.	No Answered	Ex pats should be able to vote in the referendum.\r Again polling staff should be independently reviewed by European representatives.
1031	985207372	Cyril Bonnett	Individual	Individual	The Scottish Government held a referendum in 2014, the Scottish Government of the day led by alex salmon did not tell the people of Scotland the truth, they based their plans on vague assumptions.\rThe Scottish Government now with a minority led SNP party HAVE NO mandate to even consider any proposal on another referendum.\rThe SNP party need to go back to school and learn again what DEMOCRACY is.\rThe 2014 referendum called by the SNP government gave everyone in Scotland a vote on the future of Scotland.\rThat vote and our future remains as part of the UK.	The Scottish Government, it's elected representatives and it's faceless unelected civil servants should stick to running the country, not progressing their nationalistic bent.	The Political party's campaign officer should remain separate from the treasurer's role.
1032	573990578	Colin Lawrie	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum.	Agree with the proposed changes	Agree with the proposed changes
1033	347677346	tom	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
1034	12332111	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree that the management of the 2014 referendum can be said to be a success, therefore a future referendum should be managed in a similar way.	I agree that polling and count staff should not be able to knowingly employ anyone that has been involved in referendum campaigning	I have no problem with the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
1035	674558829	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	This consultation is utterly flawed and should be cancelled. The fundamental question is should there be another referendum at all. The answer to that is NO! This process wastes public money at a time when we can least afford it. The democratic process voted to maintain the UK. I voted to remain in the EU and lost that one - but I accept that democracy rules, so I am learning to live with that and will work to make the best of it in the future. The Scottish Government should show some leadership and get on with life. If the Scottish Government bothered itself to grow up, it might realise that it can strongly influence the UK Government in Westminster for the betterment of the UK as a whole.
1036	597417313	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is a reserved matter, and is a worrying waste of resources, when the matter was apparently closed after the 2014 referendum.\rApproximately 42% of the eligable electorate voted for remaining in the European Union.\rThe Scottish economy, especially in the North East, requires the full and undivided attention, and this consultaion is both a distraction and divisive.\rThe full impact of the increased pwers of Devolution have not been assessed.\rIn short this is a waste of Public resources, and destrying our society.	Irrelevent as not a devolved matter	Irrelevent as not a devolved matter
1037	481934380	Michael Cameron	Individual	Individual	I would suggest inviting international observers to counts, not because I have doubts about how they were (or will be) conducted but to help prevent any conspiracy theories gaining traction (from either side)	I agree with these changes	I think rules on donors should be altered to make the source of funding more transparent, especially sources of funding coming from outside Scotland
1038	258252095	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum, the results of the previous one should be upheld and we should remain within the United Kingdom and the the EU when article 50 is invoked.	There should be no referendum, the results of the previous one should be upheld and we should remain within the United Kingdom and the the EU when article 50 is invoked.	There should be no referendum, the results of the previous one should be upheld and we should remain within the United Kingdom and the the EU when article 50 is invoked.
1039	890822411	-	Individual	Individual	Positive views.	The vote should be extended to EU citizens who have lived in Scotland for a significant period of time i.e. 5-10 years.	-
1040	315947670	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Possibly if English living in Scotland can vote, then this time Scottish living in England should also.	No Answered	As above
1041	281595802	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I support the referendum and it's proposed arrangements.	I support the inclusion of 16-17 year-old voters.	Lobbying, even if transparent, should be limited.
1042	976816947	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree that the proposed arrangements represent a fair and open methodology for conducting a referendum	These represent a fair and open process	Competent and fair
1043	317621442	Aimee Linekar	Individual	Individual	I'll open by setting out my stall: I was born and raised in Scotland, attending St. Andrews university before leaving in 2010 to train in Leeds as a conference interpreter (no Scottish university offered my language combination). I've been based in Vienna since 2011; I'm now a UN-accredited interpreter for French and Russian, so I've actually worked for various organisations in Geneva, Rome, Vienna, and sometimes even further afield.\r I'm currently a "permanent freelancer" for the OSCE, the Organisation for Security Cooperation in Europe, in Vienna. I live with my girlfriend, I have just purchased a flat in Vienna, and we hope to start a family soon. The notion of getting pregnant while Brexit looms is a terrifying one: what passport will my child have? A British one, that may in future bar entry to the rest of Europe, or a Scottish one, whatever that may mean? Will my child have the right to stay in Austria in the future? What benefits will they be entitled to, and from which government, if they fall ill or cannot work? And what about my partner and I? Should we marry (or get an Austrian civil partnership) to add weight to any future case for me to stay in the country if the UK ends freedom of movement with the EU? My grandmother was a Jewish refugee whose sister was killed in a concentration camp because of immigration red tape, so issues of freedom of movement aren't just technicalities to me. They fill me with a profound sense of terror – even more so, given that I represent a sexual minority and am always keenly aware that politics can change and I myself might need to up sticks and move somewhere safe.\r When the last Scottish Independence referendum was held, I was mildly frustrated not to have the vote, but I did appreciate that I was no longer a Scottish resident and would not be directly affected by the outcome. I also found it very fair that the franchise was extended to EU citizens resident in Scotland, as they *would* be directly affected by the outcome of the election. (An aside: Austria does not do me the same courtesy. I can do nothing to stop the rise of the extreme right here, though I do get to vote in local council elections).\r However, in the wake of the Brexit referendum – the very thing that has, rightly, precipitated the SNP's launch of a consultation for a second IndyRef – I'm no longer content to not have a vote. Scotland's future relationship with the EU and wider world is now of vital significance to me and other Scots living in Europe. The political processes currently underway in the UK will, I would argue, have a far bigger impact on me and my family than they will on many Scots who live in Scotland.\r And so, on behalf of expat Scots throughout the EU, I would like to ask for a ballot paper. This election is about me too, and I should have a say in it.	n/a	n/a
1044	25223570	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Although the proposals for managing the referendum appear to be acceptable. I wish to make it clear that I do not wish for another independece referendum so soon after the 2014.	Proposals appear acceptable; but please answer to Q1	As per Q.1 &2
1045	983894772	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	It seems unfair to exclude Scottish born citizens who have generally lived only in Scotland who may be temporarily resident elsewhere. If such citizens can vote in general elections, why not this referendum? Scotland is still their country and this affects their future.
1046	747326651	Annabel	Individual	Individual	This should remain as it always was. This is an open, transparent and fair system run well by the Electoral commission.	This is agreeable.	This is fine.
1047	209872947	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	None	None	None
1048	245103987	Elizabeth Ann Mitchell	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	In 2014 I submitted my first political vote, I was still at the age of only sixteen. Prior to voting I deeply considered my position, although I was only one young teenager I still felt like this vote was a very important decision and I feared that due to my age - and therefore lack of life experience - I would made a decision of which I would soon come to regret. Seeing as I was fearful of this, I decided to research the situation to great extents; I gathered information for what I considered would be advantages and disadvantages of both options. I considered different perspectives: I tried to put myself in the shoes of my family members, my peeps, my colleagues, my teachers and others around me, in order to prevent giving myself tunnel vision. At school we had visitors from both sides of the campaign debating the topic and informing us of more aspects which should be considered. \r I spoke to others around me to hear their thoughts; I didn't argue with them or pressure them, I just wanted to hear their decision and their reasons for it. I valued the opinions of my close family the most, as I would always want what is best for them. \r When the voting day arrived I was still undecided. I had so much information, opinions, arguments etc which I wanted to take into consideration. I then decided to think of how I really felt - my own, individual opinion. I thought I had made my decision but there was still uncertainty in the back of my head. When I entered the voting booth at the polling station I knew my decision. I voted for Scotland to be an independent country.\r After voting I felt a sense of relief as I had finally made my decision and I was extremely pleased with it. Of course, I was very disappointed by the result but I accepted that our country is a democratic one and I had to respect that.\r Now looking back on my sixteen year old self: how I feared that my opinion wasn't as important as others and that due to my age I would make a decision I would potentially live to regret, I feel sad. I feel sad because I now realise that there are so many people in this nation who do not chose to research the situation prior to voting and they make brash decisions through fear and negative traits i.e. racism, patriotism, sexism etc. I'm proud of my sixteen year old self for taking the initiative to analyse the situation and make a decision which I knew was the correct one according to my personal view. \r Personally, I would say that teenagers are not given enough credit. As teenagers we are the ones who will be experiencing this country's decision more than anyone else. My generation has lived through many political dramas worldwide - although we may not have experience of adulthood yet, we know what is going on in the world and we know exactly how we would like our nation to be governed. \r A suggestion I have for future political and governmental votes is that the voices of my generation are heard. I recommend that there should be talks given by school pupils to pitch their thoughts, opinions and ideas to older generations. Perhaps at the polling stations there could be school pupils who would like to share their opinion and reasons with those who come to vote. I believe that every single person's vote is as important as anyone else's. However those who will be the most affected by the nation's decisions should be the ones who are given the loudest voices.
1049	662270981	Lucy Blackburn	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	TheScottish Government should reconsider its decision to include at Section 3 the same complete disenfranchisement of convicted prisoners as applied in 2014. The blanket ban, which takes no account of the severity of the offence or length of sentence, leads to arbitrary disenfranchisement and is now largely abandonned across Europe. It is not right that whether or not a person loses their right to vote on what is intended as permanent decision will depend purely on the precise timing of the period of the ban. \r The arguments made in favour of a ban in 2014 did not withstand scrutiny, and are discussed at more length here. \r http://www.parliament.scot/S4_ReferendumScotlandBillCommittee/Howard_League_and_others.pdf
1050	132982241	Margaret Mclean	Individual	Individual	No postal votes , international observers, no English coming to Scotland to oversee the voting , Scottish referendum for and about Scotland alone . Proxy votes only .	No Answered	Scottish citizens , and European citizens only .
1051	40992887	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Eligibility - see next section	Eligibility. I feel serious consideration should be given to extending the franchise to those who, through the circumstances of their career, are obliged to live and work full time elsewhere in the E.U. but who were born and brought up in Scotland and still care strongly about their native country. \rThey may not be on an Electoral Register by virtue of normal residence in the country, but where they are able to, they should be entitled to apply to return on a short-term basis to the constituency corresponding to where their birth is registered in order to cast a vote on issues of such major significance as this.	No disagreement
1052	1001536644	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I only wish to make comments with regard to a potential second Scottish independence referendum in regard to Section 1, Introduction and context, 1.7, a simple majority:\r This is why we have ended up with Brexit. A simple majority allows for the possibility that essentially half of the population of a country is allowed to choose it's fate regarding massive change. I believe this is fundamentally flawed, and that when asking the people of a country to make a choice on a decision of such magnitude, a two thirds majority should be required in order to proceed with a change. Therefore when asking a country if they want to be independent, the vast majority of the country must agree in order to proceed.\r The 2014 Scottish independence referendum resulted in almost half of the people of Scotland being disappointed, while recently very nearly half of Britain also wanted to remain in the EU. If a majority of 66% had been required then yes, the will of roughly half a country would still not have been realised in either of these cases, however this would probably have been easier for people to come to terms with, knowing from the outset that a larger majority was required in order to enact such a dramatic change.\r A thought just as an example; perhaps using a buffer of 6% of the vote could be put into place provided the turnout was over a certain figure, say 80%, meaning that the decision for independence would go ahead if the vote was 60% in favour, meaning that a "good" majority could be accepted. \r These are just my speculations, but it simply does not seem right to have the potential to proceed with such a big change based on approximately half of the peoples will. \r Apart from anything else, objectively speaking, it is not logically valid to claim any definite outcome of a survey with such low percentage margins. Other than to say that there was no clear outcome in favour of one or the other.\r It's astonishing to think that Britain could do something as dramatic as leaving the EU based on a vote of 52% I remain bewildered as to why a higher majority was not required, and would urge Scottish government to bear this in mind when considering the rules for the required majority. If this goes ahead with a simple majority, it will leave me with no doubt that SNP do not care if nearly half of "it's" country wish for something they do not. I'm aware that an independence vote is a vote for independence, not SNP. However, SNP are currently the driving force and are in a good position to push for a higher majority vote should they wish to exercise common sense over political agendas.\r For the record, I would not vote for Scottish independence at the present time, but would be open to the idea of independence again in the longer term. I would advise allowing the events of Brexit to unfold over a period of several years before asking Scotland whether or not it wants to be independent. People's emotions are running high as a result of Scotland's unwanted Brexit, and hot headed knee jerk decisions are seldom wise or fruitful. \r I am appalled that Britain is leaving the EU, and am nervous about the future. However, we seem to be stuck with it and I feel it is best to try and pull together and rebuild relations from government level down to the neighbours in the street who's votes were opposed. In Scotland this was only just finally calming down after the 2014 Independence referendum, and we are now all in the turmoil and heat of Brexit. We must move on in order to make the best of a bad situation. Not pull things apart even further. \r I would be utterly perplexed if given the choice of Scottish independence again right now in the midst of Brexit (not to mention bloody Trump). I literally would not know what to do for the best. Pre-Brexit, asking the people of Scotland whether or not we should be independent is a bit like asking somebody if they should cut their ties with a lifelong mediocre marital relationship with the possibility of a happier existence; an easy decision for some, but probably still emotional turmoil for most.\r Asking the same question to the people of Scotland now in the current uncertain Brexit climate would be similar to asking whether or not the "lifelong mediocre marriage" should be ended just after they had lost their job. I would urge Scottish government to respect the many people living in Scotland who are genuinely torn and hurting over all of these matters and just let it lie for a bit without throwing another referendum at us. While Brexit was not the work of Scottish government, this would still result in three referendums for us in as many years. \r In any case, assuming an independent Scotland were to join the EU, we don't yet know what we would be signing up for as we don't yet know what will become of the EU without Britain, so maybe we should see what happens before we jump off the boat.	Please refer to my comment in question 1.	Please refer to my comment in question 1.
1053	751632156	Joanne Robinson	Individual	Individual	no postal votes should be sent to England and should be kept in Scotland in a secure area until voting day.\rwe should have adjudicators from Europe to ensure the count is fair and just \rall ballot boxes should be fitted with an internal gps to ensure they are delivered to there counting stations in a prompt and safe manner\rall ballot boxes should be escorted by individuals from both sides of the referendum \ralso a check on those who suddenly join the voters roll up to 6months in advance of the referendum	cctv must be on all counting officers at all times during the count as well as being monitored by independent persons from the EU	ok
1054	393491991	kenny mcarthur	Individual	Individual	none in particular,however,no one under the age of 18 should be elegible to vote.Also no foreign national,no matter the amount of ime they have lived in this country should be allowd to vote.	only Scottish nationals resident in Scotland should be allowed to vote.No other residents including commonwealth and uk citizens should be allowed to vote.	no particular view.
1055	361304566	S Stephan	Individual	Individual	A vote for an Independent Scotland should state CLEARLY that a Yes vote is NOT a vote or mandate for SNP or ANY other political party. \r It should be made CLEAR and UNAMBIGUOUS that a referendum on an Independent Scotland is not related to EU membership.\r This is a question for Scottish People for the future of our Nation and is not hijacked, mismanaged or piggybacked by Party Politics.\r The question of Scottish Independence is for Scottish People and Scottish People alone.\r Party Politics, Brexit and EU Membership is NOT relevant to an Independant Scotland Question.	If a referendum is proposed DO NOT SQUANDER it again\r Do NOT put a referendum to the Scottish People until 2020.	Only Scottish People have the right to vote on Scottish Independence.
1056	589595150	david muir	Individual	No Answered	Individual	acceptable	acceptable
1057	365211893	Anne Marie Docherty	Individual	Individual	Eligibility to vote should have a residence requirement of one year. It is not acceptable for people who are only here for a short time to take part in such an important vote.\r It is concerning that someone can be on the electoral register elsewhere in the UK and also register here via ownerhsip of a holiday home for example. I would like to see some way of making sure that a UK resident is only on the electoral register once.	No Answered	Postal votes are still a concern. I personally witnessed a member of staff in an elderly care home fill in all of the residents' forms in the 2015 general election.
1058	537233683	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My views are that there should not be a second referendum. We were told in 2014 that this would be a "once in a generation" referendum and the Scottish Government appear to hold this commitment and the democratic wishes of the people of Scotland with complete contempt.	No objections.	No objections.
1059	941643169	Alastair A Macdonald	Individual	Individual	The counting should all take place in Scotland.\rNo completed ballot papers should be sent to any organization outwith Scotland (e.g. run by a Tory MP in England) for 'sorting' or 'counting'.\rFairness and accuracy of the count must be paramount - not the cost.	Care needs to be taken that postal vote registration does not permit 'holiday homes' as an excuse for double voting, and/or voters resident outside Scotland to have a vote in the referendum.\rCare should be taken that a 'postal voter' cannot then appear at a polling station and vote again.\rCare needs to be taken that the 'unlimited time' section on the postal vote form is removed.\rCare needs to be taken that the form should only be sent to the constituency address of the voter.\rThe comment at the foot of the form 'as far as I know' should be strengthened. The penalty for false completion of the form should be more severe, £1000 or more.\rThere should be early widespread notification of infringements.	The current police investigations of the Tory party's several election campaigns in England are a warning that alleged under-hand and alleged illegal practice may well be being considered and/or attempted, and that 'paper regulations' need to be reinforced by 'real-time' monitoring of practice.\r Will the alleged flagrant breach of the "28 day referendum restricted period" rule be allowed again, and if not, how can that kind of 'misbehaviour' be stopped?
1060	815356680	Derick Lamond	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements as my concerns regarding emergency proxy votes have been addressed.	I broadly agree with the proposed arrangements as my concerns regarding emergency proxy votes have been addressed. However, I would not include anyone who spends more that six months per annum living outwith Scotland.	No comment
1061	247581708	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Postal votes should be opened at the count and counting done by trustworthy persons.(eg russians?)greater vigilance by overseers needed.
1062	738974634	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe that any further changes need to be made with regard to managing any electoral or referenda processes within Scotland.\rI would not like this preference with the status quo to be taken as indicating that I wish to support a further referendum on indnependence. There is nothing in this document that allows me to express my views on the time, effort and money that a further campaign would take, when we should all be focusing on health, education and imrpoving the economic output of our country.	No Answered	I do not see the need for change here.
1063	632250284	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We need international observers, from several different countries, to oversea the counts. EU representatives would be good. We need to avoid the farce of last time's lost papers, fake papers, fire alarms etc.	No Answered	'must not knowingly' is a get out of jail free card... it needs to be a major offence to 'plant' campaigners in the counting staff.
1064	304355688	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe they would be fair	I believe they would be fair	I believe they would be fair
1065	879806492	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There needs to be foreign observers at the count.\r Cut down on postal votes, as there was a huge increase in postal vote registrations before the vote, as this is too open to fraud.\r A Scottish electoral business or department should be started, not using the same company as last time, owned by a tory lord.	No Answered	Postal votes are open to fraud, when boxes were opened they were inline with canvassing, when the postal votes were looked at the were totally different and in favour of a no vote. People were able to vote from London, America, despite not living here at the time of the vote. Postal votes were sent to England for "clarification". Very rat smelling.
1066	122018378	Derek Guthrie	Individual	Individual	Scotland must have a written constitution to which the population can relate. This is essential in order to distinguish us from westminster government by elite for elite.\r Set out the currency options with clear examples used by other nations and state that the most suitable will be determined during the period of extraction from the UK according to the terms negotiated.\r Invite EU countries to support independence and infer that lack of support will result in antagonism which could deny them access to Scotlands wealth in the form of sea resources, defense and fuel amongst others if they sit on the fence too long.	No particular view	no particular view
1067	1037261964	Alastair Struthers	Individual	Individual	I am in agreement with the polling and counting proposals.\r I disagree with the proposals relating to the question and to a simple majority. \r The question should not be a yes or no question which created an unintended negative bias against one outcome. Instead the question should offer two equal options for voters to choose from along the lines of "Scotland should be... a) an independent country or b) a country that is part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain."\r A large criticism of the 2014 referendum was that only a simple majority would be required to fundamentally change from the status quo. For a decision of this magnitude that has so many far reaching ramifications an at least 60% majority should be required for change, if not a two thirds majority. There should also be a turnout quota of at least 66.6% of the electorate.	Eligibility - I believe it was a failing of the 2014 referendum that many Scottish nationalists were excluded from voting because they were currently residing elsewhere in the UK, Europe or further overseas. Many Scots still consider Scotland to be their home, even if they are not currently living there and so I believe that voting should be open to not just those currently residing in Scotland, but also to anyone who was born in Scotland AND holds British citizenship.\r Online voting - If a second independence referendum were to be run then online voting should be considered given that just about everything else can be done online today. It might encourage even higher participation than in the 2014 referendum and would make the process more accessible.\r All other proposals under this heading are acceptable.	These proposals are all acceptable.
1068	459866602	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements are not good enough, there should be independent officers who are impartial overseeing everything. Possibly from Europe.	No Answered	Postal Ballots must come under the same scrutiny as normal Ballots and must not be looked at by anyone prior to election day.They should be added to the normal count.
1069	951942188	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with these arrangements.	I agree with these changes. But also would encourage you to consider:\r1. Poll Monitors from an internationally respected organization.\r2. investigating whether a cut-off date for residency, for the purpose of voting, would be feasible or desirable. Not because I think hordes of unionist voters will move here temporarily, so as to cast a vote, but to allay any fears of such among the general public, as was rumoured during the last referendum.	Agree.
1070	965880326	Robert Millar	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	2.11 A registered voter would be someone who was over 16, resident in Scotland and not registered to vote anywhere except in Scotland.\r[ Prior to the referendum the electoral authorities would be required to ask those on the electoral register to confirm that they were eligible in accordance with the above and if they were not they would be removed from the register for the purposes of the referendum ].\r 3.4 The portion from 'during which Ministers and other public bodies' to be re-written as follows 'during which Ministers, public and private bodies ( including the media ) apart from those bodies registered as permitted participants, [are ] to refrain from publishing material which would have a bearing on the referendum during the 14 days prior to the referendum. If during this period the Electoral Commission considers that this accord has been violated, it may, up till midnight on the eve of poll, suspend or delay the referendum and will be permitted to seek reimbursement of costs on behalf of permitted participants and other bodies involved in making arrangement to carry out the referendum, from those responsible for violating the accord.
1071	526378606	Jonathan Rainey	Individual	Individual	My views on the arrangements surrounding the main questions on the paper in the referendum itself in my opinion, should include a second question on whether Scotland should join the EU or remain outside of it.	My view is that any footage showing polling and count deliberately corrupting the votes on both sides should be investigated and not dismissed in the name of serving the needs of the Elite.	I believe every participant, particularly on the YES side, in the referendum should have a right to write the names of the Rothschild, Rockefeller and Soros families on the voting cards away from the filled-in answers if they feel the outcome of the referendum is going to be a No to independence.
1072	1001583823	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No issue with the changes.	Except the changes.	Except the changes.
1073	746137594	Margaret Lennon	Individual	Individual	I am content with most of this but think there should be a further change to the franchise (see below) in line with the current Scottish Governments attitude to integration.	In addition to the groups listed on the franchise I would like to see eligibility extended to include all people resident in Scotland living who have leave to remain in the UK throuigh various Immigration pathways including refugees and resettlement pathways. The inclusion of Commonwealth Citizens in the franchise living here might include some refugees who have been granted leave to remain from a commonwealth country but who are not yet UK citizens. This would be unfair to those refugees or settled persons granted leave to remain who come orginally from countries outside the Commonwealth and who have yet had the opportunity to apply for UK citizenship. The Scottish Government has made much of its humanitarian support for settled refugees from Syria and has a policy of integration from day one for asylum seekers and refugees. While those still waiting on the outcome of their asylum claims should not be included in the franchise, all those who have been granted either through Asylum legislation, or granted indefinite leave to remain or humanitarian protection or discretionary leave to remain through other immigration legislation should be included in order to not positively discriminate against Refugees from Commonwealth Countries. This extension of the franchise should be granted irrespective of Refugees having found employment but it must be considered manifestly unfair if people with the legal right to live and work in the UK are kept from the franchise on the principle that no taxation without representation is manifestly unfair.	No comment
1074	792162076	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Sounds good, so long as 16yos are included.	All sounds sensible.	All good.
1075	272130361	William Andrew macLennan	Individual	Individual	Seems OK	Seems fine, but don't use the Tory MPs company again, surely we can do this in Scotland, or with a European company , who could be impartial, in fact and not only in name.	I, as a native of the Highlands have great concerns about the checks and balances used in determining residency of the huge amount of absent holiday home owners and their families. I believe that many voted last time , who had no entitlement to vote.\rI am also concerned at the blanket ban on prisoners, If someone is in prison, for example, for not paying their TV Licence, they should not lose their right to vote.
1076	774772310	Carole Horton	Individual	Individual	I am ok with that	I am ok with that	I am ok with that
1077	947104332	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	I have concerns regarding postal votes particularly in my area where many homes are holiday homes and therefore owners not resident in Scotland. Postal ballots should not be sent outwith the constituency and only to those domiciled in Scotland.
1078	1072113537	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Unlike the EU referendum no other question should be asked or hinted at.\r The result of the voting in Scotland was prejudiced by the SNP telling their supporters that they'd get a second referendum if they voted to remain in the EU.\r The SNP's stance this year differed completely from its stance in 1974 when a more logical approach to independence was being followed.	No Answered	Define "involved in campaigning during the referendum".
1079	208486264	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think there should be another referendum, and I have no issue with the proposal.\rHowever, before holding it, the people need to be educated on the hows and whys. If you cannot explain to the layman how this will benefit him, he will vote against independence.\rThe people need to have their emotional intelligence raised.\rWe still live in a highly judgemental society that stigmatizes those who have not been gifted the same opportunities for health as we have. There is a culture of blame against those with drug addiction and mental health disorders, and those on benefits. Society must realise that the people are not to blame for their living situation.\rIf we want real change, first we need a society that views everyone equally. Next we need everyone to care to make things better. The quickest way to do this is to explain to them in simple terms how closing the inequality gap will reduce mental and physical health problems, thereby reducing cost to the NHS, reducing crime etc. This must be explained....because people do not understand this. The media's propaganda and war on the poor (eg. programs like Benefit Scammers) are highly influence among the average middle class person.\r Its all very well understanding something yourself, but another to make big changes. To do that you need top convey the right messages to enough people in the right way. Mhairi Black is one of the best speakers I have seen in the houses of parliament. Particularly her speech on Trident. She would be excellent at addressing the people. Anyhow.......	i agree	I agree
1080	527297068	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Given we had a referendum in 2014 with a result the will of the Scottish people should respected for at least a generation (25 years).
1081	444636149	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As yet, the Scottish Government has been unable to give me any clear idea, other than opinionated certitude, on what a leaving the UK means in practice, although it seems certain to me that it will damage our economy, cost jobs and undermine our influence in the world. To my mind this has not altered since the last Scotland Independence Vote on 18th September 2014. The economic case for Scottish Independence has markedly deteriorated since then. Despite your opinion that more and more No Voters have changed their mind, as a No Voter to independence I have not changed my mind. Hope you are listening openly, and not selectively.	It should include Scottish students studying abroad.	No additional comment
1082	950682861	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Use current system	Those eligible to vote in another referendum should only be British citizens resident in Scotland and members of the Armed Forces who are eligible.\rCitizens of the Rep of Ireland and EU countries should have no ability to vote.	Acceptable
1083	275133370	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Eligibility to vote should be extended to all people in the UK who were born in Scotland. \rUntil the UK is split up - God forbid - the UK is one country and any born Scot who is resident in the UK should have the right to vote in the future of Scotland's place within the UK. \rI fully support the proposal that any vote on separation in a legally held referendum should not be based on a "50% plus one" bases but that the figure should be set at 55% in favor of separation before the vote can be declared as being the will of the people.\r I also made this comment in box 2 as I am not clear which box it should be in.	Eligibility to vote should be extended to all people in the UK who were born in Scotland. \rUntil the UK is split up - God forbid - the UK is one country and any born Scot who is resident in the UK should have the right to vote in the future of Scotland's place within the UK. \r I fully support the proposal that any vote on separation in a legally held referendum should not be based on a "50% plus one" bases but that the figure should be set at 55% in favor of separation before the vote can be declared as being the will of the people.\r I also made this comment in box 1	Unless the consultation / referendum is authorization of the UK Parliament in advance no public money should be permitted to be used in the carrying out of the said consultation / referendum. If the SNP wish to carry out a - so called - unauthorized consultation / referendum they should do so at the expense of the SNP and it should be made Cristal clear to all the people of Scotland before it occurs and printed on there consultation / referendum papers that the outcome has no legal binding status on the future of the UK and on the future of Scotland.
1084	172442597	John Thornton	Individual	Individual	The arrangements in 2014 were fine.	16/17 year olds should have the vote in a future referendum. Minds still developing and too easily impressed, especially by peers. The relevant existing legislation should be repealed. \rScots living in the rest of the UK/EU should have a vote. \rrUK citizens living in Scotland should have a vote.\rOnly foreign/commonwealth/EU nationals who have become UK citizens and living in Scotland should have the vote. Giving foreign/other nationals say in our election is a joke. I cannot vote in the Ireland, USA or Australia.	Fine.
1085	170571182	David Stainthorpe	Individual	Individual	Satisfactory.	Would ask for consideration to be given to compulsory voting requirements.	Satisfactory.
1086	235495592	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Is there an opportunity to look at a secure system of online voting? If there are less barriers to voting, it follows that a greater number of votes can be expected. Modern technology is surely able to vet and screen votes to ensure multiple votes cannot be entered for the same person or by one person masquerading as others.	I'm glad to see that reforms based on the lessons learned from the last referendum in 2014 will be applied to the next one.	It's encouraging to see that the Electoral Commision's recommendations are being applied.
1087	219280549	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	not in favour of referendum, it would be more benefical to scotland if our mps dealt with issues that have been outstanding for decades
1088	23783924	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Stop it as it is a total waste of public money. The majority of people in U.K. Voted to leave Europe so accept the decision. Scotland cannot be treated as a separate entity as the majority of people in Scotland also voted to remain part of the uk so again accept that NO means no and snp stop behaving like a bunch of local town cuuncillers in a nursery.	Leave it alone	Leave it alone
1089	493794227	N/A	Individual	Individual	The draft Bill gives no indication on how the results of the Referendum are to be interpreted by the Scottish Government or Parliament. Is the Referendum result purely advisory or is the Scottish Government compelled by the Act (if the Bill is passed) to accept and act on the results? Can the Scottish Government act unilaterally or would the Scottish Parliament have the final say on whether an Independence Bill was invoked or not ? We have seen the confusion caused by the EU Referendum, which was not clear on these points, and the subsequent High Court and Supreme Court judgements. Surely any Independence Referendum Bill should address these points from the outset to avoid the same confusion?\r The question "Should Scotland be an Independent country" should also be changed to \r "Do you want Scotland to remain in the UK or to leave the UK?"\r The latter is a clear cut choice. The former depends on the sense in which the word "should" is used.	No objection	No objection
1090	629702034	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Satisfactory	I think that elegibility to vote should be extended to include EU nationals living and working in Scotland, especially those in the business community who are contributing to local economies, tax revenue and jobs.	Satisfactory
1091	216783887	James Ramsay	Individual	Individual	Strict impartiality and fairness must be observed with staff signing avadavats to affirm their non partiality\r The Electoral Commission must show greater diligence in monitoring the Parties, ensuring that Purda rules are observed.\r All parties should be monitored for the factual truth of their campaign. Leaflets, Broadcasts etc. Parties which breach these rules should be forced to retract any untruths ( Post-truths) publicly and print/broadcast corrections.\r Very important that qualifying EU Citizens can vote. Thought should be given to explaining the electoral procedure in relevant languages e.g. Polish. during the campaign.	Approve of EU Citizens and 16-17 year old's being able to vote. Can something be done to educate and inform young voters, those still at School or University seem wilfully ignorant. I am aware that locally some Schools / Colleges refused to let any form of discussion take place on their establishment or allow campaigning agents in to make presentations. Educators should be given clear guidance on what is permitted.\r Proxy voters. good idea, but numbers likely to be small. How will this work in Old Folks Homes. where again access by campaigners was restricted by care staff.\r Postal Voting should be restricted to those who have a genuine reasons for requesting a postal vote through sickness, disability or infirmness.\r All postal voting should be strictly monitored and identify checks made in all circumstances. The most up to date census records should be used.\r Agreed re polling and count staff to sign and agree to undertake their work impartially. . \rCan specially trained Police be appointed to monitor counting and count staff at the count\r Verification and comparison of the count and ballots recorded excellent.\r Count Sampling to be robustly defined and any inappropriate behaviour to result in suspect persons being expelled from the count and questioned by the Police.\r CC Monitoring of Count hall ?\r Approved International monitors ?\r A hot line for electors to report suspicious Postal Voting ?	Responsible person for permitted participant bodies good idea, There should be at least a 70% verifiable approval from the members of the participation body.\r Obscene or offensive names prohibited. Good idea.\r Added responsibility of campaign officer. Good idea.
1092	355330524	Piet Ceanadach	Individual	Individual	After the last referendum we should approach this with more skepticism and vigilance because of the perceived rumours of widespread skulduggery. More care and attention are necessary if the vote is to be accepted without suspicion of malpractice.	The more complex and variant the voting is, the more open to unscrupulous persons attempting to find a way around the system. I would like to see it kept simple and uncomplicated as possible.	I believe the propositions have value and if a tight rein can be kept on those new propositions there is a possibility that it will be an improvement.
1093	220311552	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Eligibility to vote should stay in line with the Scottish parliament and local government elections. Although, I think that the inconsistency raised by giving the right to vote at 16 would suggest that 18 would be a better age (by inconsistency, I refer in the inconsistency in rights and responsibilities arising from the differing ages of reaching adulthood in Scotland and the UK as a whole, as well as the differing rights, e.g that you are not deemed responsible enough to drink or smoke but may vote in an eleciton). It is only fair though that the age stays in line with comparable electoral rules.\rRegulation of the campaign and reporting should be managed in line with comparable electoral proceedure.	No Answered	Eligibility to vote should only be extended to non-Scottish residents if they have been resident for a certain amount of time: for example 2 years. This is to ensure that those voting have a viable interest in Scotland, and some appropriate knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the referendum, as well as Scotland's position. Further, eligibility to vote should be extended to Scottish citizens resident in other parts of the UK as they clearly have considerable stake in Scotland's future. The eligibility criteria as proposed seem inequitable.
1094	785345077	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There were varied rumours on social media regarding missing ballots, counting being done outwith Scotland, and inaccurate counts. If anything could be done to eliminate the possibility of this happening again, it would be good. I'm in favour of anyone aged 16 and over who is legally entitled to live in Scotland being able to vote.	I agree with the changes.	Seems straightforward.
1095	451124783	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	1.5 The partisan nature of the forward rather suggests that the SG is not quite as committed to fairness as it would like to portray itself i.e. it is stated that: "The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that the highest standards of fairness" in which case why the biased leading forward by the First Minister? The forward is strongly non-neutral, by using the phrase "Scotland voted to" it gives the impression that people were voting on Scotland's future in the EU, not the UK's, and some of the statements may be of dubious accuracy e.g. "Indeed those statements contradict the assurances given before the independence referendum in 2014 that Scotland is an equal partner within the UK" \rEach individual in Scotland was given an equal say in the referendum; equal to each individual in the rest of the UK and therefore the foward is inaccurate and I would suggest deliberately partisan in order to influence the consultation response.\r 1.6: The question only offers one of the two options (i.e. independence as opposed to proposing independence OR remaing part of the UK) it also is set out to allow the 'yes' response to indicate agreement with the proposal, a structure which I believe is slightly leading towards agreement with the proposition. And in fact when considering the EU referendum the Electoral Commission came to the conclusion that in presenting the question in a form that proposes only one of the two available options there was a perception of bias. While the 2014 independence referendum was held with the same question I believe that this was an error that should not be duplicated if such a poll were to be repeated. (http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/journalist/electoral-commission-media-centre/news-releases-referendums/electoral-commission-recommends-change-to-eu-referendum-question)\r In addition I believe allowing for a 'yes' 'no' response gives a slight advantage to the 'yes' side in terms of campaigning in as much as 'yes' is a technically 'positive' response and 'no' is consequently a 'negative' response which can be (and actually was) used by some 'yes' campaigners to indicate using a play on words 'that their campaign is positive' while their opponents are 'negative' this may seem like a small point but I see no need to further advantage any side in this respect with the ability to use such arguments . The 'remain'/'leave' used in the EU referendum seems a preferable approach that does not have such a stark positive/negative connotation.	1.7 I disagree that the poll should not be subject to thresholds on turnout or approval. The previous referendum has been highly divisive, the impact of independence is likely to be very significant, and in a realistic practical sense irreversible, if we were to be taken into independence on a 50.01% vote in favour on a 60% turnout I don't believe that is a sensible or safe mandate for such huge change and I believe it is likely to result in further division of scottish society and probably significant unrest. While the same could be argued for a vote to remain this consultation is itself evidence that there is always another shot for those in favour of separation from the UK (even though I disagree that 'brexit' is a good justification for it). While it may be 'established practice' to set no turnout threshold that is not the same as a 'sensible approach' (it is highly likely any reasonable turnout threshold would be met anyway if the 2014 result is a guide). Personally I feel it requires at least a majority of those eligible to vote to overturn the status quo in such a situation and preferably a clear margin above that.\r 2.14 Both Proxy votes and postal votes should be subject to strict vetting to ensure they are legitimate. I believe proxy voters should not be members of a political party or a political campaigner with no close pre-campaign link to the person they are voting for, to avoid vulnerable voters being persuaded to let their new persuasive friend vote for them. Or to put it another way, if the proxy voter is a memebr of a political party or an active campaigner then they should only be able to act as a proxy voter for a family member or someone with whom they can prove an existing friendship with for at least a year prior to the start of any independence campaign. Proxy votes for vulnerable people with learning difficulties or conditions that may affect their judgement should be subject to tighter restrictions on who may act as proxy.\r 2.16 I believe that it is vitally important that people involved in campaigning are not permitted to be involved in counts and that there are enough safeguards to ensure that even if they are they cannot influence the result. Given the essentially irreversible nature of an independence outcome this has to be viewed as potentially more serious than any electoral ballot.	My main concern regarding spending limits and expenses is that abuse of such rules could be advantageous but unquantifiable. In the event of a very close campaign there is a danger that some may be prepared to flaunt the rules in the belief that it may be difficult to prove how much advatage was gained for their cause and that by the time (and indeed 'if') they are prosecuted the result will already have been accepted. In a normal election there could be a re-run if it is a local abuse or at the very least there will definetly be another election in four or five years depending on parliament, in an independence referendum this is not the case and minor fraud could potentially lead to Fait accompli.
1096	313109224	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not require, we done for that	Nothing to change	Not require any change no more cam
1097	53826848	sandra parker	Individual	Individual	So you are expecting another no vote then - the last referendum was a farce and seemed to be run by amateurs, the Scottish Government allowed the Better Together campaign to make mincemeat of them - Ruth Davidson counted votes before the boxes should have been opened, postal votes were sent to England for goodness sake. You had no cohesive arrangements for currency, there was no cohesive arguments for anything come to that. I knocked doors and half the time couldn't answer the questions,we need to be able to tell the people exactly what is going to happen-Scotland needs its own bank, its own currency and a credible argument other than oil, oil and more oil - do the unusual be truthful, tell people we cant be 100% sure how long it will take to get up and running and get the figures right, do spread sheets to show how things will be done. We need positivity that cannot be picked apart, the door to door campaigners need facts that can be verified instead of being left with no answers, we must be sure we have facts that count whether it means we will have a deficit or not we need peoples respect	No Answered	We should have international electoral officers, postal votes should be counted in Scotland to ensure there is no recurrence of 2014
1098	24707665	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I was involved in the election count of the previous referendum and agree that the process worked well. THis should be duplicated as per all elections	No issues with what is proposed	I do not have any issues with what is proposed
1099	214604517	1972	Individual	Individual	I am entirely happy with this.	Voters should have lived in Scotland as their main address for 5 years. This shows a commitment to living here. Too many with second homes changed their addresses to vote. There are also too many students arriving here just to study then leave.	Entirely happy with this
1100	81332569	Ranald Nicolson Matheson	Individual	Individual	No more faffing about, be brave and go for it.	OK	OK
1101	262447603	Tom Anderson	Individual	Individual	Fully agree particularly 16-17 year olds and EU citizens	Fully agree	Agree
1102	542432829	Topher Dawson	Individual	Individual	I hope that EU nationals living in Scotland will be able to vote, and 16 and 17 year olds. \rI have doubts that postal voting is all above board and would like it to be closely supervised. In particular, owners of second and holiday homes whose main residence is outside Scotland should be weeded out of postal voting.\r It would help if it was publicly known that cases of false postal voting would be pursued and prosecuted.	I am very glad that my concerns appear to be satisfied, both with the franchise and with the security of postal and proxy votes.	This closes the loophole which allowed the CBI to campaign for No, and it appears to prevent the use of US-style SuperPACs.
1103	65825101	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I found the 2014 referendum's way of dealing with the voting to be strange. There was way too many people involved in this and with the rumours that went round afterwards really made me think that something was fixed, whether it was or not.\r Everything else worked perfectly - really we should have an non-bias group counting for us.	This seems ok.	I think these work well.
1104	407138652	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	All steps should be taken to avoid postal vote fraud. 100% checking should be the norm.	Gree with proposed changes
1105	355696580	Sheryl Hepworth	Individual	Individual	NO the referendum MUST be regulated by an independent overseer as must the counts	Postal votes MUST be kept and invigilated by an independent certifer preferably from the UN or EU. The chance for cheating with the postal votes is huge and we found out last time how it was done. there must be a better way for those who cannot vote in person. A certified officer from outwith Scotland but NOT from England must be used to verify these votes and they must not be removed from Scottish soil!	Donations should be registered and verified and amounts tightly regulated
1106	211621229	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I strongly agree	A very painstaking approach must be taken regarding postal votes from people using their Holiday Home address to vote. Only people living in Scotland should be allowed to participate.	Agree
1107	739144075	Bob mcnair	Individual	Individual	The referendum should be managed by an independent organisation that is unconnexted by ownership or contract to any political party or member or fromer member of a political party and that should include directorships etc.,\r The vote should be given full scrutiny at the polling booths with voter recognition of ballot papers.\r There shall be exit polls permitted.	As question 1.\r There shall be no postal votes counted before the main vote and postal votes must be counted at the same venue as rhe constituency at the same place as the count.\r All postal votes myst be counted in a separate pile at the count before addi g to the main count.	I agree with the changes.
1108	521942617	Graham Cormack	Individual	Individual	I fully support the proposals	I fully support the proposed changes	I fully support the changes
1109	978712636	Melvin Langille	Individual	Individual	Perfectly sensible	Perfectly sensible	Perfectly sensible
1110	353074328	Andrew Tickell, Lecturer in Law, Glasgow Caledonian University	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
1111	1009070382	Margaret Swan	Individual	Individual	Fully in favour	At last - a good idea	Quite agree
1112	751163288	Colin Swan	Individual	Individual	Seems very good idea to me	This is an excellent improvement on the 2014 arrangements	I approve
1113	711989184	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would like the referendum to be conducted in a manner that leaves no room for doubt as to it's fairness or the final result as I believe that too many questions remain unanswered about the 2014 referendum, in particular the unusually large amount of postal votes, the lack of an exit poll, the concerns raised by international observers and the alleged advanced 'sampling' of postal votes by third parties.	No Answered	The changes appear to address some of the issues raised after the 2014 referendum
1114	1042318010	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals.	I agree with the proposals.	I agree with the proposals.
1115	64774619	Mark Holloway	Individual	Individual	I am happy with what has been proposed	Happy to a point however I feel that expats living in England or Wales should be able to vote.	I am content
1116	623354928	Lisa Simpson	Individual	Individual	I agree with these proposals	I agree with these proposals	I agree with these proposals
1117	271283441	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree.	Agree.	Agree.
1118	828021066	ian bruce	Individual	Individual	the use of postal votes needs to be more closely monitored	No Answered	the use of postal votes needs to be closely regulated as the current system is open to abuse
1119	66723054	Dorothy Jessiman	Individual	Individual	There should be a straight Yes No question as before.\r Publication of polls to be banned once the campaign is active.\r Publication to be banned of alternative solutions/offers which differ from the question posed once the campaign is active	None	Agree
1120	1071441705	Ian Foulds	Individual	Individual	Postal voting is a concern as are individuals and organisations which might be considered 'fifth columnists' in other countries!\r Concerned at the thought of the Vow mark 2, big business and main stream media spreading fear and falsehoods as well as covert operations and the financially well off scaring the more gullible through organisations set up for that specific purpose.\r More spirited and public defences of incorrect information provided by 'No2' and greater provision of accurate information should be made more public	No concerns at this time, although I am concerned at the possibility of duplicitousness and the fact that as non-resident Scots in 2014 we could not vote	No concerns at this time. See also comments in foregoing points
1121	97738430	Allan Gourlay	Individual	Individual	I think that the Police should be present at all stages of the voting and counting procedure. If Police presence is not available due to manning levels, the army should be present, as a last resort.	Due to their position in society, members of the House of Lords resident in Scotland, should not be allowed to vote.	N/A.
1122	1052824813	Steven Skeldon	Individual	Individual	I generally am supportive. Except on one point: the electorate and franchise. Eligibility to vote is something that Scotland, as a new democracy, has rightly triumphed on in the past, including for those aged 16-18. It is right and just that the Scottish Government has widened the franchise to encourage the engagement of young voters. However, I am very disappointed that the bill does not amend the franchise further. I wish the bill to be amended to allow all Scottish-born citizens the right to vote in the independence referendum called for in this bill.\r There are a couple of arguments I want to put forward:\r 1) The right to vote and the eligibility should match as closely as possible the terms of the Scottish electorate in the EU referendum 2016. This means all citizens resident abroad for less than 10 years had the right to vote in the EU referendum. They should also be allowed to vote on Scottish independence. The Scottish Government rightly recognises that independence within the EU is desirable and has called on a second referendum on independence directly because of the outcome of the EU vote. This means that persons such as myself, who now live outside Scotland, had a vote on the EU referendum and helped shape the outcome of that vote. Ministers should think carefully about saying how people in Scotland voted to keep Scotland in the EU. The vote was also cast by Scottish-born citizens living in the EU, US, and other countries. \r \t2) Citizenship as well as democracy calls for the right of vote to be a lifelong right. The UK and Ireland are currently the only EU nations that bar citizens voting in national elections once they leave that country. The UK government itself has a bill to remove this , so that citizens who live abroad for more than ten years can vote. It would be right then for the Scottish Government to review its rather minority position on citizen rights and voting rights. These are cherished rights, that go to the heart of what it will mean to be a Scottish citizen. The Scottish Government must put forward a positive and inclusive case for what it means to be Scottish, in order to secure a yes vote for independence.\r \t3) Lifelong interest. Citizenship has wider implications that I put here under 'lifelong interest'. What this means to me, is that I have family in Scotland. Family means property and inheritance. All persons born in Scotland will have a lifelong interest in Scotland. This includes champions of Scottish independence such as Sean Connery, polled as the greatest living Scot we have. My argument on citizenship and lifelong interest is that other countries allow citizens living abroad to vote quite simply because they have a right, as a citizen, to lifelong nationhood. The UK voting to leave the EU does impact all those holding British citizenship. When you live abroad, you still hold that citizenship, it is a right by birth. Unfortunately, many British citizens living out of the UK, within the EU, are now being used as a political football by the UK government to secure the best possible Brexit deal. I call on the Scottish Government to renounce that position, and to protect as much as possible the right of its born citizens. If Scotland becomes independent, it will dictate potentially what citizenship and passport I hold, and what countries I can visit, and what rights I have living in the EU. I think this is enough of an argument in itself for citizens like myself to have a right to vote on the second independence referendum.\r \tI would like to close by saying that I am 29 years old, and that I lived in Scotland all my life until 1 year ago when I moved abroad to live with my partner. All of my family remain in Scotland, and like me, voted yes in the 2014 referendum. I argued strongly to persuade many in my family to vote yes and it was very tough. This second vote will, if brought forward as I hope, be one that is more senior, more reasoned, and more confident than the first. It took Ireland many failed attempts to get independence from the UK, and that was achieved only by partitioning the country. The wider and more inclusive the SG makes this right to vote with this bill, the more likely the SG is to have a just and inclusive debate on independence.\r \tThank you for reading my feedback. I welcome questions or comments: Redacted textBest of luck, and lang mey lums reek.\r Redacted textforward	I have stated my view above that I believe the residency in Scotland angle to be flawed. Firstly: you can obscure this by having any postcode address linked to your name. This means it would be very easy for non-Scottish born persons to put themselves as resident in Scotland and obscure the vote. I think the whole process of registering your right to vote in Scotland and the UK is open to corruption. It would be prudent for the Scottish government to put forward a provision within this bill to amend the qualification of the right to vote. I do not have all the answers on this. What I suggest is that all persons born in Scotland and resident in Scotland for a certain period of time (say 12 years) have rights as Scottish citizens to vote. This does not mean I think you should exclude those resident in Scotland from voting; only to say that I think people not resident in Scotland who have a) family ties, b) a right of inheritance, and c) implications for their citizenship if Scotland leaves the UK, should all have a right to vote (if they lived in Scotland for at least 12 years say of their life, and still have family residing in Scotland who can act as their representative and prove their continued link to Scotland). I should say that in Ireland, they have given very careful thought on what it means to be 'habitually resident', this might be worth the Scottish Government exploring, as it was approved by the EU in terms of benefits/welfare/social provision - it has a legal approval by the EU. All other EU nations (interestingly except UK and Ireland) allow citizens born in that country to vote lifelong in that country's important national elections. the Scottish parliament is not a regional issue like the councils, it is a national body and thus the right to vote should be extended to all Scottish born citizens. As a worker, I have pensions invested as well as bank accounts in Scotland.	I do not hold strong views on this. I do think indyref1 was managed well. There were cases where people felt 'gagged' at their workplace. I do think, for the sake of openness, that the Scottish Government should try to protect the right to have a voice. the freedom of speech is vital to making this campaign transparent and fair.
1123	91686387	Telford Moore	Individual	Individual	Agreed	Agreed	Agreed
1124	269030829	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The referendum should be subject to independent scrutiny, ensuring every aspect is conducted properly.	The referendum should be subject to independent scrutiny, ensuring every aspect is conducted properly.	The referendum should be subject to independent scrutiny, ensuring every aspect is conducted properly.
1125	208920993	Joseph Murren	Individual	Individual	Satisfied with the arrangements	Satisfied with the proposed technical changes	Satisfied with the proposed changes
1126	257740097	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I want Scotland to be independent but don't believe it can be done through a referendum due to media bias. As we know media in Scotland and England go without challenge no matter what lies they tell, they also don't respect purrdah, unionist polititions go without challenge while nationalist polititions are treated like liars with no respect towards them. \rWhile all this happens we cannot win, we cannot stop the media either on tv, orint or Internet based.	There is noreal way to stop fraud. Postal votes being held in London and counted before the vote, official counters changing the ballots and miss counting them deliberately, unsealed boxes, no protection of the votes cast, fire alarms going off etc anyway of doing the referendum will encounter problems ie who we trust to handle it unionists won't and vice versa.	Again i dont think any of it will matter, as we saw in the last referendum the amount of fraud etc that happened and no one at all held accountable
1127	367116129	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The electoral commission should play NO PART in the next referendum \rThis should be run by the UN or other neutral international overseers as most people I know think we were knobbled on the last one because the tories had pre-knowledge of what the outcome will be as wee ruth stated on tv that they had knowledge of postal votes.\rThere was what seemed on tv as yes papers were counted in no piles \rThe way the voting boxes were handled etc ... all these things were suspect to fraud and I would like it if no part of the british establishment has anything to do with the next referendum on Scottish independence \rAlso postal votes must not be sent down to England for counting \rWe must keep any chance of being "got at" or getting a false result to an absolute minimum.	There should also be yes officials at every place including the transportation of the boxes from halls to counting stations and everywhere else to make sure there is no chance of being mismanaged and/or mishandled and miscounted	Again, the electoral commission which is part of the establishment should pay no part in a referendum that involves the break up of the establishment that they rely so much on
1128	362200428	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If you accept the last referendum was fair and transparent then you accept the result and there is no need to re run it, especially not with the same question. Whatever question is used it needs to be different with the negative answer being for breaking up the UK.	Given that the SNP intend using the result of the EU referendum as an invalid excuse for holding another independence referendum, EU citizens should not be allowed to vote. Given that only 40% of the Scottish electorate voted to remain in the EU (not the 62% as often repeated, there was a low turn out so only 62% of 67%), whilst 33% did not even bother to vote, Scotland is clearly not being "dragged out of the EU against it's will" but Scotland is being dragged into another independence referendum against it's will having already voted on this previously where over 2 million people voted No to independence, but only 1.6 million want stay in the EU. The likely hood of an EU referendum was know when the Independence referendum was held so the result of the EU referendum is not a material change that justifies rerunning the Independence referendum also Scotland is not a member of the EU, the UK is and the Scottish government has been advised by many sources if we leave the UK we leave the EU and have no guarantee of getting back in, so the Government cannot use the excuse of their personal wish to stay in the EU as a valid reason for another Independence referendum.	Misleading names should also be banned, such as "Business for Scotland", which does not speak for businesses in Scotland, but is actual an organisation supporting the SNP, they made the mistake of letting that slip when they phoned my work trying to drum up people to attend their meetings.
1129	1063216388	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with that arrangement.	All good.	good
1130	876139282	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Since the last consultation there have been two significant developments: referenda have been held both in Scotland and the UK. There is learning to consider from both of these. The EU referendum in particular has resulted in real difficulties – the government is instructed to leave the EU, whatever the terms that might be negotiated.\rThe question is too simple. It does not encourage respondents to think through the possible implications of change, and should they vote for an independent Scotland, it is unknown on what terms this would occur. It is too easy to answer the question at an emotional level only. The question should not be worded merely to encourage the highest ‘leave’ vote, but to facilitate a considered change in the way that Scotland relates to the rest of Great Britain.\rI would therefore suggest that the question should be ‘Should Scotland start negotiations to leave the United Kingdom to become an independent country?’ If this is considered too long it could perhaps be shortened to ‘Should Scotland leave the United Kingdom’.\rThe example of the EU referendum is that a decision to leave the EU was made, without any clear idea of what the terms of leaving would be. I consider it unacceptable for Scotland to decide to leave the United Kingdom with similar uncertainty – there is potentially a very bad deal for Scotland.\rThe EU referendum resulted in a major change being initiated on quite a small majority and less than 50% of registered voters. It is theoretically possible that this change could have been initiated on the basis of a difference of a single vote. I consider this very unsatisfactory. I suggest that such a major decision needs to be made on the basis of a very clear majority, such as 2/3, or >50% of those registered to vote. This would leave the result in no doubt and reduce the amount of recrimination afterwards.\rI would have no conceptual problem with the idea of counting systems other than manual counting.	I have reservations about the age of suffrage being as low as 16, which are unrelated to the referendum. However, I note that this is no longer open to debate.\rI agree with the points made in section 2.14.\rNo further comments on the proposed technical changes, which appear to be a reasonable tightening of procedure.	Without applying all of the edits listed in Schedule 2 of the draft Bill to the 2013 Act, it is not possible to form a clear view as to what the proposed changes to permissible participants are. Therefore no view is expressed.\rI note that there are to be no grants of public funding to those who wish to campaign. Where does this leave those who are paid public servants in a political capacity, such as Members of the Scottish Parliament? Surely it must be clear that any opinions expressed by them are personal only and are not related to the position in Government?
1131	457160051	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	The ballots should be counted and results recorded in situ, in each polling station, witnessed and signed off by all Agents in attendance. \rIf this does not happen, there should be a police escort of any vehicles used to transport ballot boxes from polling stations to Count venues
1132	941679300	Scotland in Union	Individual	Individual	The view of Scotland In Union is that a further referendum with the aim of making Scotland a separate country from the United Kingdom would be unnecessary, divisive and in breach of promises and commitments made by the Scottish Government. The continuing threat of a further divisive referendum is damaging to the Scottish and the wider British economy. \r The referendum held in September 2014 produced a decisive result in favour of unity in the United Kingdom. We call on the Scottish Government to respect that result. Alex Salmond, as First Minister and Nicola Sturgeon, then Deputy First Minister, signed an agreement with the UK Government that they would respect the result of that referendum. Both Mr Salmond and Ms Sturgeon promised during the referendum campaign that it would be a “once in a lifetime” or “once in a generation” event. Proposing another referendum on the same issue, in such a short period since 2014, would suggest that referendums are not always the best way of making important democratic decisions. \r Scotland In Union also notes that referendum on a constitutional matter such as breaking up the United Kingdom would require legislation, made by the UK Government and approved by the UK Parliament to give the Scottish Parliament temporary legislative competence to pass a referendum Bill. We believe the Scottish people would once again vote for unity, but we ask our politicians to consider the damage another referendum would do to our union, to the British economy, and the unnecessary distress and division it would cause. Further, the UK’s strategic planning must involve a horizon of more than a lifetime or a generation - that important process should be allowed to continue without the threat of the country being broken up. \r There is a strong risk that a further campaign to break up the United Kingdom would once again be based on false promises. Not least of these is the promise that if Scotland left the UK it could automatically join the European Union. The Scottish Government does not currently know if Scotland could join the EU, or on what terms. \r On the proposed arrangements, it is agreed that the Electoral Commission should be responsible for oversight of any referendum. The Commission should report to the Scottish Parliament for its role in any referendum called by the Scottish Government, but it should also have a duty to report to the UK Parliament. It is the future of the UK which is at stake and the UK Parliament is responsible for the continuing success of UK, its territorial integrity, its defence, and the security of its citizens in all parts of the UK. \r Scotland in Union notes that many voters in the 2014 and the European referendum felt they did not have enough information when they came to decide on our future. The rise of ‘post-truth’ politics has led to the public having to decide on competing ‘facts’ and contradictory information offered by both campaigns. The consequence has been accusations of bad faith and this has contributed to an inability to accept the result by some people.\r In 2014, in key areas such as the currency, more devolved powers, the future of the NHS, North Sea oil projections and basic economics, the public were let down by some politicians and campaign groups who indulged in ‘post-truth politics’. Many of these are still disputed two years later. How can we provide the public with indisputable, unvarnished facts which are not tainted by desperate campaigners whose will to win surpasses their sense of fair play or objective analysis?\r Scotland in Union suggests a forum is created to ensure facts are made available to the public. Both campaigns could agree to an independent and qualified ‘Truth Commission’ to act as an unimpeachable fact-checker to review and arbitrate on areas of dispute. This independent panel of experts could be agreed by both sides to adjudicate on behalf of the Scottish people.\r Voters should be able to go to the polls informed and confident in their decision, not having to decide which politician is the most convincing. We cannot afford to take such a momentous decision with a ‘post-truth’ referendum. An independent and trusted fact-checker which both sides agree to respect would arm voters with the information they need to make a considered decision and allow any division to heal after the referendum.\r With regard to management of the referendum, although we oppose such a referendum, steps must be taken to reduce the possibility of intimidation and harassment. The Scottish Government must consider the implications for policing during the referendum campaign and on polling day. Specifically, there should be provision for Police Scotland to record whether any criminal activity reported to them is related to the referendum.	The extension of the franchise to 16 and 17 year olds should not be an excuse to politicise schools. If school premises are used for campaign meetings (as is suggested in this consultation paper) such meetings should be outside normal school hours, and school staff must ensure there is objectivity in the classroom. \r There is no explanation in the consultation paper as to why the local government franchise is to be favoured over the parliamentary constituency franchise. This creates an anomaly whereby some voters are eligible to vote for a Member of Parliament but not for the future of Scotland in the UK. It specifically excludes voters eligible to vote in a Scottish Parliamentary constituency but currently resident in other parts of the UK. We suggest a review of the franchise to confirm the fairest option and explain rationale for the decision. \r The consultation paper makes no reference to the majority that would be required to change Scotland’s constitutional status within the UK. Scotland in Union notes the inability of many people to accept a 55% result and acknowledges the diversity of opinion in what an appropriate threshold is for a major constitutional change. We would welcome a reflection on previous referendums and a review of all options to ensure we deliver an accurate result that everyone accepts. This would minimise the risk of anyone feeling unfairly dragged out or kept in.\r We note the consultation paper suggests the Scottish Government is minded to propose a variation on the wording of the referendum question. The Scottish Government should be aware the Electoral Commission concluded that a Yes/No question would not be fair in the context of the EU referendum. There is some advantage to the side which seeks the ‘Yes’ answer, a fact acknowledged by Alex Salmond, First Minister at the time of the 2014 referendum.\r Scotland in Union believes the Electoral Commission should reflect carefully on its previous finding and we trust that it will determine an appropriate and fair question in the event of another referendum.	Scotland in Union agrees that the Electoral Commission should again be responsible for policing the campaign rules, but we believe it should report to the UK Parliament as well as the Scottish Parliament. The future of the UK is at stake, and Parliament would need to be reassured that the campaigns were being conducted fairly. \r With regard to ‘permitted participants, Scotland in Union considers that greater care needs to be taken to ensure that participants are genuine participants in their own right and not simply branches of the main campaign. Funding arrangements (see question 4) should ensure that each participant is self-funding and is not simply being funded by a larger organisation. \r Scotland in Union notes the proposal to allow designated organisations to use meeting rooms in schools and other public buildings (paragraph 3.7). It is important that any campaign is conducted without politicising schools. If campaign meetings are to be held in schools, they must be held outside school hours and without any disruption to school life. Schools should not display campaign material. \r The resources of the Civil Service should be used to provide accurate and impartial information but should have no role in producing a political prospectus. Politicians should respect the independence and integrity of the civil service. \r Use of the phrase “Westminster Parliament” (paragraph 3.1) in this context is deliberately coloured language to make Britain’s Parliament sound remote and to undermine its legitimacy in Scotland. Documents produced by a non-partisan civil service should use less emotive terminology.
1133	1049564092	Lindsay Reid	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements for the next Independence Referendum for Scotland appear to be, as in the previous one, well thought out and now with appropriate amendments. \r 1.6 The question. In 2014 the question used seemed to be the best and clearest. However, given the current circumstances re the EU we might need to consider whether or not this question needs a re-think. \rShould the Scottish people be given a separate question regarding our status in the EU? On the same ballot paper? \rOr should we come out of the EU as Westminster seems to be trying to do, then have the Referendum and when that is settled for Independence, ask the Scottish people if they want to go into the EU? This seems very long-winded.\rShould the term EU be included in the one question - I don't like this much. We can't take it for granted that all yes voters want to remain in the EU. It might not help. \r We need to have a question that keeps the pro-indy answer 'yes'. This is positive - we must keep away from negative campaigning. \r 1.7 Yes please just have a simple majority and please do not let anybody suddenly say it should be a percentage more than a simple majority as in the '40% rule' in 1979. I remember it well - it was a disgrace.	I fully endorse the inclusion of 16 and 17 year-olds. \r Comment re postal voting:\r I was very concerned during the 2014 Referendum when a prominent proponent of the 'No ' vote acquired information before voting was closed, regarding the way the vote in an area was going. She declared in public and was seen and heard on national television, still before the close of voting, that it was 'encouraging'. \rThis behaviour is unacceptable from any side of the Referendum. It could have influenced the voting and possibly did. How many times could this have happened on a lesser scale? Is there any way to prevent unauthorised persons from viewing postal votes prior to the close of voting?	Who decides who/what is a 'permitted participant body'? There are many bodies and movements in Scotland who are passionate in favour of their cause but who are not members of any political party. They need to be given weight and credence and allowed to be and feel included.
1134	802424207	Keith Howell	Individual	Individual	This consultation exercise has been structured to be biased in favour of the SNP government's viewpoint. In particular it does not encourage opinions to be expressed about three fundamental issues - namely: whether it is appropriate to use the excuse of the terms of Brexit to call a Scottish independence referendum; whether if a referendum is to take place it is right to assume that the same question should be used as last time; and given the experience of recent divisive referendums whether it is right to use the same simple majority as last time when the decision is about such a fundamental change for our country .\r I will address the first of these issues here, the second under question 2, and the third under question 3. It is notable that none of the questions for which responses are sought in this consultation give any obvious room for providing these answers. I will focus on just these three fundamental issues and leave others to comment on the technical and less significant points that the SNP government have structured this consultation to seek comments on.\r SHOULD THERE BE A SECOND INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM?\rThe EU referendum was about a UK decision to remain in or leave the EU. Following the Brexit result the SNP government has sought to re-imagine the outcome as demonstrating support in Scotland for wanting to remain in Europe even if at the cost of having to leave the UK to do so. In fact a significant proportion of those who voted in Scotland to remain in the EU would not support leaving the UK which they view as a much closer, more positive and significant a union to Scotland than that offered by the EU.\rThe SNP government claim a mandate for their threatened second independence referendum based on wording in their 2016 Holyrood elections manifesto which in fact was not definitive - it did not bind the government to act in a certain way in particular circumstances but rather tried to provide an open ended potential for the Scottish government to act if it decided to do so. Even supporters of the SNP recognised at the time that the woolly wording in the manifesto did not provide a binding mandate. Instead it was watered down wording intended to tempt those who would not want a second divisive referendum to still think that they could safely vote for the SNP. At best the mandate the SNP can claim on the basis of their 2016 election manifesto is a misleading one. \rThe manipulative nature of the SNP's use of the Brexit result to justify a second independence referendum is further reflected in the language used by its leadership in regards to the EU referendum outcome. Arguing for another independence referendum on the basis of talk of Scotland being dragged out of the EU against its will, knowingly ignores the fact that the EU referendum was actually about the whole of the UK's position in relation to the EU, not the constituent parts of the UK. Even worse is to imply, as the First Minister so often does, that if she seeks a second independence referendum it will be on the strength of those in Scotland who voted Remain in the EU referendum. In fact a substantial proportion of those who voted Remain in Scotland would never 'give' their support to those who seek to breakup the UK, whether or not on the flimsy excuse of seeking to potentially retain membership of the EU.	WHAT SHOULD THE QUESTION BE?\rA fundamental issue in any referendum is the exact wording of the question. The SNP are well aware of this having tactically secured an advantage in the 2014 referendum through wording that favoured their stance.\rThe Electoral Commission has now given its initial recommendations about the Scottish government’s draft Bill for a second independence referendum. In due course it will need to recommend a change to the question if the Scottish government proceed with their plans for using the same question as last time. \rAhead of the EU referendum, the Electoral Commission conducted extensive research into the implications of various approaches to posing a question, with the UK government originally suggesting ‘Should the UK remain in the European Union’, requiring either a Yes or No answer.\rThe conclusion of the Electoral Commission analysis was that the question needed to be reframed on a more neutral basis requiring a Remain or Leave answer, which the UK government accepted. This ensured that neither side was gifted with the positive response. Any tempted to wonder if this makes much difference should recall how the SNP made the ‘negativity’ of their opponents during the 2014 Scottish referendum a fundamental plank of their campaign from the start, clearly made easier by forcing the No side to argue for the negative answer.\rAlex Salmond managed to engineer the eventual question that was posed in 2014, by proposing an even more obviously biased question initially with its leading introduction, namely ‘Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?’. When the Electoral Commission at the time recommended this be adjusted to ‘Should Scotland be an independent country’ and this was accepted by the UK government, Mr Salmond knew he had won the first round of the referendum, by getting a question that would help him portray the SNP as being the positive side of the argument.\rThe Electoral Commission have recently made clear it will want to comment on the ‘intelligibility’ of the proposed second referendum question even if it is the same as last time. Its report with its recommendations about the EU referendum question stated that this ‘intelligibility’ meant more than just the understanding of the question and included proposing reframing a question to improve its neutrality. \rThe SNP are aware of the views expressed by the Electoral Commission but are nevertheless proposing to use the same question as last time to retain the advantage of the positive Yes answer. This demonstrates an inability on the part of the SNP government to differentiate between those aspects of their responsibilities in government where a genuinely politically neutral approach is required (such as when conducting a public consultation) and those areas where a politically motivated approach is to be expected (such as in deciding to call a second referendum).	WHAT MAJORITY SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO APPROVE SCOTLAND LEAVING THE UK?\rThe SNP government proposes to use a simple majority to decide a second independence referendum, primarily on the precedent of the first referendum.\rGiven the significance of the decision being made and the fact that it was considered just 2 years ago when voters were assured it would be a once in a lifetime or a once in a generation vote, if a second independence referendum is to be imposed on us a 55 per cent majority should be required for those seeking independence to win.\r Nigel Smith who was a leader of the campaign that led to Holyrood being established, is well placed to take an overview of the different constitutional votes Scotland has had and the various voting systems used. In a recent article for the Herald (16th October, 2016) he proposed a 55% “super majority” before such an undoubtedly hugely disruptive exercise is undertake, to ensure it does not otherwise happen on the basis of an unclear result.
1135	734310533	Joan Williams	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I believe the document is not designed to encourage the average member of the public to respond as it deals with the technical details of running the referendum. I believe it would have been prudent to ask the public in the first instance if they actually want another Independence Referendum as this would save time and money before embarking on the exercise. In 2014 there was a lack of information on many issues such as currency etc and it seems to me this consultation should come after the Scottish Government set out its plans answering the previously unanswered questions. I would also like the Scottish Government to explain the legal basis on how the Treaty of Union could be overturned as Article 1 states we would be joined in Union "Forever After". A new Treaty cannot be made as we are not a Sovereign State. Much information is required before embarking on a consultation on technical detail on holding a second Referendum.
1136	826129440	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I don't think there should be another referendum. We were previously told that it was a once in a life time vote, however the SNP's are going back on this. The majority vote was for No and this should be respected. Nicola Sturgeon is currently unhappy that the Scottish majority for Brexit was to remain in the EU. She is fighting the Brexit vote saying that the Scottish voice is not being heard. Why does she refuse to hear the Scottish voice from the 2014 referendum! She refuses to hear as it is not what she wants! There is not sufficient money in the government pot to pay for the NHS and social welfare. The millions that will be wasted for another referendum could be better spent on services for the poor and needy in Scotland instead of following a whim for Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP's.
1137	92642743	James Pugh	Individual	Individual	The Electoral Commission should report to the UK Parliament, given that the UK Parliament will need to grant permission for IndyRef2 to take place. This was the position last time, and we should follow the precedent - especially given the SNP's attempts to remain overly involved in the Brexit Article. 50 case.	I think it is astounding that Scottish people living elsewhere within the United Kingdom will not be allowed to vote. Given that I - and many others - voted to remain part of one United Kingdom, our geographical location within our 'one nation' State is irrelevant. \r Furthermore, I and 55% of my fellow Scot's, voted in 2014 to take decisions such as the EU referendum at the UK level - for better or worse. The fact that the Scottish government is seeking to disregard the will of the majority of Scots is a betrayal of our democratic foundations. Along similar lines, more people voted 'no' in the Scottish referendum than voted 'Remain'. It's clear therefore, that despite the SNP's hopeless attempts at stirring up division, the majority of Scots would prefer to remain within the United Kingdom than the decaying bureaucratic monolith that is the EU.	I have nothing to add in this regard.
1138	770890339	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I really do not wish for another referendum, I voted NO in the last one and will not be changing my mind.	No comment.	None
1139	858279966	Robert Wilson	Individual	Individual	There should not be a second referendum for at least a generation. A second referendum would be highly divisive to Scotland. The will of the Scottish people as given at the last referendum should be respected. This process is nothing but a waste of time and resources that could be well spent in other areas of public services.	In the event that a second referendum were forced on Scotland, then it should be, at the very minimum, all Scottish born voters who live within the whole of the UK and who are on the electoral list, should be added to the list of eligible voters.	N/A
1140	121404311	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Seems ok	I don't feel if you've campaigned you shouldn't be allowed to work at the count.	None
1141	600587557	Melville McDonald	Individual	Individual	There is no need for another referendum. The issue was decided democratically in September 2014.	I don't have any views as the process is unnecessary and in my opinion this consulatation is a waste of public money.	No opinion
1142	138589908	Pinny Winch	Individual	Individual	It is absolutely scandalous that the Scottish Government are even considering ANOTHER referendum. \rNicola Sturgeon said that she wouldn't consider another one until support for it was at.least 60% - it's still around 45%.. \rPrior to the last referendum both Salmond AND Sturgeon said it was a 'Once in a generation' vote. \rThis continual talk of another referendum is reducing investment in Scotland. \rThis continual.talk of another referendum is keeping Scotland divided.	I think anyone who considers themselves to be SCOTTISH and living in the UK should be eligible to vote. \rAny armed forces personnel in The Royal Regiment of Scotland should be entitled to vote.	Really?
1143	114316435	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	N/A	N/A	N/A
1144	879561369	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would rather there was no referendum, it serves no purpose other that to incur further costs.	No view	No view
1145	914710600	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a referendum! We gave our answer in 2014!	There should not be a referendum! We gave our answer in 2014!	There should not be a referendum! We gave our answer in 2014!
1146	838986567	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is a betrayal of all British people that there is even a consideration for another independence referendum so soon after the SNPs failure to persuade anywhere near a majority of people residing in Scotland that breaking up a 300 year old Union was a remotely intelligent idea. We were promised that 2014 referendum was once in a generation, even once in a lifetime opportunity, (by Nicola Sturgeon herself) but here barely 2 years on and the SNP are pushing for a new referendum, even after Nicola Sturgeon signed the Edinburgh Agreement herself stating that she would abide by the decision. \r If the SNP are determined to ignore the will of the voters in Scotland to start another divisive referendum campaign then, initially to have any credibility to the process, Nicola Sturgeon must stand down as FM at the very least least and preferably retire from any official dealings with the referendum as going back on her word on the Edinburgh Agreement brings Scotland into disrepute and she should not be allowed to carry on in an official capacity. A new nation or a re-emerging nation should not be built on such deception as she will have shown by starting a new ref campaign. \r If a new referendum is to take place then the basic arrangements should be as previous, however the UK Government should have more involvement. This process will affect the whole UK and it is the responsibility of the UK Gov to oversee any such processes. This is the power that Scotland gave UK Gov in 2014 when we rejected independence.\r In the 2014 campaign the SNP/Yes campaign lied profusely about many issues that need to be seriously addressed and honest information needs to be given to votes this time. eg SNP said we would automatically stay/rejoin the EU, this was never a fact, most evidence including letters from the EU pointed to this being a lie, in truth it is probably more fair to say that it is unknown what the situation would be. The voters should be told this and with the facts of the requirements to join, it should be made clear the risk of not being allowed to join. Many other areas were subject to similar claims that were not actual truths, often either unknown or bare faced lies and the people stating them knew they were lies. If we are to make a choice on our future it must be made on truth only with all the risks clearly advised with both worse and best case scenarios spelled out and clearly stated without spin by any side. These also include privatisation of NHS, joining NATO, keeping Royals, removal of RN Ships from Scottish shipyards, size of defence spending, closing of bases. \r One of the most important pieces of information that was wildly exaggerated by SNP/Yes in 2014 was the economy and whether oil was important or "just a bonus" Truth of how we would be economically, better or worse must be advised truthfully, all the false information must be stopped and a clear indication of what would be required to ensure our standard of living wasnt negatively affected by independence, or clear information of how much worse we would be so that people can judge. Obviously future economy cant be stated as fact, but there are plenty experts that can advise best and worse sensible scenarios. \r I have seen discussion on social media regarding a fact checking body. I think this is critical requirement for a future referendum, but must not be dominated by the SNP and must be cross party and independently monitored.\r I would end this section by repeating that I feel that there should be no further independence referendums at least in this parliament, although there shouldn't be one being considered at any time as it not only risks the UK but also continues the hurt that has been done to Scotland. I repeat that holding another referendum at this time, or any time soon, ie before at least one generation has passed would be a total betrayal of the British people and especially all those who voted NO in 2014.	As 16 & 17 year olds were included in 2014 then it is probably right that they should be included again, not withstanding that, I do not agree that they should be allowed to vote in refs or elections of any sort. On one hand the SNP deem it necessary that they have state guardians and then on the other it is deemed acceptable for them to vote. Although many are quite political and many will have researched just as much as all other age groups I feel that they in general are also more likely to be influenced by parents, teachers and others who have there own agendas and they could be more easily swayed by politicised in school and other areas. It has become a very worrying situation that people from political parties seem to be campaigning in schools and at family events targeting children, more so this is by independence campaigners. I would like to see stronger protection to prevent this and ensuring that 16 & 17 year olds are exposed to both sides equally.\r I would like to see who can vote reviewed to ensure more fairness. I cannot see why for example an EU citizen who has been in Scotland for a short time and may not stay in Scotland once a decision has been made should be allowed a vote when someone who has lived in Scotland but may have moved to England for work\ror other reasons, but who will likely return to Scotland in the future is not allowed a vote. Although I believe polls showed that "native" Scots favoured independence and others from rUK and EU preferred UK, I would still be in favour of at least a review of participants being undertaken. \r A review of postal voting is appropriate. Too much was made in 2014 about tampering with postal votes and whether individuals counted postal votes prior to the official count. Also too much was made of ridiculous claims of Yes votes on No tables, fire alarms, boxes and papers being destroyed etc. better policing should be employed to ensure these claims cant be repeated. Better physical policing of polling stations should also be considered.\r Further to 2014 as well as the EU ref, I feel that 50% +1 vote majority is not acceptable as this leads to continuous claims that it is not a big enough majority and not strong enough to answer the question. 55% was not big enough for many on the losing side in 2014 to accept the result and obviosuly if the next one went the other way then it would need to be greater than 55% for independence. a full consultation is necessary to decide on a suitable threshold for such a major constitutional change.\r Further to the EU ref a straight YES/NO answer is obviously no longer acceptable. A positive answer is widely accepted to give an unfair advantage, so more neutral responses such as the EU ref is essential and YES/NO should not even be considered after the Electoral Commission's EU ref decision on the wording. I feel this is extremely deceptive and devious of the SNP to even consider the same wording and in no way should the YES campaign be allowed to force the wording just to suit their own agenda. I believe Alex Salmond acknowledged the advantage of having a YES answer. The question should be along the lines of "Should Scotland remain in UK" with answers "Remain part of UK" and "Leave UK"	As stated previously I would like to see more involvement of the UK Gov. The whole UK is at stake and although only Scottish residents will have the say it is important that UK Gov overseas this process with the Electoral Commission having a direct reporting role to UK Gov as well as Scot Gov.\r Permitted participants need to be monitored better and ensured that they are not covertly financed or otherwise influenced by other organisations and/or parties.
1147	752429103	Deirdre Hoyle	Individual	Individual	I think the arrangements will once again use up time and budget better spent on improving the lives of Scottish citizens, rather than increasing division within the community	No Answered	Again, while residents of Scotland are included, which is a good thing, Scottish nationals residing in England do not have a vote.
1148	134201761	Scotty Van der Tol	Individual	Individual	This consultation is defunct because it doesn't have a section to address the fact that there is no legitimate reason for a referendum.\r The EU referendum doesn't represent a change of circumstances as a vote for Scottish independence in 2014 now or in the future means Scotland will no longer be a member of the EU.\r When people voted no in 2014 they knew we would be having a referendum on EU membership. \r Scotland didn't vote to remain in the EU as there was no such thing as a single Scottish vote as a single entity. People voted as U.K. Citizens and individuals. Some Scottish people voted remain and some leave. The Scottish government is effectively saying that it can block Scottish leave votes from participating in a UK referendum and dictate that only their remain votes be counted.	No Answered	I do not agree that EU citizens be allowed to vote on the potential break up of the UK while British citizens from other parts of the UK including Scottish people are not allowed a say, even though it has far more to do with them.\r Indeed if the Scottish government applies the same logic that It should somehow be able to overrule the rest of the UK including over1M referendum winning Scottish leave voters then the rest of the UK should be allowed a vote if Scotland proposes to break it up.
1149	126431048	Peter Ryan	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum	I agree with the proposed technical changes	I agree with the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants
1150	139423475	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is a joke. The question was asked and answered and there should be no referendum. Democracy does not consist of asking the same question until you get the answer you want to hear. Ignoring the will of the majority of voters is a disgrace.	Don't care - there should be no referendum.	No opinion
1151	381324777	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no problem with the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum.	I would like to see the eligibility to vote in the election extended to those born in Scotland but currently residing outside Scotland. At times in my life, I have lived outside Scotland and would have been devastated as a committed Scot to be excluded from such an important vote.	No problem with these changes.
1152	1051002254	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We don't need another referendum. We had one in 2014 when the Majority of Scottish voters said they wished to stay part of the UK and this has not changed.	We don't need another referendum. We had one in 2014 when the Majority of Scottish voters said they wished to stay part of the UK and this has not changed.\r It's worth noting that in the event of any future potential referendum that citizens of ROI and other EU countries should not be allowed to have a vote and neither should 16 & 17 years olds!	We don't need another referendum. We had one in 2014 when the Majority of Scottish voters said they wished to stay part of the UK and this has not changed.
1153	1005450147	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The basis of the reason for this referendum is phoney and simply based on the SNP obsession with independence. The BREXIT referendum was UK wide and the UK wide vote was to leave the EU. The SNP simply refuse to accept any referendum result they don't like. Whilst the SNP government spend all their time moaning about everything south of the border, and nothing is ever their fault, Scotlands public services are going down the pan.	No comment	If another referendum is going to be forced on the folk of Scotland then proxy voting should not be allowed and nor should postal voting. Both forms of voting were reported (TV and press) as being misused in the last referendum. I believe more under 18s were registered to vote in Dundee than actually existed and in Ayrshire (if I recall correctly) underage children had been registered to vote unbeknown to their parents. The finger of suspicion really only pointed to SNP supporters.
1154	945675246	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe we should have another referendum. Therefore I have no interest in discussing a vague notion in such detail. Wait 25 years then ask me.	I have no opinion on a process that is ill thought out and unjustied.	My view is that we, the people of Scotland, should not be having this conversation.
1155	34290631	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	What a terrible, terrible idea. Another divisive referendum is the last thing that Scotland needs. We voted to remain in the United Kingdom, only a little over two years ago. However such incompetence hardly comes as a surprise now in regards to this government. The sole aim of the SNP is to pursue independence endlessly and create division where it is not there.
1156	198014191	John Mepham	Individual	Individual	Another referendum is not needed. It is only an issue because the SNP won't shut up. But they should. Their noise is hurting the Scottish economy badly.\r If a second referendum led to Scottish separation from the United Kingdom, then the powerful Unionists in Scotland deserve one after a year of separation to see if Scots wish to return to the Union. I have no doubt they would because independence would be a financial disaster for Scotland.	Seems OK to me	No views
1157	536570411	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the arrangements as outlined in more information drop down	I agree with them and find them satisfactory	I agree with them
1158	1044604132	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with the proposed arrangements. A second Independence referendum should only be held once the outcome of Brexit negotiations are known and a clear case can be made that Scotland would be better to be an independence country than remain in the UK outside of the EU.\r Only hold a referendum if you think there is a clear majority of people in Scotland are in favour - a second defeat will mean remaining in the UK for the rest of my lifetime - not particularly keen on that prospect.	Happy with these proposals	Happy with these proposals.
1159	973151621	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The scottish government should abide by the 2014 referendum result that was a No to independence and also abide by its guarantee that it would be once in a generation that has not occurred. This new proposed bill is a farce and makes a mockery out of the Democratic process. The government was elected by the people and should listen to them when we voted and said No. Also the government should get on with the job of running the country instead of wasting money and time that can be better spent.	See question one	See question one.
1160	1007379094	1959	Individual	Individual	No comment on what is a tried and tested system, understood by almost all people in Scotland.	Only comment was the apparent difficulty some voters had to get an emergency proxy due to ill health or hospitalisation, but pro rata this was not high.\rI think more people should be encouraged to get a Postal Vote, and be re assured it can be delivered to their Polling Station on the day.	No views on this.
1161	287203923	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Think the government should concentrate on running the country and not unsettling it with talk of further referendums . Time to take action on nhs waiting lists. Waiting times being breached and no one taking any action . Normal hard working people being overlooked in preference to those who have no intention of working .
1162	872570332	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	the vote should be a total count off all those for against all those against. I want a democratic vote not a semi proportional vote	No Answered	we should not include 16 and 17 year old. These people are already deemed to be children under the new legislation which aimed to each of them have government appointed guardians. If these need guardians then they either will be influences by these guardians or will not have the competence to fully understand the repercussions one way or the other of what this vote means
1163	1069915535	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not necessary referendum already carried out in 2014 and vote was for staying part of the UK.\r No referendum is required	No comment referendum not required.\rLast one was for a generation.	No comment as above
1164	131826325	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Excluding 16 and 17 year olds as they do not have sufficient life experience to make an informed financial choice on the impact of a referendum.	Fine.	Fine.
1165	946258619	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	A number of months ago, the Scottish Government advised that they would be consulting with the Scottish people as to whether they wished to have a further Referendum on Scottish Independence. This questionnaire is more to do with the technical issues contained in the consultation paper and almost nothing to do with the principle of whether the Scottish people want another Referendum - this is most disappointing.
1166	870748806	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the split of responsibilities but given the constitutional significance of another referendum the Electoral Commission should also report to the Westminster Parliament.	No views to add	No comment
1167	54244236	Andrew Anderson	Individual	Individual	None.	I don't believe that non-citizens should be entitled to vote.	None.
1168	203745499	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a second referendum. We, the Scottish people, were assured that the SNP would accept the result of the first referendum and with a clear 10% majority of those who voted, we as a nation said NO. We need a government that will get on and govern the country, not continue to force their own party's agenda on us - we said NO. I am also extremely disappointed that this consultation exercise assumes there will be a second referendum nd provides no space for views such as those I am choosing to type here.	There should not be a second referendum. We, the Scottish people, were assured that the SNP would accept the result of the first referendum and with a clear 10% majority of those who voted, we as a nation said NO. We need a government that will get on and govern the country, not continue to force their own party's agenda on us - we said NO. I am also extremely disappointed that this consultation exercise assumes there will be a second referendum nd provides no space for views such as those I am choosing to type here.	There should not be a second referendum. We, the Scottish people, were assured that the SNP would accept the result of the first referendum and with a clear 10% majority of those who voted, we as a nation said NO. We need a government that will get on and govern the country, not continue to force their own party's agenda on us - we said NO. I am also extremely disappointed that this consultation exercise assumes there will be a second referendum nd provides no space for views such as those I am choosing to type here.
1169	408850880	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I do not want another referendum.\rWe voted to stay in the U.K. and that decision should stand.\rIf the S.N.P. decides to hold another referendum I for one ( having never actively campaigned before ) will vigorously campaign to remain part of the U.K.
1170	1030759802	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree .	Anything that provides a fair and impartial result is what we want.	Agree.
1171	817358303	Lisa Kirkwood	Individual	Individual	I object to the cost and distraction for local authorities and Scottish Government involved in running another referendum. Scottish Tax Payers' money would be better spent on other priorities.	I object to the cost and distraction for local authorities and Scottish Government involved in running another referendum. Scottish Tax Payers' money would be better spent on other priorities.	I object to the cost and distraction for local authorities and Scottish Government involved in running another referendum. Scottish Tax Payers' money would be better spent on other priorities.
1172	701078634	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I firmly believe there should be no further refererendum on Scottish independence as there wad a clear mandate in 2014 to remain part of the UK. While there was a subsequent democratic process in which the UK voted to leave the EU, this is part of belong ok belonging to the UK. You can't ignore one democratic process simply because it suits your agenda which is frankly decisive and unnecessary. I voted to remain as part of the UK and EU however I am happy to abide by the democratic will of the people, unlike it seems the SNP government.	There should be no referendum	There should be no referendum
1173	572433749	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I struggled with allowing 16/17 year olds to vote but changed my mind on this before the previous referendum as they have to live with the decision. Proposals to run any referendum in line with local/parliament elections are acceptable.	I do not agree that members of the EU resident in Scotland should be able to vote as they may have only just arrived and may leave as a result of the vote thus allowing them to tactically vote potentially. Meanwhile residents in the UK who are not British Citizens but who have chosen to live in scotland for many years are not entitled to vote. Hardly makes sense.	no particular view
1174	84168596	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There should be NO further referendum on Scottish independence. The Scottish people's decision of 2014 must be respected.
1175	443292340	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Eligibility should include those who were born in Scotland but are not currently living here. Many people work and live temporarily outside Scotland and should be entitled to. a vote.	See answer to Q1. Also there is no logic in having people who are not entitled to vote in a U.K. Referendum vote in this one.	No comment
1176	960715917	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am not aware of a need for a further referendum. The referendum in 2014 made it clear that the majority of the Scottish people did not want independence from the rest of the United Kingdom.	As I believe that a further referendum is not required the question has no validity.	As I believe that a further referendum is not required the question has no validity.
1177	258844137	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No views	Don't agree that under 18 should be allowed to vote	No view
1178	969956234	John Richard Todd	Individual	Individual	In view of (uncorroborated?immunity from prosecution?) reports of deliberate mis-representation of the number of votes counted per candidate a reform is appropriate.	Only Scots should be allowed to vote in such a referendum .Whichever definition of Scottish we agree upon should determine Scot.\r Political opinion should not,in a democracy,effect arithmetic.\r It does still allow falsification.	Sounds good.
1179	873348232	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposal seems fine	It appears to be satisfactory	If it conforms to electoral commission requirements it is acceptable
1180	677337343	Russell manson	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum.	There should be no changes	In favour
1181	845365504	John Clayton	Individual	Individual	A second referendum is not needed.	A second referendum is not needed.	A second referendum is not needed.
1182	490658827	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A complete waste of my taxes. Scotland decided on 18 September 2014 to remain a part of the UK and I do not see any reason for that dexision to change.	No view, except it is not necessary.	No view.
1183	336718118	Thomas mcgeachie	Individual	Individual	I know that the Scottish snp will do the the upmost to get us independence from our neighbours	I think that all the changes proposed are right	Well if they live in Scotland they should be if they fit the criteria
1184	368756808	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am unhappy that Scottish born and educated people will have no right to vote.	No interest	No interest
1185	538160258	Barry rhodes	Individual	Individual	I believe and think it would be right to allow Scottish nationals living in other parts of the U.K. Or abroad the chance to vote as the U.K. Allowed this for the EU referendum.	As I stated above I think for an independence referendum all Scottish nationals should be able to vote along with those others Mentioned above	I agree
1186	177418044	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum	No manipulation of methods should be made	I do not approve of 16 year old being included on the roll as they need to have more life experience before having voting rights
1187	823617331	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This set of 5 questions does not encompass the following, which I shall therefore insert here. The Foreword to the consultation document has "On the 23 June, Scotland delivered a strong and unequivocal vote to remain in the EU."\r This is plainly untrue. It evidently means that "On the 23 June, Scotland delivered a strong and unequivocal vote that Scotland should remain in the EU." A true version would be "On the 23 June, Scotland delivered a strong and unequivocal vote that the UK should remain in the EU."\r The question of whether Scotland (Scottish voters) thinks that Scotland should remain in the EU independently of the rest of the UK has not been asked. If there is to be another referendum, this should be the question.\r In addition, there is no evidence of a material change in circumstances since 2014. Circumstances have certainly changed. But opinion polls continue to show that there is no greater desire for independence now, after the Brexit vote, than there was before the Brexit vote. Hence the change in circumstances has not been material to our desire to maintain the Union. Material is the operative word here.	Eligibility to vote should include overseas voters. This is done routinely for UK elections e.g. https://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/register-to-vote/british-citizens-living-abroad\r Excluding overseas voters seems like a disreputable attempt at gerrymandering and is inconsistent with the aim that "1.1.5 The decision on Scotland's future should be taken through a process that is beyond reproach."	I have no views on this
1188	148182822	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This seems fine.	Please young people are a part of this again. There does need to be more information in schools about voting and what the referendum is about.\r Absent vote - see no reason to change this. It is so minor and any additional "hoops" might provide a barrier.\r Polling & Count Staff - fair enough\r Verification Statements - fair enough	Fair enough
1189	430270688	Mark Openshaw	Individual	Individual	Eligibility to vote should be available to Scots living in the rest of the uk.	Eligibility to vote should be available to Scots born people living in the rest of the uk as they are currently resident in the country of which they are citizens.	No view on this
1190	791518580	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	OK	Only british citizens resident in scotland.\r Need a requirement for at least 50% plus 1 vote of the electorate\ror\r60% of the turnout \rto make such a fundamental change to the government of the country.\r 50% plus 1 vote of the turnout is madness for such an important irreversible issue. I know this was the method for the last independence referendum and the BREXIT referendum but there is no good reason to maintain this.	OK
1191	426849000	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I completely agree with them	I agree with them	I agree with them
1192	87901591	Mr Robert Collinson	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Individual	As the international law on self determination of people is the highest authority on this subject, both it and its consequences should be included in the act as in the following example:-\r The international law on self determination of people's states that :- All peoples always have the right, in full freedom, to determine, when and as they wish, their internal and external political status, without external interference, and to pursue as they wish their political, economic and cultural development.\r In this case, the people are the Scottish electorate. All others are, EXTERNAL and whether individuals or organisations can play no part in the referendum process. Any illegal funding shall be confiscated, and all attempts at interference\rsubject to application of the law.\r These are my thoughts on the matter, it was external participation that stole the result last time. It may be Westminster's concern, but legally it's not their business. Feel free to pick and mix to comply with other legal obligations.
1193	39364723	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Eighteen is the age of adulthood in this country. Only adults should vote on significant matters such as Independence for Scotland.\r The Question should be reviewed, and perhaps amended, to remove bias.\r 50% of votes cast seems a bit slender margin for such momentous change. I would prefer to see 50% of eligible voters for this.	Satisfactory	Satisfactory
1194	23878719	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Whilst I am happy with these arrangements once the Scottish Parliament has decided that Referendum should be held, the arrangements for deciding on this question is far less clear in this consultation, yet is an important part of managing any vote. The Scottish Parliament should be asked to approve the holding of a Referendum before, any Referendum Bill is put before them, and the term of the BIll should then reflect any response from Parliament.\r Furthermore the Introduction to this Consultation says that a section 30 Order would be sought and agreed before any referendum is called. Rightly the consultation paper argues that any process deciding on Scotland's future "should be taken through a process that is beyond reproach" The issue of laying and obtaining agreement from the UK and Scottish Parliaments to s.30 Order is a critical feature of " a process that is beyond reproach", and as such the Scottish Government need to spell out the Scottish Parliament at the earlier discussion that I recommend above, that should agreement to a s30 Order not be secured from the UK Parliament, then no referendum would be held.	Any EU citizens resident in Scotland should be able to show a term of residency of sufficient length to have been registered here for one previous Scottish election........... ......but I also find it curious, and at odds with the desire to include EU citizens with voting rights elsewhere, that UK citizens of Scottish birth or previous entitlement to vote in Scottish elections, are not to be entitled to vote in this constitutional referendum	I agree
1195	215652060	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No comment	No comment	No comment
1196	547928037	Mary Mitchell	Individual	Individual	Electoral Commission should be more open to electoral abuse when brought to their notice	No Answered	Postal and proxy votes should be counted in Scotland and the representatives of the different campaigns should not be allowed access to the results like in 2014. These results should also be allowed to be checked in the main 'count'
1197	95953482	Alan Meechan	Individual	Individual	Referendum Bill Consultation\rScottish Election (Reduction of Voting Age) Act\r With regard to the above Bills and Acts, I write with consternation that a country supposedly democratic, can lower the age of the franchise to people 16 years old? \r At the time of the Scottish Independence Referendum (Franchise) Act 2013, the First Minister’s position was that people aged 16 can die for their country, so why not be allowed a vote. This is factually incorrect and a mis-truth. People of that age group in the armed services would not be sent into the theatre of battle. The First Minister’s position appears to have been an out dated throw-back, as far back as before the First World War Boar War. Therefore is not a viable argument.\r Having read various reports from various politicians from most of the parties in Scotland, I am surprised at the lack of clarity from these supposedly representatives of the people. Their approach appears to be, it gives these people more inclusion and responsibility in the political process. Allow them an interest in the things that will develop their lives LATER.\r That being the case, their involvement in these matters should come later. In modern Scotland a person of the age from 16 – 17, is unable to buy alcohol, struggle to buy cigarettes, would struggle to claim a benefit, could not stand in an election not less vote in one, wouldn’t die for their country in the army, would most likely still be at school, live with mum and dad, and more importantly would not be eligible to pay tax, in the vast majority of employment prospects for a person that age. So why in their wisdom does the Scottish Parliament consider it necessary to lower the age of the franchise to persons aged 16-17?\r To take an American slant, no taxation without representation. Well this is exactly the opposition, no representation without taxation.\rBy reducing the age of the franchise, you are allowing this group to determine the course of how the tax system is to be implemented i.e. the new tax raising powers of the Scottish Parliament. Now as much as I appreciate that this will effect them soon enough, the fact remains, in the majority of cases and that is what should be remembered, majority, 16 & 17 year olds are not in the tax system. So why should they be entitled to have a vote in matters that do not effect them? Not to disregard the low paid, part-time and unemployed from this argument. But this category would most likely enter the tax system, given the level of the minimum wage and living wage. But it is not just earnings tax that is important. It is also council taxes, VAT, and other associated taxes incurred in the course of adult life. Young people are not required to pay any of these at that age, because in the majority, they live with mum and dad.\rI am sceptical as to young people having any understanding of this complex area of tax. Young people are impressionable. What may seen nice one day may not be quite so trendy next week. (Maybe the young are not alone on this). \r But, on matters that are to effect how a country is to be steered, is it proper that people who have limited life experience, should have a hold of the helm? \r Regarding the new Referendum Bill, it would be of importance to the Scottish Parliament to reconsider the age of the franchise and repeal the previous acts, restoring the age to 18 for the right to vote. This is a more sensible age which affords a person of that age group the same entitlements as every other person in the country. Even the extreme utilitarian stand point, the greatest amount of rights and freedoms to the greatest amount of people, fails, when these very same people are deemed not old enough to make consensual decisions on some matters which could cost them their lives, are deemed old enough to make a decision charting the course of a country. The current legislation are not fit for purpose and should be repealed. Failure to do so is embarrassing Scotland in the outside world. While we strive to be as inclusive as possible and take young opinion very seriously, who would take us seriously, if young people this age determined the course of our country. The new Bill should make it 18 to be entitled to vote in all referendums hereonin.	In terms of the running of the referendum, it appears appropriate that it is over seen by the proper electoral bodies. But again in reference to the entitlements to participate in the poll, while it is trying to include as many peole as possible, who live in Scotland, it should be bore in mind, there in put into society as a participating adult, their entitlement under the law to particapte in other social norms of society, should also be considered while determining who can vote	In terms of ensuring the procedure is run properly, it is fitting that the appropriate persons organise the vote, count and recording of votes.\rIn terms of postal vote, it is not clear how this is to be checked, as it is for people living in Scotland, it is not clear if this include ex-pats, people working away, on study leave, or just people resident in last 12 months?\rIn terms of fairness and transparency, as no public money is to be used, each side should be on a level playing field and all contributions should be accounted for. But each side should only have equal amounts at its disposal
1198	241114530	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There shouldn't be one at all	There should not be a referendum\rIt is both divisive and potentially dangerous for the future of Scotland	There is evidence of electoral fraud in nursing homes in Scotland. This should be addressed first
1199	776660763	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am inclined to suggest that a neutral body, be it for example European or Scandinavian, oversees the election count till the end and results are known	:Postal voting should be discouraged in only the most demanding individiual cases. Postal votes, received under supervision, must NOT be opened and results analysed, before that which is the appropriate time. In addition to neutral supervision, the selection & vettuing prpcedure for election & count staff must be robust.	no additional comment
1200	1037539010	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Sampling of postal votes should be carried out in Scotland.	In the 2014 Referendum allegedly persons who owned property in Scotland or had a second home in Scotland voted using the means of registering to vote at one of these properties. Facebook postings recorded persons openly boasting they would vote this way. It should be illegal to register to vote in two different countries. Your main residence country should be the place you cast all your votes at all elections. The question on the 2014 ballot paper was specific in its wording "Should Scotland be an Independent country?" Therefore only persons living in the country should have a vote there.	No comment
1201	245428821	n/a	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum - the last was quoted as a "once in a generation" event - when such promises are made they should be binding. Likewise if someone is found to have lied to, or deliberately misled the public in the lead up campaigns, there should be recourse.	There should not be a yes/no question - leave or remain is better (as per EU referendum)	I object to the phrase "Westminster Parliament" - The National UK Parliament is just "parliament", not some sub division that needs qualifying - it makes it sound remote and unconnected.
1202	230455850	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum	There should be no referendum	There should be no referendum
1203	505338533	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Should also enforce Purdah so that no last minute 'vows' can be made\r Would also suggest the Italian system of no polls allowed to be published in last fortnight as they affect the vote	As a vote in favour of independence would actually affect the passports of those Scots not resident in Scotland I think we should consider whether they should be given a vote. My personal view is that they should as I believe they would automatically become citizens of an independent Scotland.	no view
1204	1004858226	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I see no point in organising another referendum. The Scottish people have already answered the question on independence.\rScotlands largest economic partner is the UK. Why risk that relationship for an uncertain and impractical rationship with a crumbling EU?
1205	634898967	Ian	Individual	Individual	We voted in the Scottish referendum to stay part of the UK.\rWe voted in the UK referendum to leave the E.U.\rBoth reflect the democratic will of the majority but the SNP do not want to accept this.\rI thing giving up being part of the UK just to be ruled from bureaucrats in Brussels makes absolutely no sense at all.	I do not believe that Foreign nationals should be allowed to vote, only UK citizens who are resident in Scotland.	I have no problems with this.
1206	862406280	Graham Boyd	Individual	Individual	Agree with the arrangements.	I agree with the arrangements but would like to see the arrangements for postal votes having enhanced scrutiny. In the Highlands where I live there have been reports of some holiday home owners who live out with Scotland registering for postal votes and voting in the referendum. Localities of concern in Highland Council are: Skye and Lochalsh, Wester Ross, and Badenoch and Strathspey. Electoral registration and election officials need to provide enhanced oversight of postal votes within these and other Scottish localities with high levels of holiday home owners.	I agree with the proposed changes
1207	134855164	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Scottish citizens living abroad should be allowed to vote. I am a Scottish citizen and although i have lived abroad for 21 years i still have a right to vote on a historic change to my country and have every intention to return there at some point. Either based on passport or, more likely, birth certificate	No Answered	Fully disagree. All Scottish citizens should be allowed to vote, regardless of where in the world they live.
1208	708995669	Christopher Bruce	Individual	Individual	There are concerns that the vote count was compromised in 2014.\r I believe the EU should be asked to provide referees to monitor not only the live vote but also the postal vote. \r The ability for an unstructured Westminster cabal to dismantle the Scottish assembly after the delivery of Article 50 implies our need to declare Indyref2 within hours of Article 50 being launched.	No Answered	An addition:\r ...... the counting officer “must not knowingly” appoint or employ anyone who has been involved in campaigning during the referendum, and this includes the counting officer themselves. Further, the counting officers must take steps to ensure neutrality and not just rely on "I didn't know!" to bypass the the will of this caveat.
1209	333763295	thomas brady	Individual	Individual	i was never a supporter of the EU and voted to leave.\rI do not think that this is the time to have another referendum.\rI feel Brexit should take its course and when Gt Britain leaves,as it will\rThen the SNP should call an Independence Referendum around 2021/2022\rwhen I feel the Scottish people will support. Then if the EU still exists apply to\rjoin it.\rIn the meantime they should concentrate on the problems concerning\rthe health service,the single police force,education,and in particular the corrupt\rjustice system	much ado about nothing	there are important issues to be dealt with in Scotland
1210	562507332	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Section: 2.1 It was indicated from survey that 'voters were happy with experience (94%) voted in polling'. therefore 6% were not {6% is a high percentage of people not happy with polling arrangements. \r[My personal experience was satisfactory at the 2014 Referendum/local polling station - though with some reservations/proposed improvements as below-which would apply to any election);\r however 6% is significant figure (should be much smaller than that) -also in the context of getting over a 50% finish line for Independence need to maintain ~45% and improve by 5%+ . If for instance is demonstrated at some future time that 6% were dissatisfied and this was because 6% og votes were indeed tampered with in some way-it might suggest that indeed another 6% of the votes (might) already be in place/in favour of independence. [\r Polling Cards should all have unique indelible reference number (preferbaly on the front), to uniquely relate the individual voting to the polling card and a unique identifier to the card (e.g. a hologram or other tamper proff device (though Hologram by far the best) to ensure is no duplication/photocopying /false reproduction of Polling Cards.\r On presenting the Polling card -a ballot papaper should be issued and a unique identifier to the card (e.g. a hologram or other tamper proff device (though Hologram by far the best) to ensure is no duplication/photocopying /false reproduction of Ballot Papers\r Voting (in person) should only by means of being able to present a valid Polling Card (the issuing of these should be be amended to ensure these are provided several months earlier than normal (as are not always provided?) -and a 2nd round of issue to cover those who find they have not received one in the first issuing of these) so that if not delivered. [there is considerable scope for voting fraud without Polling Card being presented. then the 'voter' gets issued in the Polling station with a Ballot Paper. \r Ballot Papers should (also) be issued and a unique identifier to the papaer (e.g. a hologram or other tamper proff device (though Hologram by far the best) to ensure is no duplication/photocopying /false reproduction of Ballot Papers\r 3. Voting in this proposed Referendum (a second Independence Referendum) -and all future elctions (all future local and general elections) should employ the use in Polling Stations of authorised issued black ink pens (or indelible/unique/permanent marker) to record your vote on the ballot paper. I have never understood why e.g. pencils are allowed within Voting stations (in any other aspect of business or commercial or legal operations, the use of pencil would be prohibited) . The use of pencil is heavily open to voting fraud (by simple use of a rubber/eraser to remove the initial vote to another option). If for example a voter was then to place an X on the Ballot paper using a permanent mark in a box they had not intended/i.e. somehow make mistake at the point of voting-at this stage then this should brought to the attention of the authorised voting personnel /officers on duty in the Voting Station so that the original voting card can be destroyed/officially nullified and a authorised replacement issued immediately. Cleary the number of times this can be done needs to be limited (maximum 2/3 times) as deliberate targetted wasting of voting time at Polling stations could be organised/coordinated - but overall, the voting process should be far less open to voting 'interference' if a permanent (ink) pen, rather than (non-permanent) pencil mark is employed.\r Section 2.3: Regulation and Oversight: despite some very serious allegations of electoral practices made following the Independence referendum in 2014 - the person for overseeing the Electoral process (Ms. Pitcaitly?) in addition to reporting the actual result after the election (the result of course should be conditional on the the result being ratifed- by investigation of all formal complaints raised-and the final result-whether a month or two months later needs to be (very publicly recorded i.e. each complaint read ot by the returning officer and the investigation/decision on each reported -and then the overall result ratified and recorded. \r Ms. Ptcaitly/Returning Officer - never saw her or any other official announcing the result of electoral complaints -and a (public) ratified result.\r I cannot recall the Returning Officer/ot any official providing proper feedback on the formal complaints raised-and a ratfied/revised result being issued (i.e. dispissing or upholding each complaint raised[where complaints are upheld -then these may range from the minor to most serious or indeed Critical (and my even nullify an election=hence the subjuect of sanctions* needs to be clearly defined/and be publicly presented where such matters arise.\r There should be a (far better process) of \r a) publicly recording all recorded complaints encountered during an election\rb) a formal period of review (following the initial Returning Officer's reading of the result (typically in the day frollowing voting)- aperiod of ~ 2 months (as deemed appropriate) to to fully investigate and again declare to the Public the outcome of such investigations and a ratified result delcared.\r c) a means of appeal (legal) should be available - including to UK legal authorities (Supreme) or EU court in the event of strong evidence if misconduct as may significantly influence voting .\r * Prior to a vote, during or post voting-should be subject to defined sanctio14 Sanctions: Any proven malicious interference with voting (contraventions of voting conventions.\r and a unique identifier to the card (e.g. a hologram or other tamper proff device (though Hologram by far the best) to ensure is no duplication/photocopying /flase reproduction of polling cards	Section 2.15: there should be 100% check on postal votes-after closing of Polling Stations on election night (overseen by an independent electoral body) to ensure each registered voter is registering one vote -as with voting in person-a uniquely numbered (preferably with unique tamper proof hologram) Polling Card should be employed for postal votes - and that the process of checking of postal votes should be cross-checked with the electoral register also -so that the number of Polling cardsand Ballot papers= Number of votes = who is on the elctoral register (and an further check to ensure that the preson registered to vote is 'living.' -as the process of postal votes is open to abises of the recording e.g. persons no longer living as registered voters[See below-pehaps should not pernmit any Postal Voting]\r No Politician or any other person should be able to open a postal vote to sample /or other wise pre- an election interfere with a postal vote. All postal votes should be opened only when the Polling Stations are closed on election night (and only opened by authorised persons).\r One of the biggest issues at the 2014 Referendum was 'change take/promises/Vows etc made at last minute (after many postal votes had already been made) a Press/media that (should have) not been able to make any such claims/promise. \rPurdah = 16 weeks.-agree- but will for example it be likely the BBC, Conservative Party or Labour Party a) uphold such basic expectations and b) what sanction can be applied (if solely monitored by a UK Electoral organisation-and is essentially a vote dissolving the UK -seems that the 'UK electoral officials' have (at least) a stake in presenrving the status quo? (i.e is a conflict of interest) in this instance-therefore EU Independent observers /other Elctoral Commission oversight seems a necessity for 'independent opinion'/validity of the election. and should provide more legitimacy to the result. (whatever your opinion on the matter of Indepndence-have a visible open/fair election process is fundamental for either side of the argument.\r Perhaps for all of the above-postal voting should not be permitted in any form-as postal voting (coupled with the indequcies of current ballot papers is open to serous abuse (the fact that senior Politicians openly bragged /had knowledge of election results by postal voting prior to the election (in person votes binmg counted) is a serious breach of any voting system. \r Postal voting (I beleive) currently requires voting with a pen (rather than pencil in Polling Stations) - in any event all forms of voting should be using a permanent (ink) -not using a pencil (which is easily/quickly erasable).	One of the biggest issues at the 2014 Referendum was 'change take/promises/Vows etc made at last minute (after many postal votes had already been made) a Press /media that (should have) not been able to make any such claims/promise. Purdah = 16 weeks.-agree- but will for example it be likely the BBC, Conservative Party or Labour Party a) uphold such basic expectations and b) what sanction can be applied (if solely monitored by a UK Electoral organisation).\r Perhaps for all of the above-postal voting should not be permitted in any form-as postal voting (coupled the indequcies of current ballot papaers is open to serious abuse (the fact that senior Politicians openly bragged /had knowledge of election results (going in their favour) by postal voting prior to the election proper (in person votes binmg counted), is a serious breach of any voting system. \r 3.14; Sanctions: Prior to a vote, during or post voting-should be subject to defined sanctions -most serious may nullify the resukt- Any proven (serious) malicious interference with voting should be subject to judicial review (in UK Supreme Court ) and ultimately (whilst with the EU-by European Court
1211	445077855	Jane Bateman	Individual	Individual	Sensible	Good	Good
1212	764336591	James Norquay	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	It is good that the postal voting process is 100% scrutinised. Many people felt that the 2014 referendum was far too open to sabotage via postal voting
1213	336927900	Kevin McVey	Individual	Individual	Agree with poll arrangements with all those who live in Scotland, including EU, citizens, entitled to vote.	Seems reasonable	Agree
1214	695163254	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	If there were to be a further campaign ROBUST regulation of the campaign by a genuinely independent and impartial Electoral Commission with powers to take effective action against manipulation, intimidation and misinformation is imperative, given the dismal standards of behaviour in some quarters on both sides of the debate in 2014. \r Experience of both the 2014 Scottish independence referendum and the 2016 UK EU membership referendum suggests strongly that the veracity of arguments put forward by either side in the artificially binary debate that a 'yes/no' referendum involves should be subject to scrutiny by an authoritative and impartial body able to address misinformation and abuse of the campaign by those holding the view that the end justifies the means, even if the latter involves misleading or even lying to the electorate.\r Both the recent Scottish independence referendum and the UK EU membership referendum have illustrated the folly of reducing highly complex constitutional issues to grotesquely over-simplified 'yes/no' questions, which should be avoided in any future Scottish independence referendum. If holding a further independence referendum the Scottish Government should be prepared to demonstrate its belief in the political maturity of the Scottish electorate by presenting neither over-simplified arguments nor over-simplified referendum choices. \r However my view is more fundamentally that irrespective of the arrangements for managing a referendum, another referendum on this subject is unnecessary and contrary to the interests of the people of Scotland. Holding a further referendum on independence will create further division, perpetuate a climate of economic and social uncertainty and insecurity and result in preoccupation with a lengthy and costly public argument, with resulting paralysis of other more pressing initiatives and neglect of more important priorities. \r The experience of the previous independence referendum and of the UK EU membership referendum campaigns is that neither were edifying examples of informed debate based on mutual respect and tolerance of differing opinions, and a repeat independence referendum in Scotland will inevitably generate further division and rancour unless it is conducted on a very different basis from the previous woefully protracted and ill-tempered campaign, with the sort of safeguards suggested above.\r It is difficult to avoid the conviction that the current proposed arrangements would not be out for consultation had there been a 55% vote in favour of Scottish independence in 2014.	I strongly oppose the proposal to permit designated organisations to use meeting rooms in schools (Para 3.7). There is no obvious justification for this proposal, and while schools may represent convenient venues for the politically neutral role of polling stations there is no defensible basis for permitting them to be used as venues for campaigning. School age voters are no more or less able to attend campaign meetings elsewhere than are other members of the electorate.
1215	241693994	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no remit for a second independence remit. There was a vote on independance which was lost, remaining part of the UK, who then voted to leave the EU.	Non- British citizens should not vote.	Agreed
1216	542981041	none of your business	Individual	Individual	There is no mandate as you allege for a new referendum. The reasons for people choosing to vote for the current govt cannot assume to be to allow a new referendum. A few lines in a manifesto cannot be assumed to give credence to the topic when it is part of a package of issues.	No Answered	These changes are simply designed to increase the chance of a referendum victory for a potential yes vote. They are not designed to be democratic nor to offer any greater degree of public accountability but to gain advantgae for a political party (SNP) at the cost of less democratic accountability.
1217	902507425	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
1218	657952443	Daisy Marie Leask	Individual	Individual	I believe us Scottish citizens deserve the chance to vote for a second referendum due to the promises made by the no campaign in 2014 being invalid. Also, what Scotland wants is entirely different to the rest of Britain, therefore we are not a 'United' kingdom.\r Full support, in my views.	Comment If the wording is changed in the question, so be it. So long as the choice for independence OR being part of the EU is questioned.\rI think the proposed technical changes are suffice and will give the Scottish citizens a fair ability to vote for what they deem appropriate. \r Full support, in my views.	The declaration is essential. \rI am extremely pleased with the altered standards including advertising being part of the participants price limitations. \rDeclaration is, once again, essential. \r Full support, in my views.
1219	240246647	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Absolutely spot on. Correct and fully agree with proposals.	Absolutely spot on. Correct and fully agree with proposals.	Absolutely spot on. Correct and fully agree with proposals.
1220	521063186	Harrison Griffiths	Individual	Individual	Don't have a referendum, we have had one, we voted by a large mandate to Stay part of the Union, respect that.	Very little	Very few
1221	255053253	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Excellent management.	Include EU citizens living in Scotland.	Excellent.
1222	481306921	Linda Nemeth	Individual	Individual	The arrangement as proposed are acceptable.	Acceptable.	Acceptable.
1223	1068515447	Daniel Haig	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
1224	395072215	Andrew Martin Wood	Individual	Individual	Agreed,\r Though Purdah terms should be strictly observed by both sides	Agreed, Proxy voting and postal voting should be 100% verified on need, residency and strictly limited. Issued only to those with genuine need	Astroturfing was a particular problem where privately funded organisations of very few members were allowed to be portrayed as genuine grass roots organisation
1225	116845620	Tony Williams	Individual	Individual	Fine.	I would rather have no postal voting since it is so open to corruption but realise that for housebound people it is necessary. Has electronic voting been investigated? Could be easier to police.	Sems fair enough.
1226	799291468	Get Redacted text Nat Redacted text.	Individual	Individual	Redacted textyour referendum. Get on with Redacted text up Scotland's economy.	Redacted textoff.	Get Redacted text
1227	455958035	Gary Sutherland	Individual	Individual	Generally I am satisfied with the proposed arrangements however I think more should be done to inform the electorate of the process and what they should expect to encounter, should a second independence referendum take place.\r For instance, the design and format of the ballot paper to avoid the many reported issues over ballot papers having or not having bar codes printed upon them. Similarly it should be stressed that all ballot boxes be numbered and sealed, only being opened when they arrive at the counting office.	I am satisfied with these proposals.	I am satisfied with these proposals.
1228	479917616	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As long as we do not have a repeat of the scenario that happened with Ruth Davidson.	No Answered	Better system.
1229	977566638	joseph woods	Individual	Individual	I think most of it is good but would like to see provision fo expatriates.	good	I would like to see provision for expatriates in the Bill we are Scottish and have a right to vote on something so important to our country
1230	925455589	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	That's OK	OK by me	That's OK
1231	961129490	Kostadin Semerdzhiev	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
1232	863147410	Thomas Scott Anderson	Individual	Individual	I support the way in which the referendum is proposed to be carried out. I am especially pleased that 16 and 17 year olds will be able to vote.	I suppor the technical changes to the referendum and I believe these will ensure the referendum is as fair as possible.	I support these changes.
1233	773875841	Graham Mclean	Individual	Individual	I am 100% committed to the cause of home rule, I will back the SNP till we have independence !!	I have no complaints with this.	if it helps us get Independence then so be it.
1234	758576669	John Witherspoon	Individual	Individual	External adjudication is required ( from another country! NOT England) to stop votes being lost/ misplaced or put in the incorrect voting stack as happened last time 2014.	Good	Acceptable
1235	3189842	Fiona McGregor	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the arrangements.	I am happy with the arrangements, particularly the proposal to require checking of 100% of personal identifiers for postal votes.	The changes proposed are sensible.
1236	880166540	James Elliott	Individual	Individual	I honestly believe that a totally independent management of the entire referendum process should be used this time around, with a team of independent international observers.	I agree with this.	This will work.
1237	1643304	Tom Johnstone	Individual	Individual	Perhaps hold the referendum at a time when we are going to the polls anyway, so as to save money.	Seems good to me	Allows grassroots movements to take on a more formal structure, which can only mean that the people best able to manage local campaigns are thrust to the front to organise and deliver them.
1238	1022876715	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	That sounds fair.	That all sounds reasonable and fair.	That seems reasonable, as it is taking on board recommendations which were raised after the last referendum.
1239	600027226	Jacqui Thewless	Individual	Individual	Sounds good to me. \rBut, how do they solve the real problem of newspapers and TV (that obviously spend a lot of money) trying to curry support from the general public for their editors'/ owners' political view?	Good.	Good.
1240	205384828	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the above, but feel.more security should be given to the transferring of ballot papers to the local counting halls.\r With the controversy surrounding the reading of postal votes, tighter control should be given to this. This relates directly to the comments made on live TV by Ruth Davidson.	I agree with these amendments. If this is your home, then you should be allowed to vote.	I agree with these changes.
1241	445090890	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Seems fair. If possible maybe get the UN to observe the referendum, to dispel any 'vote rigging' claims.	Proposal seems fine.	Seems fine.
1242	682123916	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	During the Indyref there was no exit poll taken, this only helped with the rigging of that vote.. This must also be done, but not by biased corporations such as the BBC..	During the Indy ref postal votes were sent down to England and counted by Tory owned companies, much of which gave very strange results to say the least. This must not happen again.	ok
1243	504357745	Miguel Boronha	Individual	Individual	These arrangements seem to be appropriate to me. I think that it counts as a plus that immigrants are given the right to vote, something denied to EU citizens living in the UK during the EU Referendum of 2016. An Independence Referendum affects every person living in Scotland, and so it should try to have a large reach in terms of the electorate.	These technical changes seem to be aligned with the requirements for a proper electoral procedure. Although voter fraud is an incredibly insignificant issue in UK elections, with very few instances reported, it is important to maintain systems in place to make sure that this continues to be the case.	These seem to be minor changes, which are ultimately positive for the referendum process. I can find no fault with any of the changes listed.
1244	864430907	Sandra Ballantyne	Individual	Individual	Happy with this proposal	This has been well thought out \rOne of my concerns in 2014 was that votes went missing and I understand that one box was sent to Westminster although that maybe not true \rAll I can say is it was definitely rigged \rI've not met a no voter since they must of appeared and then disappeared \rThe counting itself needs to be vigilant I know it's a combination of different political parties and no and yes voters themselves but needs to be tightened up after seeing videos of fixing	Happy with this proposal
1245	205107757	Dominic taddei	Individual	Individual	There has to be a more robust and transparent method to rule out corrupting the vote currently it's open to abuse people counting the votes may have hidden agenda. Also any thing that was highlighted to be investigated in 2014 vote didn't happen	Counters should be vetted thoroughly	Seems ok
1246	542576724	John Jackson	Individual	Individual	Satisfied withvthese arrangements.	Satisfied with these procedures.	Satisfied and delighted thatvyoung people are able to vote.
1247	923277079	Gordon Fleming	Individual	Individual	You need to define and control Postal voting and all asssociated fraudulent practices that have ever been previously suspected or proven. I strongly suggest you should consider. going to digital democracy with on-line voting.\rI very strongly suggest that you employ real people to verifynew registrations by some means. This is where I suspect large numbers of organised political gerrymendering occurs where people normally registered in England or other places suddenly register in Scottish addresses in order to vote usually postal voting as these people never actually lived there. I often wonder if they actually exist.\rThe only true solution is using coded voting registration in person with verified ID and proof of address, how long the lived there, their job, status in society. etc\rGet tough. We want a democracy not a sharade bought by plutocrats.	Its not robust enough. Require proof of ID. Residency, go digital I want to vote securely on line or in person by showing proof of ID and residency in any circumstances. You must be able to check where multiple voters are registered to 1 address that that adress is capable of holding that number of people and that it is not a gerrymandering address being used by "Foriegn or malicious" outside interests. I want verifiable democracy.	Nowhere near tough enough.
1248	328447101	andrew kelly	Individual	Individual	I would like Scotland to have all arrangements for the referendum its for our Nation only so we should control everything to do with it.	I like the changes but would prefer for all counts including postal votes to be counted in Scotland with folks outside the U K looking on for fairness..	I like the new proposals.
1249	281604164	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Acceptable	Acceptable	Although born in England i qualify as a Scot through parentage and as such i feel that i and others in a similar situation should be allowed to vote.
1250	595025964	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with what is proposed	I agree with what is proposed,though I think that there is need for far greater security ,with regards to the ballot papers, before and after voting as well as far greater security on those doing the actual counting to eliminate the fraud that took place of behalf and at the behest of the no campaign	There should be no money allowed to come from outside Scotland to support either side,
1251	784507204	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Eu citizens living in Scotland should get the vote, along with 16/17 year olds. No postal votes to be counted in England, and much tighter security maintained with all procedures being overlooked by a nut urial body such as UN or EU observers.	As above comment. No risk of rigging by UK is acceptable.	All seems fine to me.
1252	772564784	Neil Fraser	Individual	Individual	The poll should be managed by the Scottish Government only as the elected body. No interference or any other involvement by the Westminster government. We also require some insistence on genuine impartiality by the BBC	This seems to be fair	We need this
1253	985463355	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am fine with this and it reflects Scotland here and now.	It is clear enough.	It should be clear nowadays.
1254	274838733	Alan Radcliffe	Individual	Individual	I have no issue with the proposed arrangements.	I have no issue with the proposals.	I am fully supportive of the proposals.
1255	535757438	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agreed	Unknown...that's all a bit above my general knowledge, and should be simplified for the layman.	Unknown...this wordy explanation should be simplified to such a fashion that the layman can understand.
1256	342274775	Caroline Magoha	Individual	Individual	International observers should be enrolled to monitor the vote.\rAll votes should be with ID and proof of residence in Scotland including postal votes.	They appear appropriate.	Ok
1257	717560378	Anthony Romello Salandy	Individual	Individual	I believe that the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum should help to give the Scottish people more determination and better devultion of powers from the government in London. The next referendum should be by the people for the Scottish people and deliver the Scottish people once again from westminister.	My views are plain and simple procedures on polling should be overseen by more advisors to ensure a smooth, democratic vote with little interference from the english government. where the snp sets out its goals and aims without interference.	I agree with them completely , as this referendum should represent the goals and aims of the scots and not those of lobbyists and donors.
1258	962776047	George Shepherd	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
1259	819090328	Jordan Neil McLachlan	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	I think it only responsible for person domiciled in Scotland for more than 3 years with an entitlement to vote; rather than the current provision. A person newly moved from, say England, would naturally have less of an affinity with Scottish life, politics or indeed culture, therefore, would have a biased view against such legislation.
1260	496196584	webster shaw	Individual	Individual	happy with proposal.	EU countries resident in Scotland should not be allowed to vote in this referendum, as it is a momentous decision for the future of Scotland and its people. EU citizens residing in Scotland may not want to remain in Scotland for generations, therefore would alter the vote in a way that would not benefit the actual future generations of Scotland. There vote would not necessarily have the long term view required to make such a momentous decision required.	HAPPY WITH CHANGES
1261	541964547	Fraser h hair	Individual	Individual	I do not trust the chief counting officers independent sources only look what happened at the last one	No Answered	Ok
1262	903993271	James McLeod	Individual	Individual	I have no issue with the regulation of the referendum campaign, and reporting on the referendum process, being the responsibility of the Electoral Commission. In this role the Electoral Commission will report to the Scottish Parliament, however, i do have issue with the poll and count being managed in the same way as for elections.\r I would like to see a European delegate of international observers who are present at the count/or counting. I understand this occurred in 2014, but i believe more international observers are required and should take a more leading role.	I would like to see that all postal votes are to be sent to the Scottish Government or another applicable organisation in Scotland and not to England as per 2014.\r I would also like the vote to be limited to only people born in Scotland and not necessarily resident in Scotland. It should also be open to anyone else world wide who was born in Scotland but may not live here any more.	No comments
1263	230205720	john peter simpson	Individual	Individual	It sounds good	Good	O K
1264	1049359222	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	i think it should be a basic yes or no to independence. I agree that 16-17 year olds get a vote in the referendum. I agree to EU nationals that live and work in Scotland get a vote. I personally think that all Scots get a vote whom are living and working outwith Scotland. I do not think that people that have a second home within Scotland but their main place of residence is outwith Scotland should get to vote in the referendum. I also believe that all postal votes should not leave Scotland under any circumstance. I also would like to see an EU Electoral Commission involved that has no links to the Scottish or Westminster governments	I personally think that votes should be signed rather than an X, and that photo id or a bank card and proof of address be used to be able to get the ballot card at the polling station. I also believe the count should be done by non British persons that have no stake in the outcome to keep the poll fixing allegations to a minimum	I believe that no businesses that stand to financially gain either way from the result should be allowed to lobby or declare their interest in a certain result publicly. I agree profanity should not be allowed to be used
1265	317919451	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm happy with the proposed arrangements	Glad 16 & 17 year olds are now automatically entitled.\rFar better that all postal votes are verified and that staff aren't also campaigning.	seems fair
1266	394397283	Daryl McAllister	Individual	Individual	I believe the proposed arrangements make for a fair and transplant referendum that produces results that cannot be disputed.	While I believe the technical changes are a step in the right direction more can be undertaken to ensure every individual in Scotland is represented such as giving prisoners the ability to vote. This is more important now in this referendum due to how much will be affected by the vote.	These are much stronger changes for this referendum than in the previous one.
1267	114543207	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Ok	Ok	Ok
1268	945731006	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed amendments.	I am relieved that there will be a more strict check of personal identifiers for postal voting and emergency proxy voting is being restricted. \r I would be even more relieved if those who turn up to vote without their voting card have to provide some form of photo identity and proof of their address.	I am happy with the proposed amendments.
1269	599586796	N/A	Individual	Individual	I am in agreement. I think it is right and fair that all those living in Scotland who see this as their home and contribute to our culture should be included in the vote.\r Having been an exile in England for a long time before returning to Scotland two years ago ...I understood and agree that only those intending to make Scotland they home for the foreseeable future should vote in the independence referendum. This is why made the decision two years ago to return to live in my homeland and earn the right to vote in its referenda.	I am in agreement in principle . I think its right that campaign staff should be clearly identified and only observe the count ...but I have concerns on if will there be sufficient 'independent' volunteers as count staff and how does one check that these people have not been campaigners. People who count or staff polling stations can still hold strong views ...so I think it is perhaps more realistic to simply improve oversight and methodology for fair behaviour rather than a blanket ban perhaps?	I am in agreement
1270	818090100	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	OK	OK	OK
1271	1032715111	Joseph Grant	Individual	Individual	The theory behind this system is sound and provides a fair voting system.	The theory behind this system is sound and provides a fair voting system. However, in the previous referendum there was some controversy over yes ballots being placed in the no pile. While this was just because they hadn't been sorted yet perhaps extra care should be taken to ensure that this does not happen again.	This system is sound and makes sense.
1272	300546611	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My views are positive about this.	My views are also positive for this.	I have positive views for these changes.
1273	180104975	Forgie	Individual	No Answered	Individual	I don't think students who are from other parts of the UK should be able to vote. They have no vested interest in the well being of Scottish citizens.	No view
1274	619040255	James McCallum	Individual	Individual	Okay	Okay	Okay
1275	199528650	William Gordon	Individual	Individual	No views at this time, happy so far.	No Answered	Please don't send postal votes to England for tampering (cough) validation.
1276	702953666	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I the proposed arrangements are suitable and acceptable while also being inclusive in nature.	All seem reasonable and sensible as well as being inclusive.	All good
1277	234326660	Lilias Johnstone	Individual	Individual	More monitoring of security of ballot boxes. Outside agency to over see such as EU member or UN	Disagree with unelected Lords. More scrutiny to be given to 2nd home owners, estate owners who have properties as holiday lets. Yes time consuming but open to abuse.	OK
1278	422435876	Gareth	Individual	Individual	Count should be done my non UK citizens. Postal votes should be more secure.	No Answered	I agree with them and they have my support.
1279	882919936	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Management of the rules of Purdah needs to be closely examined to ensure no party can move the goalposts in the closing week on the pretext of replying to a media question as was blatantly obvious in 2014's "Vow".	No issues. However, care should be taken to ensure there are no irregularities as widely reported after 2014. Issues like Ruth Davidson sampling the postal votes and counting staff making apparently inconsistent actions. Counting personnel should be well trained and monitored by 3rd parties to ensure these are not issues, real or perceived.	No issues
1280	17591900	Lynn M Woods	Individual	Individual	I am ease with the proposed plans.	Being disabled I benefit greatly from the inclusion of Postal Voting. I am delighted to see the proposed amendment to the checking system.	Wholly satisfied with these amendments.
1281	382060811	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Approve anything Scottish Government deems a fair system	This seems agreeable to me.	Agree with above.
1282	117324719	Donald Fraser	Individual	Individual	Proposed arrangements acceptable	Fine	Reference 3A I think that there should be transparency regarding any decisions to reject declarations that include what the electoral commission consider are obscene or offensive to ensure these are reasonable decisions.
1283	541582551	Andrea	Individual	Individual	As long as the Electoral Commission is fair & unbiased & any concerns any Electorate may have concerning possible "rigging" be addressed without delay & or Scotland automatically becomes Independent should "rigging" be proven by video/photograph proof or even televised. No Party should have the right to announce publicly the postal vote results until after the Voting has taken place, we also need in place a Secure way of transporting the Votes to the Count which needs to be legal & binding in Law.	This should in practice be acceptable & therefore shouldn't need a Law of Court to intervene.	This now covers transparency doubts which arose during the 2014 Indy Ref
1284	332960351	Alistair Downie	Individual	Individual	i am fine with the arrangements. get independence asap	i am fine with this	fine with this too
1285	15009795	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Scottish citizens not currently residing in Scotland should have the right to vote in an independence referendum as they still have a stake in the future of the country.
1286	45126327	Angus Mckechnie	Individual	Individual	As I recall it was a Tory CEO in the electronic count for the 2014 referendum. \rIn my view at all cost the companies in charge of counting should be veted. No tory or any organisation linked to tories should be aloud to take part in anything to do with the Scottish referendum. From evedance which can be view online the 2014 referendum was nothing more than patronising to say the least.	Everyone involved with counting should be from a compleatly neutral background. \rThis should be the number 1 rule of appointment.	Just keep the tories and the CIA out.
1287	579542458	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think we have to have tighter controls over the whole process with maybe impartial international observers to make sure the vote is done with 100% honesty.	No Answered	The postal votes should be kept in Scotland and not sent to England for counting.
1288	147041456	Garry Watson	Individual	Individual	I agree	When you say those British citizens resident in Scotland. How is this checked. Would this be their main residence? What about those with a second residence which is only used for a few weeks per year and rented out the rest. Should this not read those who have their primary residence in Scotland.	I would not allow any company or organization not headquartered in Scotland to donate or participate in the referendum in any way.
1289	982357978	James Draper	Individual	Individual	I believe the current arrangements for voting to be absolutely fine and the voting age at 16+ should also be maintained.\rSome disquiet has been caused by the current postal vote system and whether the security has been good enough in both issuing and collating for counting. I strongly believe that the postal vote system should be reviewed and any added security be implemented along with perhaps, a tighter qualification for obtaining a postal vote e.g. free transport for the elderly to vote rather than a postal vote.\rAlso some disquiet came out of the vote count system to ensure no tampering ... this area may also need overhauling.	I am in agreement with the proposed changes and would draw attention to what I stated in the previous "management" statement.	"Permissible participants" is fine.
1290	371642937	Ciaron Conroy	Individual	Individual	I would like to see more independent officers to over see the counting of the vites to make sure that it is fair and impartial.	So long as postal votes are kept sealed till the date of the vote and this is independently verified there shouldn't be a problem	No comments
1291	768229122	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the arrangements set out in the consultation document to follow the same system as 2014 referendum. If it worked and was praised, why change it.	I am happy with the proposed changes . My partner is an EU national and we feel very strongly that the referendum should be open to all residents of Scotland.	I am happy with the proposed changes.
1292	11663282	Roderick Ramsay	Individual	Individual	Seems fair.	I agree, campaigners should be kept at arms length from the count. Ideally all signed up members of political parties should also be kept clear of the counting process.	Also no one convicted of perjury.
1293	545653554	Shawn Holden	Individual	Individual	Seems fair, the system worked in 2014. I would hope that the eligibility to vote will again include any Scottish resident 16+	Completely fair, also addressed my previous comment.	No view with regards to the question.
1294	982544582	Robert Holmes	Individual	Individual	My only comment on the proosed arrangements is that they need to be as open and transparent as possible.\rI was also going to comment on the eligibility being the same as for the last Referendum - but I see that that has been included.	It is vital that all those of voting age has the opportunity to vote. People who have chosen to make Sotland the country where they have decided to live ought to have a say in the future direction of this country. Every effort needs to be made to have as many individiuals voting as possible - even more than last time.	These seem fine to me.
1295	753983400	Liz johnston	Individual	Individual	Not sure that this is the best method I would prefer further checks n balances in order to slay the possibilities of voters tampering	I'm OK with this	The changes are appropriate
1296	813247046	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No real view other than agreement.	No real view other than agreement.	No real view other than agreement.
1297	295334250	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The plans as outlined appeared to be satisfactory to requirements.	I strongly approve of the vote being based on residence in Scotland rather than the national origins of the voters. I also strongly approve of the inclusion of younger voters whose voices were lost in the recent UK wide referendum.\rIt would seem the schemes in regard to absent voting, staffing and verification are all appropriate to requirements.	This section appears to fit the requirements in this area.
1298	823150130	Ludwig	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Please make sure that the seals of the boxes are checked and that there are witnesses travelling with the boxes.\rPlease make sure that the postal votes are secure.
1299	119843337	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not trust the electoral register to count or oversee our next referendum. I would prefer to see an international body oversee counts and all counts to be completed/counted in Scotland.	I believe an additional requirement should be legal action taken against anyone who defrauds the counting officer if found at a later date they had been involved in campaigning	No major concerns
1300	890436851	Charles Leslie	Individual	Individual	Make sure the voting process is adjudicated by third party impartial organisation. Voting. Slips with a bar code and serial number	No Answered	No change as to who can vote.
1301	533282502	http://cambronsoftware.co.uk	Individual	Individual	Happy with this	In favour of the 100% checking	OK
1302	19002656	James Howard	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are a total waste of money.	No Answered	Voting should be restricted to 18 years old and over.
1303	1068868601	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be a referendum before Scotland leaves the EU. Although Scotland should remain a member of the EU, it should be made clear to the public that they will be free to leave the eu at a later stage, if this is what the Scottish public decide.\r The British state cannot be trusted to deliver a fair referendum so they must be legally held to account at every stage. This could include British institutions & media outlets being taken to court, preferably outside of the uk.\r Although there are many positive arguments for Scotland being an independent country, the enormous failings of the British state should also be scrutinised very publicly. This can include the enormous financial black hole, the completely undemocrstic political system, which includes the monarchy and how Scotland has had its vast resources & exports squandered by this unelected, incompetent system. \r An organisation from outside the uk should control the ballots as the uk government cannot be trusted not to rig the result.	The vote should include everybody who lives in Scotland over the age of 16, and should especially include EU nationals. \r Postal voting should be banned as this is the easiest way to rig the result.	Prior to the 2014 referendum, the GMb union came out in favour of a no vote. It did not ballot its membership before announcing this so should be publicly humiliated for being an affront to the democratic process that unions are founded upon.\r Some unions are Labour donors, they should be publicly named and their members encouraged to withdraw from the political levy, if this is the case.\r Unions who support a vote to remain in the uk should count as part of the better together campaign expenses
1304	465568608	Patrick Andrews	Individual	Individual	I have no problem with the process described.	The sooner we get electronic voting, the better.	I think that only people who live in Scotland should decide our future.
1305	342818490	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe the Electoral Commission can be fully trusted to be fair and impartial. I would suggest a completely independent overseer, for instance a European equivalent of the Electoral Commission, who will have no vested interest and be impartial.	I think postal voting is very open to fraudulent practices and therefore should be a last resort. If a voter is fit and able then they should vote in person. A postal vote should only be approved if a voter can prove that they are other than fit or are unavailable and can provide a valid reason.\r It seemed odd to me that prior to the 2014 referendum, there were reports of people queuing outside registration office to ensure they were registered to vote, but when it came to the referendum itself, a large figure, something like 800,000, didn't actually vote, which to me did not 'ring' true. I would like to see greater and independently officiated controls over movement of votes between booths and counting areas.	No particular comments. I believe the current set up to include 16-17 year olds and those resident in Scotland are sufficient
1306	957597494	Robert Liddell	Individual	Individual	I am happy with this, I note that no mention of Purdah rules are not mentioned, Purdah rules must be enforced.	I am concerned that people are able to change their main residence from England to Scotland at 'short notice', I would suggest that they have had to be in residence since 2014.\r I would like to see some change to 'Postal' votes to ensure that people have their own preference ensured and not that of another person.\r Otherwise ok	I am happy with this.
1307	981165515	Terry H Mulholland	Individual	Individual	When the Scottish Goverment think it is time to be Free of The Establishment of London and Have The People of Scotland With Then Its TIME	It seems OK an Fair	Let's Have A Vote that Can Be Trusted to Be True That's All Anyone Can Ask
1308	320380437	Shannon	Individual	Individual	I agree they are suitable	100% verification for postal votes should be the norm anyway.\r In the 2014 referendum there was a significant amount of voters who did not reside in Scotland but were eligible to vote because they owned property here. I would hope that this issue is addressed or taken into consideration as it adds a certain percent of illegitimacy. There were also citizens who had lived and worked here for many years who could note vote because they did not have official British citizenship. I don't believe this is fair. \r (These were my personal experiences and knowledge gained from talking to others during the 2014 referendum canvassing)	No opinion.
1309	181772365	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No concerns regarding this	I believe votes should be counted and verified on site under independent supervision with exit polling carried out if at all possible.\r No off site or third party vote counting should be permitted.\r Postal votes should only be issued to persons proving primary residence in Scotland.\r Postal votes should be counted and verified by confirmed impartial parties with no links to either political parties or groups with potential conflict of interest	I believe no donations other than direct personal donation should be permitted
1310	654357121	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no reason to object to the proposal.	I'm not happy about the widespread use of postal voting and certainly not happy about proxy voting. Postal votes in the 2014 referendum were said to be c 800,000. This seems an inordinately high number. \rHowever, providing each one is verified to be a genuine resident who, for some reason, cannot turn up at the ballot station, then it is acceptable. I myself am registered as a postal voter in elections. But for a referendum, I would accept a more robust system.\rBut for proxy voters - what reason can there be? Scotland is not a "club". There can be no reason to register suddenly but be unable to vote on the day. Certainly should not be allowed for second home owners who normally live outside Scotland.	Ban "Astroturfing" such as the appalling campaigns promoted by the BBC such as "Vote No Borders", and Rory Stewart's Hands Across the Borders. See the video "London Calling" by P G Ponsonby for details. Available on Youtube.
1311	638037068	Kenny Smith	Individual	Individual	I hate saying it but I would like external international auditors present. I know the howls of conspiracy from 2014 were made out to be off the wall but I don't think anyone can trust Westminster an inch. Obviously run and organised by the electral commission but observerers placed especially at the counts.	Totally agree with the above. I heard that if it was a vote for natural born Scots then yes would have won so a small part regretted the decision to include residents also but after further reflection I am proud the vote was offered to everyone who lives and works here and is eligible to vote.	No problems there. A bit more clarity in where the funding is coming from would be helpful after the no borders campaign, which quite frankly was a front.
1312	636581435	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Generally agree. However, I think the Electoral Commission needs to be much more proactive in enduring the rules are kept to. We need no repeat of the breaking of purdah restrictions, for example.	I feel that arrangements must be put in place to ensure that the count is not performed in huge areas which are difficult for observers to properly scrutinise. This appeared to be a major problem in 2014. Although, it has obvious logistical issues to overcome, I feel serious consideration should be given to making sure the count is done in smaller venues, even if that means more numerous ones.	I feel that regulations should be put in place to allow the Electoral Commission or other body to deal effectively IN REAL TIME with the more egregious examples of 'post truth' politics. Leaflets that are blatant lies. Media reports similarly. Telling us six months after the event that party X broke funding rules or that politician Y blatantly broke purdah rules is no good to anyone and with few consequences for such breaches there is no incentive for certain parties to engage in a fair campaign. Such breaches must be highlighted to the electorate when they occur in ways to allow them to make informed choices at the ballot box. Perhaps it may even be possible to set up specific overseeing body tasked with this scrutiny alone?
1313	1035397470	David Corns	Individual	Individual	I would like the actual vote to be more supervised so it will be nigh on impossible to be rigged. I would also like to see the S.N.P. be more on the front foot than they were in 2014. Also it would be good to see the S.N.P. fight back a lot more against the bbc and unionist media regarding all their lies.	Totally agree with all above	Yes I agree. The less chance of unionists rigging the vote the better
1314	326842704	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	i do not want another referendum but if its the same as any other election fine	fine	fine
1315	464611914	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Seems fair.	Seems fair too.	Should also allow individuals not affiliated to any organisation to make minimal campaigns.
1316	358686619	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The sooner the better.	It all sounds fine.	Fine
1317	851256532	Stuart McIver	Individual	Individual	Its my feeling that proposals and arrangements should mirror that of the previous referendum, and include the spilt of responsibilities.	I'm entirely content with the proposed technical arrangements.	I'm entirely content with the proposed changes regarding permissible participants.
1318	790452214	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These arrangements seem sensible.	No Answered	The proposed franchise is the most sensible one. The changes to postal vote checking, poll and count staff, and the introduction of verification statements are all very good ideas which will make any future referendums even more secure.
1319	43330085	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't want EU citizen to be able to vote if Scots outside Scotland can't vote	I don't want EU citizen to be able to vote if Scots outside Scotland can't vote	I don't want EU citizen to be able to vote if Scots outside Scotland can't vote
1320	784181920	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't want EU citizen to be able to vote if Scots outside Scotland can't vote	I don't want EU citizen to be able to vote if Scots outside Scotland can't vote	I don't want EU citizen to be able to vote if Scots outside Scotland can't vote
1321	1047753848	Paul snowdon	Individual	Individual	I am concerned about the postal vote. Why were they sent to England to be counted in 2014?\rI have also been told at the last count protocols were not followed correctly, ie all ballot boxes were opened and tipped into one big pile onto tables.	I agree with any measures that tighten control of voter registration and the counting process.	As any referendum on Scottish Independence is exclusively of interest to Scottish residents, all campaign staff from outwith Scotland should be excluded. ie bus loads of Labour party members from Liverpool.
1322	19740361	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposal.	I agree with 100% checking but I would remove absent voting to avoid abuses.	I agree with the proposal.
1323	115189702	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel that the eligibility of voters should include those with a Scottish tax code. This would help to filter out those who, for whatever reason, "live" here but are unwilling to pay their taxes to the country.	Absent voting should be clamped down on, only those with a doctor's line or proof of being out of their polling district should be allowed a postal or proxy vote. Postal votes should remain sealed and secure until the count begins.	No view.
1324	345508921	Lynne Finlayson	Individual	Individual	I am in full agreement	I am in full agreement	I am in full agreement
1325	1053828659	Gary Taylor	Individual	Individual	Agreed	Agreed. My partner is Italian and has lived in the uk over 15years. She was devastated at the idea she may be deported, even though she pays more tax the than any of Murdock's newspapers.	Ok
1326	58109575	Duncan Adamson	Individual	Individual	They seem fair and reasonable	I agree with them, it makes sense to bring it into line with the standards of the Scottish elections.	These seem sensible
1327	806973024	Scott Jobson	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Eligibility to vote!\r Why has the Scottish Government decided not to allow Scots living and working abroad have an opportunity to vote? I personally would vote if i had the chance. It was English politics that caused me to leave Scotland to find a job in the first place. Now that the time to vote for an Independent Scotland is coming again, Scots with a British passport working abroad have in my opinion have just as much right to decide about Scotlands future as people living and working in Scotland. This decision not to allow Scots working abroad to vote is depriving thousands a right to defend there heart felt heritage and concern for Scotlands future. In fact i find it absolutely disgraceful! In Germany the Turkish people living and working here are allowed to vote in there General election in Turkey and they`re not even in the EU! So how backward is the thinking of the Scottish government on this subject?\r I hope someone takes the time and gets back to me with some plausible reason why i am not allowed to vote. \r Thanks\r Scott from Scotland
1328	68663315	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Consideration should be given to the timing and control of postal votes. There are occasions when the postal votes are cast before critical information is released.	Previews and pre-counting of postal ballots should not be permitted.	No comments
1329	654340461	Ewan Steed	Individual	Individual	Basically to see the same Professional standard as the Referendum in 2014. I would like to see less interference from Westminster and their campaign of "fear" and negativity - probably pointless excercise but one can hope!	As per first question although I do appreciate the "Tightening" up to make it a requirement for 100% checks to verify the Postal Votes.	This is a good decision I feel.
1330	245107116	David Anderson	Individual	Individual	Simple yes or no question will suffice	All good	All good
1331	664137146	David Cromie	Individual	Individual	I don't think we need one. Scotland is stronger within the UK who happen to be our largest trading partner with almost theee times as much of our exports than the EU. A significant part of our trade with the EU is transitory as exported goods go to their final destinations via Rotterdam.	See above. Also, since those under the age of 18 are legally children (as defined by the EU and UN) they are legally incapable of exercising a vote. If they can't drive, drink or buy cigarettes, how can they be allowed to vote?	See above. U.K. Citizens resident in Scotland and those serving in HM Armed Forces based outwith Scotland but with primary or family residence in Scotland. These are the only people entitled to vote on this matter.
1332	69151774	James Dunsmore	Individual	Individual	Only residents whose permanent address is registered with the Scottish tax authorities for the paying of all dues should be eligible to vote	Postal votes should be restricted to residents who have confirmed health reasons and are unable to attend a polling station	I agree
1333	1063566706	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Excellent.	Happy with this.	Fine.
1334	244143398	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	EC not to be trusted.\rInternational observers.\rExit poll.	No postal voting. Proxy voting perfectly adequate for those unable to vote in person.\rCount the votes in the polling stations immediately after close of polls.	Measures must be taken to avoid the completely illegal, UN convention busting, interference by the UK government.
1335	640241659	John Leckie	Individual	Individual	I hope there will be a greater emphasis on the secure transportation of votes to counting centres. I feel that previously security has been extremely lax and open to allegations of abuse. There needs to be a clear audit trail of who transports votes and who receives them and checks on the security of boxes at time of departure and arrival.\r Postal votes are easily open to abuse and again stringent checks must ensure that they are valid.	As per my previous entry something needs to be done to ensure that postal voting is not abused.	No comment
1336	82501677	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't think there should be another referendum. But if there is it should only be Scottish registered citizens living in Scotland.Not any foreign nationals who don't have citizenship	No Answered	No citizens of eu should be allowed to vote. All voters should have Scottish citizenship
1337	107215255	Simon Jessney	Individual	Individual	Fine	Don't see why EU citizens should be voting	No view
1338	975913856	John Duncan	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Individual	ok
1339	339082664	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no second referendum. \rThe vote was cast in 2014. People made their views known. \rWill the SNP continue to run referendums until they get the answer they want?\rIf it had been "yes" could the other parties have demanded another referendum to get the result they wanted?	There should be no second referendum. \rThe vote was cast in 2014. People made their views known. \rWill the SNP continue to run referendums until they get the answer they want?\rIf it had been "yes" could the other parties have demanded another referendum to get the result they wanted?	There should be no second referendum. \rThe vote was cast in 2014. People made their views known. \rWill the SNP continue to run referendums until they get the answer they want?\rIf it had been "yes" could the other parties have demanded another referendum to get the result they wanted?
1340	156561552	Mark McEachran	Individual	Individual	A new regulatory system is needed. Bring in foreign people I.e. Icelandic people to oversee each counting officer and video all counters. Video evidence should be implemented in all counting regardless of cost. Have live feeds for every box being transported.	I agree to these changes.	I agree with these changes.
1341	239372865	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These arrangements sounds simple, sensible and consistent with existing arrangements for other elections.	I agree with the changes and am pleased that extending the franchise to 16 and 17 year olds is now a permanent aspect of Scottish voting. Young people are often better-informed than the over 65s, so the idea that a 16 year old can't vote seems ludicrous to me.	I agree with these changes.
1342	891041490	William MacDonald	Individual	Individual	All seems to be ok.	If they are secure and everyone follows them then ok.	All seems to be OK.
1343	329791235	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Waste of time and money	You should be able to vote only if you live in Scotland .if you choose to live and work in another country why should you have a say on how our country is run	Every donation should be published large or small . All expenditure for campaigns should be available to the general public .
1344	884934488	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These changes are acceptable	These changes are acceptable	These changes are acceptable
1345	221962940	James McGuckin	Individual	Individual	I agree.	Can I trust the Postal vote?I am a long distance HGV driver.I depend on the Postal vote.	I agree.
1346	983108288	James Griffin	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	SCOTS LIVING IN EU SHOULD HAVE VOTE.EXIT POLE AND MORE SCRUTINY.SOME FORM OF ID. MAKE IT A CRIMINAL OFFENCE TO UTTER FALSE CLAIMS OR USE MISLEADING CLAIMS IN CAMPAIGNING.
1347	838739531	Ian Paton	Individual	Individual	Yes I'm happy for it to be the same as in the independence campaign in 2014	I agree with the proposed groups to be allowed to vote. Anyone who lives in Scotland and contributes to Scotland should be eligible.	I have no objections to this
1348	511674958	Evelyn dickson	Individual	Individual	The count must be closely monitored by independent witnesses as people still feel it was not done correctly with papers not having barcodes on them and bags of papers being found after the count	I agree with this and glad yhe 16-17 year olds still get the vote as it is there future we are all voting for	Agree with this
1349	609576321	Colin Young	Individual	Individual	Satisfied with proposals	Satisfied with these arrangements	Satisfied with arrangements
1350	1048318931	Colin Young	Individual	Individual	Satisfied with arrangements	Satisfied with arrangements	Satisfied with arrangements
1351	704313207	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would like to see postal votes excluded .\rI would also like to see invitations to our European neighbours to help overses the process, particularly the misleading propaganda.	Fine with me	Happy with this
1352	250943579	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the way in which the referendum should be conducted	I do not believe any member of the House of Lords should have a vote. They can have their say if a yes vote needs to go through parliament	I agree with the amendment
1353	195629112	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	OK	Should only be residents of Scotland with min 3 years residency	Against
1354	123875086	Thomas joyce	Individual	Individual	Still Naw	NAW	NAW
1355	812908856	Kenneth McRae	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Postal vote fraud (or the potential for) needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency, as does the situation whereby non resident holiday home owners and students from England are allowed to vote.
1356	1031137797	Jordan	Individual	Individual	I identify no problem with the method proposed and therefore support its use.	I feel the changes made are all very well and have no issues with them.	I agree with the changes which have been made.
1357	891436751	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	That they are good	Sounds good	Ok then
1358	545530240	Lorraine Philips	Individual	Individual	I dont not want a referendum...we had one back in 2014 and the answer was NO\rSNP are destroying Scotland with this carry on\rthey have more need to run the country properley instead of this absolute rubbish they spend money on	SNP will twist everything to suit themselves - it should only be Scottish people NOT EU citizens = they can vote either way then go home and leave us with the mess SNP will make of this country	no - you can either vot at the poll station or by post
1359	862626818	Nevermind	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements seem acceptable. \r Its important this being an Independence referendum that it is not also tied with remaining in the EU, these are two separate issues, there are many fellow Scots who would love to see an Independent Scotland, but dislike the bureaucracy of the EU and see the EU as a worse above reproach version of Westminister, do not make the mistake of combining independence and remain in the EU as the same thing, they are totally separate issues and should be voted on as such.	Firstly regarding residential rights to vote, what exactly qualifies as a resident of Scotland, for example a migrant worker might be living in Scotland temporary for a short time, will they also have a valid right to a vote even though clearly their only here short term for a paycheck. to me this is wrong and can be exploited by landlords/landowners who are English but own property in Scotland but will no doubt vote against Independence.\r Proxy voting has always been in my opinion a loophole open for exploitation by those who would.\r One final point I have observed many times is in polling stations across the UK I see many supplying only pencils and not many voters carry their own pens, this seems to create another opportunity for an exploitable circumstance by those who would use it. (pencil is easily erased and replaced)	These proposals are acceptable.
1360	591620673	Alexander Maxwell	Individual	Individual	The above appears to be acceptable.	These changes are needed but I would have liked to see something about the transporting of the ballot boxes in rural areas where in 2014 some boxes were delayed without explanation. May be dash cams can be employed to ensure the boxes are not tampered with.	Fair
1361	562692492	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Dont want another referendum. 55% voted NO to stay in the UK. Therefore the UK voted to leave the EU.\rThe SNP are just using this for another failed attempt at independence. We said no you clowns. Get used to it or move over and give someone who can govern properly.	See above	Read the above
1362	928226170	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	2014 excluded many Scots and included many foreign nationals. This is wrong - it is a national issue, not a political one. The will of those who voted is clear. The majority of us don't actually want another referendum. What we want is a government that cares about the country instead of concentrating on their own personal agendas.	See my first comment.	These are irrelevant to ordinary people. We should, in theory, at least, be able to trust that this is something that you can do right.
1363	403141033	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm fine with this.	I'm fine with this.	I'm fine with this.
1364	909516398	Ben Hortin	Individual	Individual	I feel the referendum need not take place. The referendum of 2014 was divisive across Scotland. It also gave a definitive result, even accounting for statistical inaccuracies.	The polling and count arrangements for the previous referendum were sound and gave a clear and definitive result.	The permissible participants section seems okay
1365	597288905	Mr	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Given we're leaving the EU and this referendum will be AFTER we've left, EU citizens should NOT have the vote\r What about citizens currently living abroad?
1366	78037782	Brian Milne	Individual	Individual	As we will be leaving the EU. I believe that any future referendum should be conducted as a General Election franchise and should also only be binding on 75% turn out.	EU citizens should be excluded as they should have no say as both Britain and Scotland will be outside of the EU.	Campaigning should also include clauses for Cyber abuse that was prevalent during the last referendum. Nobody campaigning should be subject to abuse.
1367	1006156641	John Lockhart	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Ok
1368	166119212	Paul Mahon	Individual	Individual	The Electoral Commission should be replaced by international election observers.	There should be a ban on postal voting. Only those expressing a position withon polling stations on the day of the referendum, either personally or through a proxy, should be enfranchised. Representatives of each side in the referendum campaign and international observers should be with ballot boxes during transportation from polling stations to the count.	Neutral.
1369	888990735	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think those resident on Scotland should be eligible along with 16 & 17 year olds. I also think more should be done to prevent any possible postal electoral fraud and pollung station fraud. Eg people potentially reporting to polling as someone else.	Sounds all good to me.	Agree.
1370	201290203	George McGinlay	Individual	Individual	My view is forget about a referendum 2.\rThe reasons are we were promised that this was a once in a lifetime,and would rather stick with being Scottish/British,as I don't consider myself european.	My view is do it the same as usual.	Should be Scots only I think.
1371	228101375	Michael Ross	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed changes.	I would suggest that expatriate Scots, who were previously registered with a Scottish parliamentary constituency within the last 15 years be permitted to vote. This would be in line with the current voting rules for elections to the Westminster parliament and for the recent EU referendum.\rI currently reside in the USA but retain a keen interest in the future of Scotland as I am likely to return to Scotland in the near future. As a British citizen I retain the right of return to the UK. I would argue that as I was able to partake in the EU referendum, that I have an equally valid right to partake in a Scottish independence referendum that has similar constitutional effects.	I have no comment to make on these changes.
1372	341654198	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The Votes should be counted where they are cast, there is already staff at the polling stations capable of counting after the voting has closed, monitors could then forward the results to a central office.\r The moving around of ballot boxes is unsafe	Postal voting should only be used where absolutely neccesary, it is open to abuse	No problems with this
1373	43934380	Phil	Individual	Individual	No comment.	Only UK voters should be allowed a vote not EU residents. the quickest way to resolved Scotland's independence is to offer the vote to everyone in the UK and based on my own research Scotland will be independent as many in England want the Union dissolved.	No comment.
1374	178821461	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am shocked that democracy could be seen as a very temporary inconvience. I was shocked in the original referendum that the franchise to vote could be extended down 2 years in one part of the country only. Now we seem off on the same track trying to as you say above to " manage" another referendum. The proposal for the EU was a known quantity at the time of the independence referendum. So it would seem, just like Brexit, you seek to know the will of the people wether they agree or not. The election of SNP Westminster MPs speak to Scotland having a stronger voice within the U.K. perhaps but not necessarily a vote for another referendum.	They seem in order apart from the reduction in voting age, everyone 16 and 17 in the country or no one. One could comment that the mitigation for this localised reduction was to be fair in generation terms, which has some merit though I refer again to the non universality of this; but one must ask about people living in the UK who are Scottish but are denied a say......one also might wonder why.	They seem in order.
1375	657410224	Sarah Munro	Individual	Individual	This is acceptable.	This is acceptable. Please ensure that vote rigging is not possible and secure the transportation and counting of postal votes with independent witnesses. Many people, including myself, have expressed concerns about Yes votes going missing and No votes being inserted by unscrupulous agents/civil servants on behalf of the British government.	This is acceptable.
1376	149152006	Sheena Banks	Individual	Individual	I agree	I agree	I agree
1377	280465515	Blair Paterson	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Only those who were born and live in Scotland should be able to vote on the future of their country no Incomers should be allowed a vote no matter how long they have lived here at the end of the day it is not their country and there should be no postal votes they are wide open to fraud also we should have exit polls and lastly it should all be supervised by outside observers if these conditions are not met then you will never win your freedom
1378	713635266	Sylvia Jardine	Individual	Individual	I feel that there are a few issues missing in relation to accountability and proof of reliability of the count on votes. 1) computerised software used in collecting the votes - what checks are in place to ensure that the figures are correct at the time of counting - this should be in the consultation document - as I come from an IT financial background,. 2)what checks are in place for postal voting to ensure that people who have died or moved from a council area have not voted. 3) I personally would like some method of knowing my vote had been counted. The voting paper should have a bar code and this could be a way of verifying our vote.\r4) Transportation of the voting boxes should always have security personal in attendance and persons from each party in attendance.\r 5) All these nice words from the commission does not allay my fears and I feel the old fashioned method of voting is not secure. \r6) If the bar code on the voting slip is used then a report could be published of the bar codes that voted Yes / No's, this way voters can check their vote without personal details being published.	I don't think it goes far enough = see my answer to question 1	No Comment
1379	605305652	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Yeah I agree this is fine although I think all Scots should have the right to vote even those who live abroad,	I agree this is fine	Ok
1380	476667318	Jim Turnbull	Individual	Individual	No referendum required. The 2014 result was clear and the Scottish Government have no mandate to continue to divide the Country	The proposed changes should not be made . Eligibility criteria should remain as stood in 2014 referendum	The proposed changes should not be made . Eligibility criteria should remain as stood in 2014 referendum
1381	857806659	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As long as it's democratic and simple and easy to understand with no managing mumbo jumbo then no worries!	I believe only Scottish people should be allowed to vote no EU nationals should have the right to vote even if they live here. #no2euyestodemocracy plus no Commonwealth people allowed to Scottish people only.	Don't care
1382	398051395	Leslie Dick	Individual	Individual	We need impartial supervisors at every counting table that have no link's to the union (Icelandic people should be used)	No Answered	No postal votes
1383	296145927	June Hay	Individual	Individual	Sounds right. Although not asked I would like more national guidance on campaigning in schools to pupils including those not of an age to vote. There seems to be variation in different regions.	That's good	Good
1384	139322756	Jacqueline Cowie	Individual	Individual	We don't need a referendum	No Answered	Only Scottish people should vote on Scotlands future!
1385	300672165	Richard Thomson	Individual	Individual	I agree with this	I agree with all of these	I agree with all points
1386	702809440	YesDay Scotland	Individual	Individual	All aspects have received appraisal via our Twitter: Redacted text	All as per our wordpress article: Redacted text	Should only be those who have primary place of residence. \rNot for those who have primary address.
1387	225597521	Stephen McGrath	Individual	Individual	I am convinced that the last independence referendum was rigged and for the next one I would say it is imperative that international observers are present at every stage of the process and also in every counting office.\rAlso that the postal ballots are kept in Scotland and counted under close supervision.	I am happy with the above.	I am happy with the above.
1388	594749360	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	think we need to look at ways to make the vote tighter. all emplyees who man and transport the votes to be vetted and assured by our Scottish government	i think voting card must be shown to vote and residency cannot just be an address, must be working and living on the country	responsibilities need to be clear and subject to charge of not followed
1389	718536916	Gordon Ross	Individual	Individual	Will the electoral commission be Scottish based? Or is this a UK body?\r I would like a fully independent Scottish body to oversee the votes.\r Will there be international european observers at counts and postal vote verification?	I agree with the changes particularly on absent voting but I think postal votes should only be made available for those working abroad or who have disabilities. \r The postal votes were too vulnerable to abuse and fraud.	I'm particularly pleased at the inclusion of 16 and 17 year olds.
1390	1066732624	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	i think it should be ran by impartial under close supervision monitored by an impartial independent body
1391	980466260	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with these proposals.	I have felt disquiet by various reports regarding possible mass fraudulent use of postal votes in 2014 and the fact the leaders of the unionist & conservatives party appeared to know the results of the postal vote before the official count. I am pleased to see this area being given greater scrutiny to ensure there is no fraudulent postal voting.	I agree with the proposed changes.
1392	829772798	Caroline Grant	Individual	Individual	I think that more scrutiny is needed to ensure integrity of ballot boxes and at the count to ensure no interference of ballot papers.	As a postal voter I would feel my vote was more secure if no-one , other than those appointed by the Electoral commission had view of votes before the count.	positive
1393	603594397	Peter	Individual	Individual	A total waste of money .\rWe made a decision to stay in the uk \rSo let's leave it at that ,and get on with the job you were elected to do ,run the country ,and spend the money on more suitable things .\rNot putting a feather in Nicolas bonnet !	Seems ok	Seems ok
1394	725563259	Sharon barnes	Individual	Individual	I agree with them	I believe that the vote should only be open to those who reside in Scotland and not those who have chosen to leave and live in another country as the decision no longer effects them	I agree
1395	222189758	Tommy Jacques	Individual	Individual	I believe that the whole process should be supervised and scrutinised by a neutral external body eg EU or UN.	I agree	I agree
1396	518414860	John Macleod	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
1397	660043124	Brian Cahill	Individual	Individual	Yes to the proposals	Yes to the above proposals, with the proviso that no unofficial/illegal survey of the votes take place by any active member of a political party.	All donors and associated affiliates should be transparent and accountable for their sources of Financing and or material contributions where a tangible cost may be applied.
1398	79847549	david ramsay	Individual	Individual	the current scottish government is a MINORITY government therefore it does NOT HAVE THE MANDATE from the people of scotland to call for another independence referendum. what we want is the Snp to honour the will of the MAJORITY of scots who saw through the lies of the SNP .	please read above the MINORITY Snp government do not have a mandate ( you need to be a majority government ) for a referendum	oh my god NO MAJORITY = NO MANDATE
1399	379605585	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with this.	Happy with this.	Fine.
1400	1045962536	Scott MacAulay	Individual	Individual	Great, it's about time :)	No Answered	I agree with most of this although eligibility to vote should be slimmed down a bit, for example only people who have lived here for 5+ years
1401	943724760	Billy Thomson	Individual	Individual	I believe there should be closer independent scrutiny of the actual count. And, it be made a Criminal offence for Postal votes to be disclosed to any member of any Political Party before the count.	I agree with the changes.	I agree with the changes.
1402	56665246	Richard Duncan	Individual	Individual	I have little confidence in the Electorial Commision and would wish for EU reps to over see things but we cnt always get what we want so anything to get us another vote in my own opinion. The UK has gone mental .	And we allow around 800.000 English to vote on our independence .. cos they live here for now !!! \r Good to see the 16-17 year old included . The work , pay tax etc they should have a vote	I have none .
1403	564832575	Benn Rapson	Individual	Individual	The refendum should be managed in the same fashion as the previous referendum in 2014.	All of the proposed changes seem logical.	No comment.
1404	26472632	Peter Curran	Individual	Individual	I suppose using the Electoral Reform society is inevitable, but one can only hope they have learned something from two referendums in under three years, especially about controlling potential abuses of the system. Next question may clarify ...	That all makes sense to me, and answers almost all of my reservations.	I agrre with all of that, and it appears to offer robust safeguards. But the failure to date of police and Electoral Reform Society to deal with the abuse of expenses in Edinbrught West constituency by LibDem candidates does not inspire confidence.
1405	334695725	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There needs to be safeguards in place to protect ballot boxes from tampering, more scrutiny by independent observers at the count, more scrutiny over postal ballots.	No Answered	As above
1406	94262613	Jonathan Andrews	Individual	Individual	Independent, European based monitors for the voting procedures and especially counts\rPeriodical reviews of state broadcasters re. impartiality\rRemoval of postal vote option and/or postal votes counted in Scotland under Foreign monitor observation\rCounts of votes should be performed at individual polling stations\rPeriod of purdah to be strictly enforced - no more VOWs days before day of vote\rUse of bar coded voting slips, assigned to each voter, then scanned and validated as part of counting process or other cross referencing/validation procedure (i.e. there should be no more voting slips without bar codes on the back of them, some of them did, some of them didn't)	Postal votes are open to fraud and should not be offered as a voting mechanism.\r Exit polls should be performed by independent external body(s).\r No sampling of postal vote ballot (if this is allowed - see earlier comment).\rMr John McTernan, ex-advisor to a UK Prime Minister had made public predictions about the contents of the PB boxes on the 14th of September, 4 days before the boxes were opened for counting and while the ballot was still open. This is illegal. Ruth Davidson's actions were also contrary to the postal ballot process.	Full disclosure of interests, names, business links etc of campaigning groups must be provided - for example vote no borders claimed to be a grassroots campaign group when in fact it was a stage managed, astroturfed type of operation, whose funding and true background was not declared to the voters.
1407	998386363	Eileen May	Individual	Individual	Is this the 5years-or-more residency rule? Wish it could include expats who spent first 23 years in Scotland (me)	-YES. Proxy vote must be by an already- confirmed registered voter. \rBUT, Is there a limit to how many folk- say in an old folks home- one person be proxy for? \r -YES to restriction on "emergency" proxy votes\r-YES to changing law to require checking personal identifiers on 100% of postal votes.\r-YES to recommendation to keep campaigners out of polling and counting. \r-YES to counting officer to now supply a copy of confirmation on numbers of \r ballots=votes	Yes to Electoral Commisson being permitted to reject registering obscene or offensive names, words and publications. \rYes to party designation of treasurer.
1408	284647116	Robert Ewen	Individual	Individual	Looks fine but tight control of postal voting is required to prevent electoral fraud.	Proxy votes and postal votes are a major concern as these areas are wide open to fraud and there is much anecdotal evidence to suggest fraud was rife in 2014 referendum. Re proxy voting think being registered to vote is a good start but believe this should be extended to being registered to vote in the same constituency. I also believe that postal voting should be more secure and there should be NO SAMPLING of these before being opened for the first time after the polls have closed, having been kept secure in a safe place before delivery to the counts perhaps under the watchful eye of Independent observers from out with the UK. Independent observers should be present at every count.	No issues with these changes.
1409	774493369	Barrie Grieve	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Figure out a way to have a "third party" to do the collection and counting of the ballot papers. This would stop any complaints about possible vote rigging which was thought to have happened in 2014.
1410	897948301	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There was accusations of cheating and robbery regarding the 2014 vote. The next vote should be overseen by totally independent observers, from OUTWITH The UK, people with no bias towards which side wins, this cannot be done by from within the UK as there's too much bias towards one side or other. Much more strict scrutiny has to be applied as the amount of bias, particularly towards better together was allowed to proceed unchallenged, this is far too important .	Impartial observers from OUTWITH the UK must be brought in. People with no preference either way, the postal vote system has to be severely restricted, how did Ruth Davidson manage to announce the results of this BEFORE the results of referendum were legally announced? Why was she not given a jail sentence for her obvious cheating? Better Together had all things going there way most of the way through the referendum, bias towards them was something that had to be seen to be believed!, This MUST be tackled before any referendum. Polling stations must have their security tighten up. Impartial observers to ensure strict rules regarding ballot papers, identification for all, and ballot boxes under strict observation throughout.\rAs for eligibility to vote only residents of 5 years upwards who live in Scotland should have a vote. During the 2014 indy ref pro who were up here for a few months or even weeks were given a vote, these people have no loyalties to Scotland and never will. They voted no then left for abroad or back to other parts of UK and the Scottish people were left with complete strangers with no feelings for Scotland deciding Scotland's future as well as many people coming up to Scotland to register as residents for the duration so as to register there no vote then return home to England, this MUST be tightened up so as to prevent this abomination happening again. Also much, much stricter impartial observation of such rules.	Better Together had much more funding from exceptionally wealthy backers during indy ref, this should never, ever have been allowed, it allowed a very unfair starting ground from the start, no-one should be able to donate to either side. It should be government funded to keep the wealthy, vested interests of those OUTWITH Scotland out of our referendum, these people only care about their personal wealth and NOT the interests of the people of Scotland, keep them and their money OUT of Scotland's very important future.
1411	98843440	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would like to be confident that the votes are not tampered with in any way throughout the whole process.	No Answered	As previously mentioned, I would like to be confident that the votes are not tampered with in any way.
1412	834718128	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I honestly believe that there were large inconsistencies in the count and dirty tactics and interference from Westminster via "the vow" and the fact that the postal vote count being openly spoken about by Ruth Davidson and the subsequent no prosecution for doing so, means the current system on counting, monitoring and Westminster interference will not allow a fair vote count under the present system and arrangements.	The changes are good and reflect the issues highlighted in the previous question and answer.	Ok with that. There seems to be a lot of recommendations from the electoral commissions report which raise concern on the results and validity of the last referendum though.
1413	664109040	Steve Norris	Individual	Individual	The entire referendum process, especially the postal vote arrangements, must be run from Scotland, with external and international scrutiny if deemed necessary. Any firm involved in running the postal ballot must be in Scotland and its directors free from any affiliations to any political party.\r The postal vote turnout in the September 2014 referendum bordered on the unbelievable, given the natural annual turnover in the register of electors through death and moving house, let alone those choosing not to vote.\r I personally was made aware of one instance where an elector received multiple postal votes - and voted 'no' in all of them. Other anecdotal evidence included second home owners registering to vote even though their main residence was elsewhere. \r The postal vote is likely to make up at least 20 per cent of the turnout in IndyRef2. It must be watertight.	The draft bill is right to require that the personal identifiers on all postal voting statements are checked. A facsimile of the voter's personal ID - driving license, passport and/or NI number should also be obtained as proof of identity.	No view
1414	167513288	Frann Leach	Individual	Individual	Although the rules for the 2014 referendum seemed clear, it has come to light that local returning officers were instructed to leave boxes open, even though they are supposed to be sealed. I believe that it's important that the requirement that boxes be sealed is emphasised and that local returning officers are reminded that it is an offence not to do so. To ensure this takes place, each polling station should have an independent International Observer present when the boxes are sealed.\r The lack of an exit poll made it possible that voting boxes which had been left open could be tampered with without any doublecheck, so I therefore believe that an exit poll should be carried out.	Since there were some non-residents boasting about voting by post using a former address, I believe that the provision for postal voting should be restricted to genuinely disabled people and HM forces serving outwith Scotland. The date of the referendum is likely to be available well in advance of holiday booking, so that is not a good reason for voting by post.	Some of the permitted participants in 2014 were wholly or mainly funded from sources external to Scotland. I believe that this should not be allowed. Broadly, it seems to me that if someone is not eligible to vote in the referendum, they should not be eligible as donors either.
1415	679311283	Brian Mckenna	Individual	Individual	I welcome the proposals but would like to see independent international observers to oversee all aspects of voting and counting of votes.	Again I welcome the changes but would also like to see anyone presenting to vote must have identification not just a polling card	Satisfactory
1416	368506078	Gary Reilly	Individual	Individual	While i think the possibility of a second referendum after 2014 is quite close, i really feel that the Scottish Government are duty bound to explore every avenue available and if that requires another referendum on Scotlands place within the UK then i dont feel the Scottish Government could certainly have the powers in place to consider it	I feel the franchise should be extended to the same people as it was in 2014	i agree with these
1417	217462677	Emma Nicolson	Individual	Individual	That's fair enough. As long as the votes get properly counted this time round and not put in the wrong piles.	Well thought out	Fair enough
1418	744515490	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine except need international mediators/regulators and counting halls need to be set up as per their stipulations	It says 'British residents' living in Scotland - should it not be UK residents? or does it not apply to northern irish people?	Agree
1419	662017245	Mark frew	Individual	Individual	I would like to see independent adjudicator's	I ok with the eligibility to vote proposal	No view
1420	1061213861	Kenneth G Coutts	Individual	Individual	As long as there is no involvement or input by the English or the unionist MP'S.\rSolely a Scottish operation.	Additional independent scrutiny of \rCounting across the board.	Agreed.
1421	513757932	wilma mcewan	Individual	Individual	There are may questions still being asked about the 2014 ref ,especially the dipping into postal votes ,before the time came for them to be counted ,this needs sorted,also many ppl registered to vote ,were told at the polling station they were not on the list ,so no vote for them,Inverclyde council seem to have problems with timelines ,telling folk 5 WEEKS before the cut of date to register that it was too late ,local SNP shop had to step in get forms and deliver them to Paisley by car,there was also problems with school computers ,could not pull up ,anything on the yes movement ,but no problem with obtaining info on BT.\rThere are things that must be done differently like forcing them in some way to stick to ruled ,purdah being one example ,it is there for a reason,IMHO we need a totally independent body overseeing another ref,or the outcome will be the same and \robtained in the same way,	No Answered	as above ,I see the changes I recommend are being it into place ,may I also advise NO company or persons with affiliations to WM or Holyrood ,be hired in any capacity ,to be at the count.also would go further ,in that I would ask an Independent body from EU r elsewhere to oversee it all from start to finish
1422	400779015	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe if the Scottish Government plans another referendum on independence then more preparation needs to be done to be able to answer questions regarding currency, issues around interest rates, taxation, income generation (without reliance on oil). These are the issues which stopped me and many others voting in favour of independence previously	No Answered	None
1423	130288101	David mooney	Individual	Individual	All seems fine	I agree	I agree
1424	954469904	Robert Furman	Individual	Individual	Content with the proposed arrangements	Content with the proposed technical changes	Content with the proposed changes
1425	664742221	Frances steele	Individual	Individual	Looks good	I think its right that the younger ones are allowed a vote .	Sounds ok
1426	703375629	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements	I agree with the proposals	I agree with the proposals
1427	120005342	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Acceptable.	Agreed in general. I am, however, completely opposed to any form of sampling or opening of postal votes before the official closure of the polls on polling day. This avoids any suggestions of corrupting of the poll by removing or adding to the votes. It seems that in some areas this was acceptable practice, but I consider this to be completely wrong and undemocratic.	Agreed
1428	421631048	Shiona MacPhail	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Individual	My main concern from the previous referendum was that Scots living abroad could only vote if they have been away for less than 3 years. With the Brexit referendum, the time limit was (I believe?) 15 years. Why the difference? My daughter who has been living in Canada was deeply disappointed that she couldn't vote in the independence referendum as she was a 'yes' voter. She did however vote in favour of staying in the EU. She and I feel, that the time limit should be the same - i.e. 15 years (if that is the correct number of years) as there are many Scots abroad who feel passionately about this issue. And I'm sure there will be both yes and no voters. But, surely, they should be included in this. Maybe more would come back if we succeeded in a yes vote. Am delighted to see that 16-18 year olds are to be included again. I have never seen so many young people so empassioned about politics before and am looking forward to seeing it again.
1429	20477386	Timothy. Peffers	Individual	Individual	Agree there should be another referendum but until the media (bbc/sky/stv) give unbiased news. Older generation and unionists will make it a close vote. Don't know what the situation is with EU nationals how they voted and other UK. Nationals living in Scotland voted in 2014.	That sounds better the 100%check on postal votes I and my partner voted Yes. But felt like they didn't count after hearing about them going down south first (don't know if that's true) also someone from no side saying that they had seen postal votes (and it looked encouraging) can't remember who probably Ruth the mooth	Am sure there is a reason for this. As long as it makes. It fair
1430	119802798	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Looks good.	Looks good and fair, unlike the EU ref where about 3.9 million people who would have been directly impacted by that vote were not alllqeec to vote.	Looks good.
1431	882334046	David Baldwin	Individual	Individual	It seems to be a well thought out process and appears to be well documented and arrangements seem practicable.	A common sense set of changes that will make the procedures clearer and more acceptable.	These new rules are acceptable and make sense.
1432	739091618	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum. But I would like to see something done about the Purdah period as it was not adhered to at the last Scottish referendum.	I agree with the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements.	I agree with the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
1433	785864915	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree in principle, although would like to see independent personnel watching the vote count. If a count is not done the same day and therefore storage over night is necessary, there should be strict rules in place as to who has access or is potentially watching the votes to avoid tempering with them. \rIdeally, my preference would be for all votes to be counted the same day directly following closure of the polling stations.\rRegarding postal votes, there has been a lot of confusion about these being accessed prior to the actual day. This should be avoided and all counts should only be on the referendum day, again with independent personnel present.	I agree with eligibility criteria based on residency and to include 16 and 17 year old voters.\r Absent voting needs to require more checks, I am satisfied that a need for the proxy to be registered does help here.\r Regarding the actual count, I would like to see independent personnel watching the vote count. If a count is not done the same day and therefore storage over night is necessary, there should be strict rules in place as to who has access or is potentially watching the votes to avoid tempering with them.\rIdeally, my preference would be for all votes to be counted the same day directly following closure of the polling stations.\rRegarding postal votes, there has been a lot of confusion about these being accessed prior to the actual day. This should be avoided and all counts should only be on the referendum day, again with independent personnel present.	Agreed.
1434	884893712	Gordon Stirling	Individual	Individual	This is a good way to conduct the referendum fairly.	I agree as this allows the maximum amount of people to have their say and make their voice count.	I agree this is good as it avoids confusion and ensures clarity.
1435	96514656	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	that's fine	that's fine	that's fine
1436	40794044	George Trist	Individual	Individual	Although laid out well I have concerns over afew issues.\r An independent (Icelandic preferably) observer should bre present at all polling stations.\r Exit polls should be compulasary at all polling stations.\r Vans taking ballots to count should have two people and should be followed by police.\r Each poling station should were possible have independent observer present always.\r Breeches to purdah should be severely sanctioned, eg forfeit vote.	Postal votes should be 100% verified, postal votes should be on medical grounds or overseas voters only. Postal votes mustbstay in Scotland. Requests for postal votes should be verified, for instance is the voter alive or residing in Scotland\r Proxy voters should carry identification of person who they are representing.\r Residency should be for a minimum of 6 months, if anyone has resided for less than 6 months they become ineligible to vote.\r Residency must be proved with supporting information, eg from employer, medical professional or DWP.\r Every count must be represented by not one but two returning officers.	Every campaigner spending £500 and above should be registered and breeches to rules or regulations should incur immediate penalty.
1437	326162174	Bill Ward	Individual	Individual	I believe a free and fair referendum is the best way to achieve Independence for Scotland. It is not, however the only way.	I don't see any technical changes!	I don't understand the changes.
1438	24392410	Elizabeth Marshall	Individual	Individual	Rubbish.Rubbish	Rubbish.	Rubbish.
1439	488751410	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	all seems perfectly acceptable	To be truly democratic all persons resident in Scotland, over the age of 16, have to be included since this would affect their future.\rI would point to the fact that prisoners with determinate sentences are similarly affected and as such the franchise should be extended to them. It could be argued that prisoners with life or indeterminate sentences or Lifelong Restriction Orders may never be released & as such may be denied the franchise (although I would argue against this on the grounds that it assumes no release. ) \r The requirement that "the counting officer “must not knowingly” appoint or employ anyone who has been involved in campaigning during the referendum." should have "a member of any organisation " inserted between "been" and "involved" in order to ensure there should be no bias either way	Television, Radio & Newspapers MUST be considered as participants to prevent the abuse of law perpetuated by the Daily Record in 2014
1440	513310424	James Rodden	Individual	Individual	No Answered	We need more security, the handling of ballot papers, pre and post voting, needs to be seen to be more secure, transportation of ballot papers to be 100% secure and exit polls on every voting station. Postal ballots to be more strictly regulated with no sampling allowed, ballot papers to be kept and counted in Scotland..	Good, again though, I emphasise the need for more security through all stages of balloting
1441	401058128	Rachel Dempsey	Individual	Individual	I agree with this. However, I believe that there should also be Members from the European Parliament Overseeing the counting process. This would ensure that there is no malpractice and election fraud which we witnessed on a spectacular scale in 2014.	I agree with this	I agree
1442	507827725	John Wallace	Individual	Individual	Totally in favour	Seem fair, particularly in relation to EU citizens resident in Scotland.	In agreement
1443	787744176	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements.	These changes are sensible and acceptable.	The role of the media has to be scrutinised.If newspapers are engaged in the campaign in support of one side or the other they should have to register.
1444	452707743	Ross McMartin	Individual	Individual	The referendum should he compulsory	No Answered	It should be open to Scots living overseas
1445	551555304	Holly West	Individual	Individual	I think they're adequate.	As above.	Could not agree more with them.
1446	475125446	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think it's another waste of tax payers money.	No Answered	Changes are irrelevant as the people have already spoken.
1447	845879133	Paul smith	Individual	Individual	I fully agree with the arrangements in place, I would although like to think that the other party stick fully to the agreement as last time with a 2 weeks to go to polls opening they involved mps to influence the no vote. Also on social media there was a lot of talk of vote rigging and pictures of votes not being counted etc these needs to be address so there is no repeat weather it was true or not.	Fully agree with this bill and transparency from the counting officer and all people involved as this is our future these people should be fully checked and results od the shared for transparency if required for example of fraud is committed by anyone counting the votes . Very good for 16 and 17 to vote as I fully engage my children in this process	I agree
1448	474383148	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They are broadly satisfactory	One hundred per cent of postal votes must be checked. We all remember the suspicions raised about the veracity of postal votes during the 2014 independence referendum, and, I am sure, we would not wish to see a repetition of this unsatisfactory state of affairs.\r I would not give the Upper House any right to vote. It is an unelected and undemocratic edifice, and therefore should play no part in the due democratic process in Scotland. It is also, as bear evidence by some of the recent utterances from its members, manifestly (in some cases) anti-Scottish and therefore, in my view, suspect.	I broadly welcome this
1449	258384295	David Leaver	Individual	Individual	I approve of the suggested changes but I think great emphasis should be placed on making sure the the next Scottish Independance Referendum is controlled and strictly supervised within the bounds of Scotland. The possibility of independent foreign observers (strictly not English or Westminster involvement) should be considered.	Good, especially excluding people involved in campaigning from holding position of voting officers. I think a good reason should have to be made before a postal ballot is issued. I personally work at sea and hence cannot guarantee to attend a voting station. For this referendum I will even if I have to swim ashore on the day!	Good
1450	1027504158	Winifred Anderson	Individual	Individual	I am happy for the next next referendum to go ahead as in 2015.with 16 and 17 year olds taking part	I am happy with this., but ensure postal votes are safe and secure prior to the count	I agree this is necessary
1451	491980047	Andrea McKirdy Armstrong	Individual	Individual	Can't see how it can be done any more securely given timescale and the array of changes that would be needed. I fear election fraud and vote rigging with current systems, but hope that SG will closely monitor the weak areas.	As above	No real confidence in the EC but I trust the SG
1452	420068326	sean ward	Individual	Individual	i don't want another referendum \rwe've had one	No Answered	no need for this as there shouldn't be another referendum
1453	748836293	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm happy with this	Happy with this and glad there is stricter criteria around voting by proxy and postal votes	This seems sensible
1454	945491355	James Dunphy	Individual	Individual	I think it is a sensible idea. That we (SNP supporters, past and present and future) give the present Scottish Government every chance in fulfilling it's pledge to the Scottish people.	These are for me sensible changes in all cases. Having read the alterations to a possible future referendum. I see no fault with them in any way shape or form.	Can't see there being a problem with these changes.
1455	829260994	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Excellent, Scotland should be proud of its 2014 referendum process. Democratic and fair debate on Scotland future without a single act of violence.	Brilliant, again democratic and fair. 16 and 17 year old should be included in all votes - not just Scottish ones.	Brilliant!
1456	209125980	Julie-Ann Neill	Individual	Individual	I agree to the proposals.	I agree with the proposals but add that Postal Votes should remain in Scotland to be checked and counted.	I agree to the changes.
1457	47917096	Caoimhin O' Raghallaigh	Individual	Individual	I think this is the most effective way in which to hold any election or referendum.	I believe anyone who will be affected by the vote should have their voice heard.	I see no reason why a person couldn't hold both positions so long they conduct their role ethically and the possibility of offence being caused should be removed.
1458	637003029	Susan McGill	Individual	Individual	Concerns regarding postal vote being taken to England for counting - they should stay in Scotland \r Otherwise agree with proposals	Agree	Agree
1459	579616804	Craig Hunter	Individual	Individual	The 2014 was well handled with the exception of certain individuals from other parties being charged with assault outside a polling station and others illegally opening and counting postal votes. \r I would also like to see the vote extended to 16 & 17 year olds, as in 2014.	All the steps seem to me to address specific lessons learned from 2014. I am very happy to see more checking on postal votes and 16&17 years being legislated for.	I agree completely with the principles stated above. Rules which tighten up some of the loopholes and ways by which certain groups took unfair advantage is a good thing.
1460	413385060	Bruno Baumgartner	Individual	Individual	Another copycat of English politics. The government should first learn to act individually. However for the present questionaire, this is probably the correct way to do it.\rBut one thing has to be clear from the start: Will the result be binding the Government or not binding and can Westminster object to the result.	As the UK and this includes Scotland, will leave the EU, you would have to accept all foreign residents who live longer than 10 years in Scotland and not only members of the EU.	No opinion
1461	482805855	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	More needs to be done to address the integrity of vote counting and ensuring that the result can not be tampered with. I believe there were serious failings in 2014. Exit polling should be required, fully independent parties should be present at all vote counting, postal votes should not be sent elsewhere for counting, transporting of ballot boxes should be taken with upmost security measures. \rIllegal press releases such as The Vow should clearly be an offence and publications punishable for releasing vote swaying information so close to the vote - in particular, where the 'news items' prove to be false/misleading. Similarly any false headlines should be a punishable offence and, at the very least, retractions should have to be of a similar size and placement in the paper that then 'retracts' it.\rToo much of the electoral process is influenced by the right wing media and false news - as was seen in 2014, during Brexit and in the US election. This is a priority concern. \rBBC reports which are clearly biased should also hold the individual reporters and the programmes accountable (with serious fines). The Alex Salmond "declining to respond" piece by Nick Robinson was farcical, as just one example. The BBC is supposedly a 'public body' so it is criminal to mislead the public so blatantly.	No Answered	This needs monitored closely. As a Scot who has lived in England for the past 15 years, I was rightfully not entitled to vote. I was disgusted to hear of colleagues and acquaintances who used parent's addresses to vote (usually 'no') and this was never monitored. \rSteps also need to be put in place to stop individuals falsely 'relocating' in order to have a vote. Anyone registered on the Scottish electoral register should be tied in to that register for a significant period of time and not able to simply change at a whim when it suits them. There should also be a cut off (i.e. Now!) for those currently on the register entitled to vote. Any new register requests should be carefully scrutinised, with powers to reject.
1462	227361734	John Dickosn	Individual	Individual	Fine, but I would welcome observers from the EU to ensure no jiggery pokery from Westminster, who I distrust completely.	OK, I like the fact that all postal votes must be verified as I am certain these were manipulated in 2014. Once again I advocate the participation of independent observers from the EU.	I think there should be spending limits and that only people in residence in Scotland are able to contribute, no external contributions allowed.
1463	187221884	Hamish Donald	Individual	Individual	I agree with the vote eligibility.	I feel that the proposals are fair and inclusive. I also believe that it is right to include the voices of Scotland's many EU residents as they were disenfranchised in the EU referendum.	I have no view on this, although this impacts of this change are not well understood by myself.
1464	573147377	Lorraine Morrison	Individual	Individual	This is not stringent enough for the next referendum. We saw ballot boxes arriving with neatly bundled votes already in them. There were also reported cases of people voting who had been added to the electoral register who didn't in fact qualify as residents.\rI overheard a counting officer in Angus state loudly to a group of his friends, when speaking of the 2014 referendum, that he would be glad when this nonsense was over and it was rediculous to hold such a referendum. This was not an impartial view from someone who was overseeing such an important vote count.	The residency requirement must be robust, there have been many reports of interested parties suddenly registering as residents with no evidence of qualification. The postal vote must not be removed from Scotland for counting. The postal votes should be sealed and only opened and counted when representatives from both sides are present.	This would seem reasonable.
1465	196598175	John Hannah	Individual	Individual	I think there should be extra security measures to ensure:\r 1. An equal number of Yes and No voters are elected as counters.\r2. Votes should be transported DIRECTLY from polling stations to the central point.\r3. Along with the established method of transportation, a representative from each demography (Yes/No) should accompany the voting boxes.	I think it essential that:\r 1. Proxy or postal votes should strictly only be given to those who are physically unable to attend a polling station.\r2. That all attendees must provide identification as well as their polling card in order to reduce and prevent voter fraud.	Only organisations who:\r Companies: Registered with companies house.\rPolitical Parties: Registered in Scotland.\rIndividuals: Living in and registered on the electoral role in Scotland\r Should be allowed to participate in any campaign.
1466	862059110	Steve Bowers	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Individual	I would like the definition of "resident" clearly outlined, for example, is a person with a "holiday" home in Scotland but living elsewhere in the world allowed a vote. I don't think they should be, I have a holiday home in Montenegro but have no right to vote in their elections and neither should I have
1467	890226939	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for another referendum. \r The first one was conclusive, and was clearly promised to be a "once in a generation" event. The mere fact that a second referendum is being talked about as if it's inevitable is a fundamental betrayal of the people of Scotland, and of the integrity of those who have been elected to govern Scotland in the interests of the WHOLE nation, which includes the majority who do not support independence.\r So, in answer to your question, there IS NO "the referendum", so this consultation exercise is an utter waste of resources that are urgently needed elsewhere in the Scottish economy.	I believe that there are many Scots who are currently living overseas who do not fit into one of the above categories, but who intend to return to live in Scotland in the future, and they should be given the opportunity to be consulted in any matter of this importance.\r I further believe there are many people currently living and working in Scotland who have no long-term commitment or attachment to Scotland (e.g. migrant workers), and I question why such people have voting rights not accorded to Scots who you have disenfranchised.	No opinion
1468	521458453	Joanne Robinson	Individual	Individual	No postal votes should be sent to England, is there a way that we can allow people to vote in the two weeks prior to the date eg like they do in america where they can attend a nominated polling station and vote in there - this would negate the need for postal votes \rshould be overseen by the European Parliament and not Westminster\rall votes should be transferred to the counting stations by 3 persons and police escort to prevent tampering and loss of votes as happened in 2014 \ris there a way that the count can be done electronically	agree that all ballot papers should be checked and matched with the amount counted\ra copy of what the ballot paper should look like should be posted at the front of every polling station to ensure that everyone knows what markings there should be on them \r this should also be overseen by members of the European Parliament	only residents of Scotland should be allowed to participate in any part of the Referendum
1469	614847548	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We need procedures to ensure neither side can claim the result was rigged	No Answered	We need to clarify the criteria for residency in scotland
1470	945686526	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	thers shoild be no postal only proxy votes as it was strange how ruth davidson was able to predict accurately the postal vote make up	no unelected person from the house of lords should be allowed to vote as they have vested interests in this, vile billy boy, blood soaked butchers apron, paedophile practicing and supporting monarchy, and fascist racist right wing anti scots government	no pro unionist anti scots organisation should be allowed to donate to the campaign
1471	321701636	Garry Cross	Individual	Individual	Yes that sounds great but procedures need tightened with the ballot paper counts, the sealing & transportation of the ballot boxes and overseeing all of this. International adjudicators need to be present watching everything. There were too many reports and videos on YouTube of highly irregular occurences. Some ppl had barcodes on their ballot papers,some did not, mines was blank! I don't know how significant this was,if my ballot was therefore classed as spoiled and not counted, or if it was counted? It was all very very disheartening.	Provisions seem to be fine. I require a postal vote since I live in Wick but work Edinburgh, staying away from home much of the time, I may not be able to go to vote in person. Therefore I am very glad of the postal vote. There have been rumours they are the easiest votes to tamper with but I'm hoping that's wrong!	All seems fine with these proposals, I am happy with them!
1472	413609525	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Notwithstanding that Scotland has been shaped by both those are Scottish by birth, and those who have made Scotland their home, there are very good reasons for limiting voting to those who are Scottish by birth. I find myself fairly open-minded, but I do worry a little about people with an attitude of superiority. Having said that, two of the worst in my experience were mainland-Scotland-born, moved to an island and gave the impression that they were on some sort of mission to educate the natives! All-in-all I would agree that persons who are Scottish by birth and Scottish by inhabitance should be eligible to vote, as per the proposal.	I believe that The Scottish Government are competent and experienced in this area, will have carefully considered the issue, and would support them/it.	Notwithstanding that Scotland has been shaped by both those are Scottish by birth, and those who have made Scotland their home, there are very good reasons for limiting voting to those who are Scottish by birth. I find myself fairly open-minded, but I do worry a little about people with an attitude of superiority. Having said that, two of the worst in my experience were mainland-Scotland-born, moved to an island and gave the impression that they were on some sort of mission to educate the natives! All-in-all I would agree that persons who are Scottish by birth and Scottish by inhabitancy should be eligible to vote, as per the proposal.
1473	807780312	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Ban postal votes.	This vote should be restricted to anyone born in Scotland and not to Commonwealth citizens, or EU citizens just because they are resident in Scotland. This will be a vote by the sovereign people of Scotland only.	Political party's should have no active part in this referendum vote and Section 4 of the 2013 Act, paragraph 4 should be amended or scrapped.
1474	550663349	Janet Downie	Individual	Individual	I have no issues with these arrangements	The changes are welcome and should remove some of the doubt caused during the last vote. In addition the issue of postal votes being routed to England prior to and during count should never happen for any reason. A letter posted in Scotland to be received by someone in Scotland does not leave the Scottish postal service so why would postal votes	I have no issue with any of these changes
1475	404471549	jim hulbert	Individual	Individual	smp Redacted text	Redacted text	Redacted text
1476	269167528	Melanie Henderson	Individual	Individual	Scottish citizens living overseas should also get a vote in the future of their home. Perhaps anyone living abroad but retaining property such as houses in Scotland could be allowed a vote if abroad for under ten years.	It's impoetant too keep a close check on postal votes to prevent repeat accusations of fraud as per the 2016 vote	None
1477	246981407	Joan Macdonald	Individual	Individual	Good	No Answered	'The draft bill therefore proposes to change the legislation to require 100% checking and bring the legislation into line with previous practice and accepted practice at other elections' - good idea
1478	1073265820	Justin blyth	Individual	Individual	all seems fine	All seems fine	Agree
1479	657562833	Marcus Hazel-McGown	Individual	Individual	I would like an independent international overseer to prevent election rigging	Postal ballots need to be counted in the open, and certainly not in England	Fine
1480	894571762	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No real views as it is the status quo.	seem reasonable and fair	fair and reasonable
1481	663458133	Scott Hindle	Individual	Individual	There should be a limit on postal voting, especially when rerouting via a country outwith Scotland.	See previous field, RE postal voters.	All OK.
1482	627723577	Alan Yeats	Individual	Individual	No Answered	Aye sounds good :)	Sounds good
1483	102041881	Alan Stewart	Individual	Individual	I agree with it	I agree with these. There should be better supervision at counts to prevent any tampering which was widely alleged in 2014 referendun	I agree with these
1484	510492564	Kevan Cameron	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are satisfactory.	No comments.	No comments.
1485	8038151	Jack Hoff	Individual	Individual	No comment.	No Answered	Disagree
1486	473163765	Marion Mullan	Individual	Individual	This worked well the last time and should remain unchanged.	I support these amendments - particularly those relating to the checking of personal identifiers for postal votes.	I support these changes.
1487	860703679	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
1488	632645782	Roderick Mackenzie	Individual	Individual	i agree.\r free Scotland from this union, and take back whats rightfully ours,	No Answered	i agree
1489	336947084	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are appropriate and well managed this will be a fair and transparent process. However as the UK Government will not approve another Independence Referendum a guarantee from the EU, UN or other major international organisations concerned with fair voting regulations are consulted and publicly approve of the action the Scottish Government is taking.	Im a little concerned that overseas residents who wish to have a say in the Scottish Independence Referendum who may in fact wish to return home to Scotland as a result of a Yes vote being returned are not included in this legislation. Can you please ensure that these people are also given a fair chance to vote in an impending independence referendum.	I have no immediate opinions on this.
1490	134135997	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is absolutely no need to waste money on yet another referendum just because the SNP did not get their desired result last time. Accept the democratic result and move on. Focus your efforts on improving the lives of ordinary people here in Scotland rather than wasting more precious resources on a divisive issue which has never been the wishes of the majority.	There is absolutely no need to waste money on yet another referendum just because the SNP did not get their desired result last time. Accept the democratic result and move on. Focus your efforts on improving the lives of ordinary people here in Scotland rather than wasting more precious resources on a divisive issue which has never been the wishes of the majority.	There is absolutely no need to waste money on yet another referendum just because the SNP did not get their desired result last time. Accept the democratic result and move on. Focus your efforts on improving the lives of ordinary people here in Scotland rather than wasting more precious resources on a divisive issue which has never been the wishes of the majority.
1491	68592188	David Veitch	Individual	Individual	Arrangements should be the same as in 2014. A section 30 order should be obtained from the Westminster Parliament.	Do not agree with EU Citizens being allowed to vote.	Arrangements seem OK.
1492	1012190958	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	hopefully the Electoral Commission would do a better job of watching over arrangements than they did at the last referendum	agree	agree
1493	410757694	Helen Brown	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements	Once again I agree with these proposed arrangements.	I agree
1494	571803741	Alex McEwan	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
1495	997106613	Hugo Sharp	Individual	Individual	I support them	I support them	I support them
1496	100991749	Caitie	Individual	Individual	I think it sounds very reasonable. I'm thrilled that you're going to include 16-17 year olds once again, I only hope that the referendum would take place in late 2018 so that I myself can vote in it!\r Having independent organisations is also a good idea, although we'd have to make 100% sure that NO funny business would be going on.	Once again, very good and reasonable. I would suggest that anybody, within the restrictions that were mentioned, whom turns 16 during the YEAR of the vote should be able to vote. I feel this way because I know a fair amount of people, myself included, who would love to be able to vote in the referendum, and it would break my heart to miss out by a few weeks. Aside from that, very good provisions.	Seems perfectly fine. Very good ideas.
1497	1025095195	Brian MacIver	Individual	Individual	Agree.	Seems fair, and sensible. There should be NO post referendum doubts about Postal Votes or Counts.	Agree. Donors and Participants should be declared. Could this include partisan Newspapers & TV Channels?
1498	993039140	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the process will be managed in the same manor a all other elections.	No Answered	All residents of the british isles soyld be entiled to vote. This matter affects the uk as a whole and therefore everyone should have a vote.
1499	648502475	Ray Wallace	Individual	Individual	im fine with it	im very happy with this	im fine with it
1500	1057369015	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with this, as much as I can be. I am sceptical of things being fair when we are still tied to something as corrupt as Westminster.	No. I don't think citizens of other countries should be allowed to vote on this issue unless they have become scottish citizens/ have been here for a certain number of years or something. This will affect us forever and it seems unfair that someone who may leave in a year could have say in the descision...if I've read the info right.	None
1501	699825972	Arthur Donaldson	Individual	Individual	You should shove it up your Redacted text	Not enough Redacted text	They aren't voting via Redacted text
1502	241773930	Amanda Livingstone	Individual	Individual	My only wish is for the management to be fair and right, no scandal if possible, so sick of hearing that electorates have been fixed, there has to be some way of doing it legit.	I agree with all of the above statements	They appear fair and to the point.
1503	560498945	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would prefer count officers to be supplied from other EU nations, not from UK, in order to demonstrate clear impartial oversight.	Postal votes must be more strictly monitored, and must not physically leave Scotland at any point. Opening and counting must be overseen by independent country officials, and campaign representatives must not be permitted to sample these until after all polls have closed.	If newspapers wish to express an opinion, they should also be required to register as campaigners, given their influence and access to the public. They should also be required to confirm their support for one side or the other prominently in every report of referendum activity, so that the public are aware.
1504	726564756	Stephen OBrien	Individual	Individual	Agree completely. Think about the security & integrity of the postal vote and to possibly have exit polls also.	Agree 100%	Again agree 100%
1505	537311379	Ronald Lewis	Individual	Individual	As the First Minister said after losing the last vote, it is a once in a generation event, a generation is about 10 years, ehy then are we talking about this again after 2 years	How can someone who is a citizen of another country be allowed to vote on the future of a country that they are not a citizen of.	Changing the rules is always a nationalist ploy, used many times in post war germany
1506	747432765	Jill Stephenson	Individual	Individual	The Electoral Commission should oversee all the arrangements for any referendum, including the constitution of the electorate and the framing of the question. Those eligible to vote should have lived in the UK for at least a year before the vote. It cannot be right for those who are very transient to take decisions for permanent residents. \r On 1.6, the question should not elicit a 'yes/no' answer. It is recognised that the 'yes' answer gives a distinct advantage (perhaps of 7 percentage points) because it appears positive. The EU referendum's Leave/Remain options would be much preferable, to create a level playing field.\r On 1.7, I would like to see a higher hurdle being set for major constitutional change - those wanting change should be required to score 60% of the vote in a referendum.	Under 'The conduct of the poll and the count', I see no reference to observers at the count. In the 2014 referendum, one particularly partisan figure during the campaign subsequently claimed to have been an observer at a polling station. He was not an official representative of any party or campaign group. This should not happen again.\r On 2.11, it is unreasonable that those born in Scotland and living in the rest of the UK have no right to vote. It would be appropriate to extend the vote to UK-domiciled persons who were born in Scotland.\r On 2.13, 2.14, 2.15 - the changes to the requirement for a proxy vote are sound.\r 2.16 does not go far enough. The counting officer must satisfy himself that those appointed as staff at the polling station have not been involved in campaigning.	3.7 - there is a problem with 'designated organisations'. In the 2014 referendum campaign there were allegedly separate organisations which were in fact SNP front organisations - Business for Scotland was the prime example (how many of its leaders have since stood as SNP candidates?). Such organisations were not separate from or differentiable from the Yes campaign, which was SNP-funded and led. Genuinely separate organisations are one thing. But they need to be able to demonstrate that they are indeed separate from the main campaigning bodies or parties.
1507	25096105	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Would want external (European perhaps) supervision of the counting along with ballot boxes counted in and out of polling stations. At very least would like counting to be video recorded.\rMust ensure that no one with any connection to a politician from whatever party is part of the count, or indeed party activists involved in counting other than as supervisory .\rI believe we were cheated out of voted last time round .\rWestminster government and all its underpinnings has huge stake in ensuring an independence vote fails again.\r Happy for people who live and work in Scotland to have a vote	Think postal voting is wide open to abuse and not sure these measures will prevent wholesale attempt to subvert an independence vote.	Twice as much money was spent by the no side in the last campaign plus the Westminster govt threw huge sums of money at various groups and bodies to ensure a no vote.\rWith the media and press all campaigning against independence without declaring their allegiance it makes for a very uneven and unfair campaign.\rDon't care what groups call themselves as long as it is clear what they are doing and who funds them
1508	74324864	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The count should be done by and only by the snp as they are the only ones who can be trusted	No Answered	I think the votes should be by scottish citizens only, no House of Lords and there should be a age limit as it it's not older peoples future it is the future of the young and it is them who have to deal with it
1509	159147956	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Brilliant! We NEED independence , let's do it. Leave England and Wales who are quickly drifting from us	Very good	Very good
1510	577756432	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As I wasn't resident in Scotland at the time of the last referendum I don't know much about the mechanisms, what I would suggest, however, is that every single counter is vetted for political bias - check their social media, political memberships etc to ensure they're unlikely to be tempted to fudge the numbers in either direction.	Please try to stop rich idiots with holiday homes in Scotland using their Scottish address to obtain a postal vote.	Look fine to me.
1511	310298885	Denis Knowles	Individual	Individual	I agree fully with the draft referendum bill proposals	I agree fully	I agree fully
1512	914340092	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Give it up and concentrate on running the country	Who cares. Give it a rest	When is sturgeon resigning
1513	374120876	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think they are ok	I feel only Scottish born citizens should be allowed a vote in the referendum	Seem ok
1514	459351870	murray forbes	Individual	Individual	no electoral commission, count run by independent authority	I agree with the proposals	I agree with the proposals
1515	263502055	Hugh Wilson	Individual	Individual	My only wish would be that an urgent review must be made of payments made to Returning Officers and Counting Officers. These payments are far to high given that most officials are already on very substantial salaries.	ok	ok
1516	36008488	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I was missing from the register the first time around despite having a polling card and going to check two weeks prior to voting. They tried to refuse me my vote in Hamilton South Lanarkshire, St Peter's primary. I asked for an investigation and got two letters saying I took myself off it, then on it and got to vote. I do not trust the Electoral Commission at all. I demanded my vote and told them I would alert people if they never allowed me to. The Scottish government has to police the election better. Vans should be followed, counting closely monitored. Exit polls, not allowing postal votes unless disabled.	I think English citizens should only be allowed to vote if they have stayed in Scotland for 5 years plus. If they only are here for work and go back home then I do not agree they should get a vote. Also background checks should be made on those who are counting the votes. If they are found to be involved in any campaigning the vote should be voided and rechecked.	Fine.
1517	216045140	george miller	Individual	Individual	We need international observers at the vote count.	Happy with this.	Acceptable.
1518	286643942	Keiran Donald	Individual	Individual	My views have changed drastically about the referendum. In 2014 I was a YES voter and will be voting YES again, I feel this campaign has been run better with more structure and getting more people involved.	Fantastic if this were how the campaign was run in 2014 we would already be independent.	Spot on.
1519	413631496	Alistair Robertson	Individual	Individual	I feel like we need independence we need to break free from the torrie austerity. We need to remain in Europe and be in control of our own country. The Snp are the only party with a clear plan.	I am happy with them	Happy
1520	581959688	R ALLARDICE	Individual	Individual	No after the debacle of 2014 and the accusations of tampering with postal vote and interference by Ruth Davidson and others while checking the validity of votes. There should be an independent international managed system for the count.	I agree with this system being used.	Agree
1521	926562091	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Sounds fair	To vote you should be resident in Scotland for at least 12 months to vote to stop flooding of unionists from down south just before reg cut off.	Fine
1522	975897395	Derek Sloan	Individual	Individual	In full agreement	Agreed	Agreed
1523	992000478	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In agreement, however believe knot Scottish born including Scots live g abroad should be allowed to vote	In agreement however only Scottish born should have the right to vote	In agreement
1524	126598846	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These rules are fair	These rules are fair	These rules are fair
1525	556206015	Bill Beattie	Individual	Individual	No Answered	I worry about interference, there pwere doubts about postal votes and pre referendum sampling of them.	No problem with these proposals
1526	716052425	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Appoint international observers.\rMore up to date electoral role. Could be over a year out of date. \rPostal voters identity needs to be better controlled. \rBallot papers need to have a watermark so fraudulent papers can be easily identified.\rAll postal votes must be issued and recorded in the electoral constituencies not sent\rOr managed out with the constituency	No need to identify House of Lords people eligible to vote	Funds must be distributed evenly amongs for and against collected centrally and distributed equally
1527	257412910	Paul kelly	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The process needs to be independently verified by a neutral country
1528	454346820	Robert Majury	Individual	Individual	I am against the SNP proposal for a second referendum. I do not believe that the nation as given the SNP a mandate for this referendum.	I believe the propsals n=are not required. We do not need another referendum	There is no need for another referendum
1529	273192432	Macauley-James McMenemy	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I don't agree with the idea of Returning officer. vote counting should be run by an independent panel of Scottish people. Not governed or over seen by UK government officials or their spouse or significant other
1530	591499461	joan laing	Individual	Individual	If thats the rules so be it	No view	It shoild be only those residing in Scotland and of Scottish Birth
1531	752192940	Graeme	Individual	Individual	No Answered	The proposal to hold a second referendum is an affront to democracy. \rThe people of Scotland spoke clearly in 2014 and that must be respected.	For any referendum on such an issue, only UK citizens residing in Scotland should be permitted to participate. It should never be open to citizens of foreign state, i.e. EU Nationals
1532	384085957	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum	No Answered	I do not want another referendum
1533	761348873	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Do not hold a second independence referendum. Stop the nonsnense about Scotland' being dragged out of the EU. Scotland voted 62% for the UK, not Scotland, to be part of the EU. Just a reminder as well, over 2million Scots voted to stay in the U.K. 2 years ago.
1534	159566871	Kirsteen Gordon	Individual	Individual	Seems fine	seems fair	fine
1535	406629303	Paul McGeady	Individual	Individual	The Scottish parliament should have no say in this and left to Westminster	Only British citizen living in Scotland should have a say no one from Eire or EU should be aloud a vote	No view on this
1536	512877520	Rory MacLeod	Individual	Individual	I don't understand why you are trying to force another referendum when you promised us all we were voting in a 'once in a lifetime' oppurchancity.	I don't understand why you are trying to force another referendum when you promised us all we were voting in a 'once in a lifetime' oppurchancity.	I don't understand why you are trying to force another referendum when you promised us all we were voting in a 'once in a lifetime' oppurchancity.
1537	198200118	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for a referendum, we just had one.	There is no need for a referendum, we just had one.	There is no need for a referendum, we just had one.
1538	146490487	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The referendum should be managed by an impartial body from another country. I.e not from any constituent country of the UK.	No Answered	Postal votes are counted in Scotland and postal results are not made available until after polling closes.
1539	444055417	Fiona McNulty	Individual	Individual	There has been a substantial change in circumstances. We were told the only way to stay in the UK was to vote to stay in the UK. This was untrue and a blatant lie.	I am happy with these changes	I have no opinion
1540	402116665	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	To stay in line with the previous 2014 referendum criteria.	To stay in line with what is proposed.	To stay in line with the arrangement set out above.
1541	584452520	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No, I don't believe the poll and counting are guarded well enough, we need a better way of securing the vote. Boxes going down south to be returned to us, way dodgy behaviour.	I think the boxes being taken from one area to another should be protected, or all votes counted at the voting booth, not taken anywhere	Yep that's fine. \r We should also have enforceable rules on third parties and broadcasters breaking purdah rules.
1542	798635930	Carol MacQueen	Individual	Individual	I think it is imperative that postal voting should be allowed only if absence is totally unavoidable and verified by doctor etc.Elderly and others ,especially in residential homes were 'helped' to complete&vote their forms. collection of papers 'en masse' for 'posting 'was the norm.	In areas such as Argyll it will be difficult to find ppl not involved in campaigning but interested enough to want to be at count etc .it is important that much independent scrutinity at all stages is employed.again who by?	Young ppl should definately be eligible to vote and schools must be charged with ensuring political education is vigorously promoted (Carried out by all party representatives and completely fairly)
1543	548672276	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No issues. 2014 referendum was fair and decisive and any future vote ought to be conducted in a similar manner. Scottish Government should, however, respect the result of the 2014 referendum.	No issues here. Believe everyone over the age of 16 ought to be able to vote, as they did in the 2014 referendum that produced a clear answer to remain in the U.K. And which ought to be respected.	No issues in principle. However the Scottish Government should respect the result of the 2014 vote.
1544	171820773	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I wish the Scottish government would get the country sorted before getting the vote again.\r I voted to leave bothe the uk and the eu as i believe we should have full independance and be run by ourselves but not while education is failing unemployment in my area is high and housing is poor.	None	I believe targeting the nationalism of youngsters is a mistake voting should be kept at 18.
1545	1073540621	Donald McDuck	Individual	Individual	Disgraceful. You are a one trick pony of a party and are ruining this glorious country with this continued divisive nonsense.	I'll ask my handler back at MI6.	So you're just trying to get those who will vote the way you want?
1546	96643108	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
1547	365598471	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	That's fine	That's fine. I'd prefer non-Scottish British people to have lived here for 5 years so they vote for Scotland and not in the interest of their own country.	Fine
1548	157756739	sandra parker	Individual	Individual	I really don't thing it is a strict enough criteria for although I am sure it would be nice to believe that everyone plays nicely I don't believe they do in which case The electrol commission would certainly not be what I would hope for I think we need to have some sort of European commissioner to oversee things	fine	fine
1549	488760634	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	'The referendum campaign would be watched over by the Electoral Commission'. I trust them as far as I could throw them, their HQ is in London, therefore they may NOT be impartial, they were supposedly responsible for the last referendum which was not without widespread corruption.\r'Decisions on Scotland’s future should be made by the people who live and work here.' Exactly. See above comment!	The ballot boxes should be counted at each polling station. No transporting of any plastic boxes is required. The counting is done at a local level, witnessed by interested parties who are on site as the station closes and the opening of the ballot boxes commences in the room where the voting took place. All easy to control and no need for removal from view of any interested party. The only tranfer is the local vote count figures to the final count HQ.	Any group or party wishing to participate in campaigning should be registered in Scotland. See comment on question 1. I have no other opinion in this.
1550	497240868	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe that only uk nationals living in Scotland and Scottish people living in other parts of the uk should be allowed to vote.. the SNP are trying to capitalise on the recent Eu referendum result to win support for Scottish independence	No Answered	See my answer to the previous question
1551	574794638	Sohail Jafar	Individual	Individual	The count needs to be counted by Scots only, or those who are domiciled in Scotland. \rNo MI5/6 should be considered. \r And check the buildings - a lot of fire alarms happened at the night of the 204 independence referendum and that's not good enough.	I agree with this. \r However, there was a problem, I think, with proxy and absentee ballots - fix that straight away. \r And those who vote should have been living in Scotland for a long period of time before the voting day - just so they are affected by the vote regardless of how it goes.	Good
1552	682993033	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
1553	867419125	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	no problem	as long as they have stayed in Scotland for at least 10 years	no problem
1554	1011183646	Malcolm Osborne	Individual	Individual	I am confident that the Scottish Government will conduct the appropriate arrangements for the referendum.	I am confident that the Scottish Government will conduct the appropriate arrangements for the referendum.	I am confident that the Scottish Government will conduct the appropriate arrangements for the referendum.
1555	405855044	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm sorry but I wouldn't be happy with arrangements that mirror parliamentary elections. I'm sorry but I don't think the Electoral Management Board did a very good job of managing May 2016 General Election. I don't agree with pre-opening of postal votes AT ALL. Having pre-opened votes available to view is courting people flouting the rules. And certainly 'interested' persons should not be allowed to view these pre-opened votes if this policy has to continue. (yes I am talking about Ruth Davidson getting to view the pre-opened postal votes). One Dundee Counting Hall was emptied THREE (or maybe it was four, I can't quite remember) times due to fire alarm going off, leaving votes lying without supervision. This is appalling. In IndyRef1 there were also no votes being put on yes piles with 'convenient' excuses as to why... NOT GOOD ENOUGH. Finally, the 'Vow' was pushed during the Purdah period. I thought that wasn't allowed? Perhaps I'm being a conspiracist but all these things contribute to what I see as the Electoral Commission not handling things properly. All these things make the whole election process seem like it's a 'hit or miss' affair and that shouldn't be how it is. A more unbiased Commission with better understanding of how to make elections more 'neutral', needs to be put in charge.	I have to say that I am against postal voting unless absolutely necessary (ie health reasons). I think this practice leaves a lot of questions open to abuse, ie why do they need to be opened before actual count AFTER the polling stations closed. I find it difficult to believe that people cannot find 10 mins to run to their nearest Polling booth to vote, if they really care about having their say. Yes, there are a couple of exceptions ie health where being ie confined to the house (elderly) this might be the ONLY way of getting a vote. But there are people willing to ferry housebound to Polling Stations. I don't hold with that old chestnut of checking postal papers pre-election & verifying ID. If the Electoral Commission feel confident at sending out the votes pre-election, they should feel confident about them post-poll closing time and at the actual 'count'. Postal voting, in my opinion, does not offer any higher risk than rogue voting at the polling station. Therefore both should be treated equally. And I see no reason to take 'samples' of Postal Votes pre-election. That isn't necessary and leaves Postal Votes open to abuse of the system and suspicion by the electorate. I also do not think it does anyone any good to allow 'interested parties' to be witness to the pre-opening of these votes. That too leaves the process open to abuse...	I've found this process itself to be fine.
1556	177058706	Fergus Tait	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
1557	1056574663	Alex Redacted textSalmond	Individual	Individual	Scotland voted NO to your idiocy before. Don't try to go against Scotland's will.	Get Redacted text	Get Redacted text. That obscene enough for you?
1558	319032957	Laurie MacLeod	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals	I agree with the proposals	I agree with the proposals
1559	379991513	Bernard Joseph Sweeney	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The last ref freedom was rigged to go the way of Westminster , I suggest that we have international referees with the power when they see interferrance of the ballot papers to have the person involved in fraud and taken Ito custody There should be a presence of police officers at al l voting stations , These officers should be vetted that there loyalties are to the Scottish people , and a fair referendum to Scotland , If they are approached to break the rules they must report it to the Scottish governments officials , to have aired on social media as both channels are Controled by London , Again whoever is appointed to pick up the ballot box's must be vetted and accompanied by loyal police officers , There should not in my view any stone left unturned when you are dealing with the biggest ever Blunderers of anything in there colony's i, Scotland is one of there last rich Colony's , our wealth is there's not Scotland or its great people, please do not agree to run this ref, in the same way as the last Independence Referedom , if you do we will lose, as the ruthless Russian dictator Josep Stalin stated its not the voters who decide the out come but those who count the votes , That is why we lost , Joe Sweeney,
1560	937067562	Andrew Young	Individual	Individual	I have no faith in a fair count, 100% sure the secret service tampered with the votes. And expect all partirs in the YES camp to be there at the count and have it filmed.	Looks fine	no view on this
1561	59402106	Carin Schwartz	Individual	Individual	Sounds good	Perfect	Ok
1562	489940269	Neil	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There should not be another referendum.
1563	813835349	Stewart Campbell	Individual	Individual	Westminster should manage this referendum, Holyrood did it last time and made a shocking mess of it.	They are all dreadful	They are just the worst imaginable
1564	769339444	Daniel Boyle	Individual	Individual	Would like referendum to be managed by an independent country Westminster should have no influence	No postal votes should be allowed.	All residents of Scotland should be able to vote
1565	65465549	Star PR	Individual	Individual	Brilliant-can't fail	Leave as is - Status Quo	None
1566	112398576	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum. We voted in 2014 and the majority of people voted no. We were promised this was once in a lifetime, once in a generation. It is unhealthy that a minority government wish to overlook the majority of voters in the country.	The only people eligible to vote should he UK residents only for at least 15 years, or from birth, to vote.	Limits should be set for everyone at the same level for who wishes to donate. And only British citizens, not non domiciled Ex-Pats.
1567	1002472936	john anderson	Individual	Individual	I want independent observers from the EU monitoring at the count.\r I also want an exit poll. \rPostal voting should be fo exeptional circumstances. Not as being the norm. \rLast time purdah was broken by Better together. This time EU must enforce purdah.\rNo sampling of postal votes by politicians.\rEU must manage everything. Don't trust anyone else.	The changes are ok.	OK
1568	346427775	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think it is our best and only hope of protecting Scotland's interests and should be called as soon as possible.	No Answered	I think anyone in Scotland is entitled to vote except people in prison.
1569	327007760	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with this proposal.	I agree with these proposals and welcome the provisions of :-\ra the 100% checking of proxy votes,\rb the non involvement in campaigning of Polling and Count Staff, \rc and the verification statements.	I agree with this proposal.
1570	596248684	Daniel Crow	Individual	Individual	Sounds fine.	Sounds great.	Sounds good.
1571	100588504	Company	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	It is FAR TOO SOON to hold another independence referendum! Scotland has no appetite for it yet and, if it were to be held in the near future, it would certainly return another NO majority. This really would kill the independence referendum for a generation at the very least.
1572	987372001	Mary Hepburn	Individual	Individual	The arrangements made in my opinion are clear and concise	I am pleased to see some 'tightening up' of processes particularly when it comes to the postal and proxy votes.\rMany people in 2014 were unhappy and some muted they thought that there may have been vote 'rigging'. We must do everything to allay people's fears of a repeat event.	I was unaware of the fact that 16/17 years old could now vote by law. I knew that they were permitted to vote in 2014 but welcome the fact that this law was passed. We need to do everything we can to engage young people to get involved in the political arena.
1573	520235196	Colin mccartney	Individual	Individual	I am unhappy with the involvement of the electoral commission. I have NO confidence in them and would prefer an internationally recognised body to take charge.	No Answered	Unhappy with the current postal voting system. I believe that it needs to revert to how it used to be , genuine reasons for not going to the polling station. If someone can't make the effort to get to a polling station on a well announced date then they have little belief in the democratic process. The postal voting system is seriously flawed and wide open to exploitation, which sadly seems to be ignored time and time again.
1574	947334665	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No problem with arrangements.	No problem with what is here. But no mention of the question - I strongly feel that the proposed question should be changed to the kind of question used in the EU referendum i.e. Two opposing statements, with room to state your preference on the paper. A 'yes' or 'no' option is biased to yes, as the positive option. The Electoral Commision should insist on this change.	No problem.
1575	602040028	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the prospect of another referendum is ridiculous. SNP have caused enough division without causing more. If SNP were a good government, they would work on closing that divide	The current system works well. SNP should not change system	Where is Scotland getting money for EU? Higher taxes, cuts ?
1576	170990875	James mitchell	Individual	Individual	Satisfactory	These changes are sensible	Agreed
1577	277198571	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The current system is open to fraud, especially the postal system. Each vote must be traceablity from printing to vote to count. Every vote should stay in the local area including postal votes. Automatic count should be induced to ensure every paper is valid and paper are not miscounted as was seen in 2014. The voter roll must be verified to ensure votes can't be requested by people not allowed to vote.	Postal votes need to be reduced, high number of postal votes are open to abuse and put the result in doubt. 20% verification is too low if you deciding the future of a nation. Polling stations votes are 100% checked, this need to be the case with all votes. Restrictions need to placed on proxy votes, if people know that they are not going to be available to vote then they should have a postal vote as standard, but they must provide evidence why they need a proxy vote. People should not be allow to cast a vote for someone else, if you are not capable of understanding what you are voting for then you should not qualify to vote.	The campaign rules need to clarified, too many threats and lies are now being used. Limits need to be set and kept to money spent on campaign and the type of characters being employed.
1578	649754958	George Maidens	Individual	Individual	I wasn't absolutely sure that votes cast in the 2014 referendum were transported securely, and didn't trust the postal voting system. I'd like to see a totally secure and trustworthy system applied to the next referendum.	No Answered	I agree with the changes made to future votes. The abnormally high emergency proxy applications in 2014 suggests that the vote was rigged.
1579	789769436	Susan	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum. This was a UK vote not a Scottish vote	No Answered	EU citizens should not be allowed to vote on a British matter.
1580	337354877	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Totally inappropriate. Just had a "once in a lifetime" constitutional referendum in 2014. Given ongoing Brexit confusion the last thing this country and its markets need is further chaos and uncertainty. Detracts inward investment and encourages short-termism.	No comments	Supportive
1581	925409560	Alun Hewinson	Individual	Individual	I support the arrangements detailed.	I support most of the technical changes to polling and count arrangements.\rI would particularly underline the importance of keeping the franchise with 16- and 17-year-olds; I think the benefit to the electoral process from their involvement in 2014 was enormous. Anecdotally, the young people of Scotland showed themselves capable and willing participants in the process.\r I also think it is essential that EU citizens should be allowed to vote in such a referendum, given the central role their status plays in the debate on Scotland's future: their denial of the vote in the EU referendum has contributed greatly to the precarious nature of their current situation and of those UK citizens who have come to build their lives around and amongst those EU citizens who live here: they are part of Scotland and their voices must be heard this time.\r Lastly, I would highlight recommendation five of the Electoral Commission report into the European Union referendum, that "[g]overnments should make use of all available owned channels to promote voter registration ahead of any major poll."\rIt is desirable that the maximum number of potential voters have the option to cast a ballot. This should be further linked with the the eligibility of EU citizens to vote; an awareness campaign to highlight the rights of these voters would constitute a strengthening of Scotland's democratic process.	I support the recommendations.
1582	932400995	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	NO 2ND REF	NO 2ND REF	NO 2ND REF
1583	979489101	Margaret Brogan	Individual	Individual	Yes, I agree that this worked well the last time and it's acceptable to use this form again.	I agree with these proposals.	Yes, I agree with these.
1584	598154479	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements are good, sensible and workable.	I don't think the changes are relevant.\rWhat is relevant are the proposed categories.\rBasically the relationship to Scottish residency is excellent and I think very important.\r16 and 17 year old being considered as on the electoral register and not as special provision is an improvement.\rNot sure if it is covered here but I am keen that those eligible to vote but not registered can be allowed to register up until the day before referendum. My reasoning is that it is inevitable people not previously registered will be energised by the debate and will probably want to excercise their democratic rights even at an advanced stage of the referendum debate.	Don't understand what this has to do with a referendum.\rI can understand for a candidate in an election.
1585	900648645	Ruairidh Duncan	Individual	Individual	I do not feel there needs to be a management of a referendum as no such referendum should take place.	EU and ROI citizens should not be allowed to vote unless they are permanent residents/citizens of Scotland and the UK. Otherwise there may be unfair pressure on a particular side of the vote from non-citizens	No comment
1586	85413156	John	Individual	Individual	What are the anticipated costs. Is another ref really necessary. Didn't we just have one?	Why wouldn't you give scots resident elsewhere the opportunity to vote? Or indeed ask the other countries of the UK for their say. They'll be glad to see the back of us.	Limit costs as per the Electoral Commission rules. Parties respect the rules and do not attempt to circumvent those rules. Those who do and get caught and their proxys should be barred from public office for ten years. Sounds harsh, but everyone know the rules and the punishment if they or their proxys get caught.
1587	65499907	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No issues with proposed management of process	Postal voting is open to abuse and should only be an option of last resort rather than as the norm.	I am in agreement with this
1588	1054329127	Hugh Burt	Individual	Individual	I would hope that security would be tightened up for the next Independence Referendum. There are still a lot of suspicion about the last one.	I agree to the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements.	I agree to the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
1589	580852434	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	While the Electoral Commission is an independent organisation, would it not make sense to have the services of an independent country to oversee the counting? \rAs there was controversy in the previous referendum why not ask another country to monitor the counting process. For example, other EU countries coudl have delegates attend to make sure it was all above board and, whatever the outcome.	If the postal vote has a personal identifier, then perhaps some of them should be verified with that person to ensure that the voting paper is genuine and has the correct detail or indeed actually posted that vote in.\r People who have a postal vote and don't vote via post or visit their polling station should have the status of postal voting denied fro any future votes.\r It's a shame that there can't be a penalty introduced for those not voting as it should be 100% return. There is no reason why you shouldn't vote!	Seems to make sense.
1590	908146365	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I disagree with going over this again , is this in response to the country coming out of the EU ?. If so that was answered in the first referendum . The Scottish government never questioned this when they had a referendum for independence , there was no mention then about the status of Scotland being out of the EU then But we would have been out of the EU because it is as part of GB that we are in . I am Glad to be part of GB rather than be Ruled by the EU and the Scottish people clearly voted that way in the first referendum. SNP are worried because the SNP only have a majority in power because if we are out of the EU they will have lost all of the. MSPs therefore loose power as a majority party in the Scottish parliament. Frankly the EU is an undemocratic ,Failing ,and Punitive body ..... that as far as I'm concerned the SNP are following this route as a self serving exercise to further their goals NOT the people they represent the WHOLE OF SCOTLAND . I am totally against spending any more of Our taxes. Spend them on doing the day job you were voted in to do ....	We do not need to spend our taxes on this rubbish to allow the politicians to stack the odds in favour of them getting to do what they want against the wishes people who voted then say it was the people's wishes ........... get on with running OUR COUNTRY AND SPENDING OUR MONEY ON THINGS THAT MATTER .......our COUNTRY AND looking after the SCHOOLS , HOSPITALS , POLICE , COMMUNITY CARE ,CARE OF THE ELDERLY , CARE OF THOSE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS ,ROADS , SOCIAL HOUSING THE LIST IS ENDLESS AND ALL YOU THINK ABOUT IS BECOMING PART OF HISTORY " WE GAVE SCOTLAND BACK HER INDEPENDANCE " and how much will this consultation cost ? MONEY that does not belong to you to squander .	I don't care because this is an SNP agenda NOT A SCOTTISH GENERAL POPULATION AGENDA . YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO REPRESENT THE WHOLE OF SCOTLAND NOT JUST SNP SUPPORTERS ..... GET REAL AND LISTEN TO ALL OF THE SCOTTISH PEOPLE . WE DO NOT WANT ANOTHER REFERENDUM THIS IS A MONEY WASTING EXERCISE ... SCOTLAND IS GOING THE THE TUBE AND OUR POLITICIANS FRANKLEY DO NOT CARE THEY ARE TOO BUISY SCORING POINTS OF EACH OTHER DURING QUESTION-TIME AND BLAMING OTHERS FOR THE STATE WE IN THE SNP HAVE BEEN IN POWER FOR WHAT 8 YEARS ...........
1591	43796123	Trevor Moore	Individual	Individual	Eligibility to vote should be extended to Scottish ex-pats and military personnel eligible to vote in a Scottish constituency in a general election. This is too important a decision to exclude any interested parties.	As stated above, Scottish ex-pats should be entitled to vote.	Okay.
1592	926558393	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A larger break down of vote in urban areas should be used. In 2014 not a clear enough picture was left of who voted what eg- Glasgow, Yes, Edinburgh, No. Both very big cities with very different areas, socially and politically.	Satisfactory.	Satisfactory.
1593	763213714	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We should have another referendum with or without Westminsters permission, it is up to the people of Scotland to decide their own destiny not a parliament hundreds of miles away	I feel that ANY postal votes should not leave Scotland and should not b opened until the count, international observers should watch everything like hawks and b fully cctv'd closely to minimise any fraud	I think this is an excellent idea however i feel anyone who works in Westminster and registered to live in Scotland should NOT be allowed to vote as this is a conflict of interest
1594	692785968	DEBORAH SUTHERLAND	Individual	Individual	I don't want another referendun	I don't want another referendum	I do not want another referendum
1595	322150751	Graeme Russell	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	You won the election. Propose it to parliament when you see fit.
1596	672100946	Kevin Evans	Individual	Individual	Have had trouble reading the draft document I shall assume the question covers when the next ref should be called for. With that in mind it has to be before the uk has come out of Europe. The talk has been 2 years from the triggering of article 50 will be when the uk leaves and not before. So it has to be with in that 2 year period. I will hope part of the Uk EU negotiation will be to negotiate scotlands position if it chooses independence from the UK. To give the public a clear indication what they are voting for or voting to reject. The starting point hopefully will be Scotland does not leave the EU but "continues" as an EU member transferring the uk deal and membership conditions over to Scotland.	1. Exit poll this time.\r2. The count should not have anything to do with WM or England as I heard postal ballots went to England before the count.\r3. The removal of postal voting all together is my preference as it is too controversial.\r4. Preminant Scottish residence and EU nationals voting only. No holiday home owners.\r5. In an ideal world like the Australian it should be compulsory to vote in a refurendum but I don't expect this.	I trust your judgement and have no opinion
1597	146719889	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Is there anyway to prevent "phantom" voters temporarily registering in Scotland purely to vote? Personal experience has shown a number of people who registered at Scottish addresses specifically to vote (all were English and voted No)
1598	130502388	Mac Maclean	Individual	Individual	I am delighted at the prospect of a fair true and open vote in Scotland's independence.\r I was highly troubled by the actual vote counting on the 2014 referendum.\rThis was particularly so with the postal vote.\rThe moving of the votes for counting in England and the private vote counting company used with Tory ties.\rThis new vote must be beyond all possible scrutiny as a 100% true and accurate statement of each and every single vote!\rI would be happier if there were international vote monitoring take place also.	There are too few changes and those proposed have little detail attached.\r We MUST have a vote that's beyond all reasoned doubt to be a true and fair representation of the actual vote.\rThe 2014 vote still holds MANY doubts to its real accuracy in recording the truth of the nations vote.\rThis new vote MUST be beyond ALL POSSIBLE DOUBT, to be true fair and accurate!	I believe it's wholly appropriate to include 16, and 17, year olds in this vote.\rThese are the future generations of whom the outcome of this vote will affect most!\rI believe it would be an inaccurate vote without the younger adults voting.
1599	694384999	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree that this is the correct way to proceed	Again, I agree that this is the correct way to proceed	This will hopefully redress some ambiguity and is the correct way forward
1600	790903773	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree that the arrangements should be the same as before.	I agree with all of the proposed changes although I am not comfortable in allowing British citizens resident in Scotland and also members of the House of Lords to have a vote.	I agree with all of the above.
1601	832518138	Scott	Individual	Individual	I agree that the option to have another votr should be there, considering our uncertain future in post-Brexit UK.	No Answered	I agree with extra checks for postal votes as the Tories clearly admitted looking into them earlier than is legal during the 2014 vote count.
1602	375450837	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	thats fine. was cute last time	fine fine	doesnt affect me but im sure its fine
1603	190515299	Sekai Machache	Individual	Individual	I have no objections to the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum.	I agree with these provisions. It was frustrating to know that EU citizens living in the UK were excluded from voting on a referendum that ultimately determined their future. I am also proud that Scotland lowered the age for voting as it has helped to engage young people in the political process.	These measures are important for the sake of transparency and accountability.
1604	672612083	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Satisfactory	Postal votes should be restricted to the grounds of a disability, occupation, service or employment and be verified as such.	Satisfactory
1605	955486955	Pinny Winch	Individual	Individual	The SNP is talking Scotland down, making it difficult for companies to invest due to the uncertainty, and ruining Scotland with talking about another referendum.	Any changes that the SNP propose will only be for the benefit of them.	You wanted young adults up to 18 to have a 'named person' yet you think 16+ is a responsible adult? Whatever the rules are the SNP
1606	580976123	Unionist party Scotland	Individual	Individual	"There is no need for another referendum.\rThe first one was conclusive, and was clearly promised to be a "once in a generation" event. The mere fact that a second referendum is being talked about as if it's inevitable is a fundamental betrayal of the people of Scotland, and of the integrity of those who have been elected to govern Scotland in the interests of the WHOLE nation, which includes the majority who do not support independence.\rSo, in answer to your question, there IS NO "the referendum", so this consultation exercise is an utter waste of resources that are urgently needed elsewhere in the Scottish economy."	"There is no need for another referendum.\rThe first one was conclusive, and was clearly promised to be a "once in a generation" event. The mere fact that a second referendum is being talked about as if it's inevitable is a fundamental betrayal of the people of Scotland, and of the integrity of those who have been elected to govern Scotland in the interests of the WHOLE nation, which includes the majority who do not support independence.\rSo, in answer to your question, there IS NO "the referendum", so this consultation exercise is an utter waste of resources that are urgently needed elsewhere in the Scottish economy.	only those born in Scotland of Scottish heritage and living and working in Scotland should be allowed.,,,,,,,,,,,with no outside influences.
1607	658936251	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This seems appropriate. The previous election was run smoothly in the main. Will helicopters be available to collect remote ballot boxes as before to.ensure all areas can count overnight? \r The previous result was tarnished by issues relating to the postal vote eg suspicion that people such as Ruth Davidson had seen some samples and that they had been counted. How will this situation not be allowed to occur again.\r And more seriously in my view the suspicion of tampering with the postal vote - will a fresh application for a postal vote for this specific election be required (to ensure proof of life and need for non-attendance at a station)?\r Would it be possible also to require ID at polling station? Northern Ireland requires photographic ID to be presented before ballots are handed over.	Will there be exit polling? \r You mention posts vote verification - will there be sampling as before? I would like to see no votes at all opened until the count begins.	I have no issues with this.
1608	181502428	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine. However there is no mention of biased media. BBC Scotland should declare clearly that under its charter it has to promote the union. Alternative media should be given weight to balance this. Also, there should be strict enforcement of libel, slander and provision of misinformation. Printing hidden retractions is not acceptable. Mainstream media should be held accountable for the veracity of its information with very real penalties and ramifications where it distorts the truth.	Fine.	Fine.
1609	882274840	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It seems silly to me. We have had an independence referendum. Now let's just get on with it and move on with our lives.	Seems\rOk	Seems ok
1610	340651085	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am satisfied that should we proceed to a new referendum, the mechanisms for managing this are in place and satisfactory	I am satisfied with this arrangement	I am satisfied with this arrangement
1611	419928937	Tim Adams	Individual	Individual	I would prefer vote over a weekend. I would prefer no postal voting	Suggest upper age limit of 80 for voters - this is about Scotland's future. \rI am worried about potential for postal vote fraud	Must be transparent. Let's not end up like US elections
1612	1017535183	Angus MacDonald Smith	Individual	Individual	I agree that the election should be open to everyone who lives in Scotland.	As long as their is plenty notification and easy to follow instruction in regard to proxy voting etc it should run smoothly.	No problem with the above.
1613	554811899	Alex Salmond	Individual	Individual	It should be shoved sideways up Nicola's Redacted text.	My suggestion of Redacted textshould be taken on board.	Up Redacted text.
1614	74300419	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There has already been a referendum. That is enough.	See above	See above
1615	985486510	NAMBLA	Individual	Individual	I like cake.	Fish are pretty	Nicola's Redacted text will sustain us
1616	955177484	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There were situations last time where boxes of uncounted ballots were transported by sole drivers who may have had specific allegiance. Even if there was no actual influence, the perception of a potential one was serious.\rI suggest - \r1. Boxes to be sealed against tampering once voting ends.\r2. Use a strict chain-of- evidence style tracking of boxes.\r3. Don't allow boxes to be transported by anyone unaccompanied.	Postal votes - in 2014 there were comments made by senior politicians that implied they had seen the postal votes already, before main polling had closed.\r I suggest - don't count the postal votes until the main voting has finished.	No comment.
1617	204872048	Michael Clarkson	Individual	Individual	This is acceptable.	These are acceptable, though efforts should be made to prevent sampling by participants during verification.	These are acceptable.
1618	27349586	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Independent observers essential to ensure fair play.	Agree	Agree
1619	695106610	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Utter nonsense and a waste of time and money	Letting 16 and 17 year old children vote is stupid	All skewed in favour of SNP in my opinion
1620	694048624	Grant McKenzie	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
1621	186892302	none of your business	Individual	Individual	Couldn't be bothered reading as guaranteed It's a plie o Redacted text n not needed	See above	Ditto
1622	388568236	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Excellent proposals and the Scottish Government are to be commended.	All are acceptable.	EU residents must be given a vote and protected from brexit.
1623	557819967	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I completely agree with the arrangements of the referendum.	I think it is important that only those who have their first residence in Scotland for longer than a year at the time of the vote should be able to vote. Especially in polls close to the borders. Also, only those working and paying taxes in Scotland should be eligible as opposed to those registered as living in Scotland but working in England.	I completely agree
1624	798089853	Graeme Hay	Individual	Individual	Generally I'm in agreement that the same procedure should be followed although I believe more attention should be paid to the secure transfer of filled ballot boxes from polling stations to the location(s) of the count. A record of ballot box unique identifier should be kept at polling stations and compared with what is received at the count. No ballots should be sent out with Scotland for counting (e.g. postal votes).	These changes seem acceptable.	The changes outlined look fine.
1625	839941663	Michael Breslin	Individual	Individual	I have serious concerns over postal voting and when/how postal votes are counted.	No Answered	See above. I think postal votes should remain in sealed containers then opened and added to other votes.
1626	843517403	David Lawson	Individual	Individual	Agree, the way the 2014 referendum was held was both fair and easy for people	People who live in Scotland have he right to vote irrelevant of their nationality. Scots ex pats should have no vote on how the people who live their, wish for the country they live in to be.	Clarity is key. If it is fully transparent and rules aren't being broken, that is all voters ask for
1627	184794912	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum. Please start governing the country and respect the views of the 55%	See above	See above
1628	713339010	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As long as 16 year olds can still vote that's fab as we don't want another Brexit where the elderly decide the future without any consideration of the young🙄	Good	Good
1629	720152523	Darren Ross Ferguson	Individual	Individual	I would like to see it done under full UN conditions especially the handling of ballot boxes and counting. If this costs money it is more than worth. \r Also real unbiased coverage from the BBC and STV. None of the 3 vs 1 time has to be a 1:1 ratio. Also a right of reply. Newspapers (I know this is a pipe dream) should put all corrections in with a large space. This could be done through adverts paid by the side who's press release caused the incorrect headline.	Completely agree but would go further the UN or EU should be used to verify voting is a true vote	Agree and EC should have true powers to fine heavily any breaking of rule ESP. The purdha rules
1630	234641937	Paul Pacey	Individual	Individual	This seems fine though I do think it would be advantageous to specify exactly what it means ie it is for political control for things in Scotland, Separation and independence are political only. I am married to an English woman and our children though born in Edinburgh are mixed. I cannot vote being resident in Norwich (correctly) though I do have a view and family and friends are in Scotland.	I would prefer that the House of Lords is not mentioned. People who are resident in Scoland are entitled to vote.	This all seems fine though obscene or offensive are subjective terms and may be questioned.
1631	97067652	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No views. \rI totally agree with the current arrangements as long as 16yrs are still entitled to vote for their future	I cannot suggest any amendments of improvement	Any donors should be made public. \rTransparency would exclude any corruption allegation at a later date and allow the public to be informed immediately on who/what company or group is supporting what decision and for what reason
1632	236578051	Neil Munro	Individual	Individual	I'm happy with these proposals.	I'm happy with these proposals.	I'm happy with these proposals.
1633	725373961	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I see no reason to expend time, resource and energy in considering alternative arrangements.\r The proposal to as much as consider a further referendum is a political whim, unsupported by popular demand or need. Providing it oxygen merely damages the position of Scotland, and the United Kingdom.\r My preference would be that the Scottish Government cease and desist in progressing any such proposals.	I see no reason to expend time, resource and energy in considering alternative arrangements.\r The proposal to as much as consider a further referendum is a political whim, unsupported by popular demand or need. Providing it oxygen merely damages the position of Scotland, and the United Kingdom.\r My preference would be that the Scottish Government cease and desist in progressing any such proposals.	I see no reason to expend time, resource and energy in considering alternative arrangements.\r The proposal to as much as consider a further referendum is a political whim, unsupported by popular demand or need. Providing it oxygen merely damages the position of Scotland, and the United Kingdom.\r My preference would be that the Scottish Government cease and desist in progressing any such proposals.
1634	906879336	Rick Sandison	Individual	Individual	Acceptable.	Acceptable.	Acceptable.
1635	335625547	Alan Smith	Individual	Individual	The count must have more stringent vigilaters, more independent observers	Totally agree	All good
1636	227138650	XXXX	Individual	Individual	What utterRedacted text	Pathetic	Useless
1637	390223560	Carrie MacKay	Individual	Individual	I feel there has been a lot going around about the votes bein tampered with etc and feel there should be something done to ensure this doesn't happen this time	I agree with all of this	I agree with this
1638	1062831684	Logan Vaughn	Individual	Individual	The proposals seem reasonable, in line with my expectations of how a referendum should be run.	The part of this that concerns me is the change to Emergency Proxy Voting. Why was there such a massive increase in 2014? And would this change in legislation potentially disenfranchise those eligible to vote but no longer able to register for an emergency proxy?	It seems only fair that those signing up as permissible participants are aware of that fact. The other changes seem reasonable too.
1639	957167994	Jacquie Bradley-Heeps	Individual	Individual	I am happy with these proposals	I am happy with this proposal	I am happy with this proposal
1640	560894990	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In the event Purdah Period is breached by either side of the Independence Referendum it must be stated that the Agreement document to hold the Referendum between the Scottish Govt will contain the following legally binding requirement 'Both will follow the full Purdah requirement from when it starts until it finishes', and failure to do so will result in severe consequences.	No Answered	International Monitors must be used, and made clear that the Scottish Govt will receive a full report as to the level of integrity in which the voting at the ballot box and by post including proxy votes for both are counted.\r Electoral Commission should be told by the Scottish Government that it is the Commissions job to ensure all people missing from the Register Roll due to UK Government changes must be written at their last known previous address, \rand take any further required action after that to ensure where possible they receive the Registration to Vote Application form.
1641	165542412	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Worked well in 2014 so should be satisfactory to use again.	All of these changes appear to be fine.	Looks fine
1642	631234890	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not sure but indyref 2 must ensure the count is right next time	No Answered	Verification process essential to reflect the vote
1643	218990869	Robert Weir	Individual	Individual	Postal votes to be counted at local returning offices.	Good	Good
1644	544661367	Stuart Christie	Individual	Individual	This approach is find from my perspective.	I have always wanted for individuals who would be entitled to be citizens in an indpendent Scotland, being provided the right to vote in referendums regarding the status of the country within the UK or internationally. \r I first encountered this in the Devolution referendum when I worked in London during the 1990's.	I am fine with this section.
1645	385323939	Redacted text	Individual	Individual	I Redacted text loathe Nicola Redacted text	I Redacted text loathe Nicola Redacted text	I love pandas.
1646	453370950	Helen Yates	Individual	Individual	I agree	I am happy with proposals	I agree
1647	528415729	Kevin paris	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No postal votes!! \rI work in the oil and gas industry, i had to do a postal vote so something better needs to be done to let guys like me set my country free!!	No votes for unelected lords!!
1648	756963216	martin mckendrick	Individual	Individual	i think you should be looking at a way for there to be an electronic way of counting votes as they happen\rie paper vote into box but also a screen to cast your vote so that it is backed up by 2 ways of confirming correct and unspoilt votes, also it would give you minute by minute updates of where the result is going	i believe only eligible voters allowed to vote should have permanent residence in scotland, polling staff should not have publicly or on social media campaigned and verifications should be supplied to confirm votes cast	all persons campaigning should be registered and all campaign lobbyist groups and donations from companies and groups should be registered and made public\r all obscene or offensive names should be deleted
1649	360880230	Colin Preston	Individual	Individual	Nothing wrong with the management of the referendum or the age at which you can vote.	All fine but if like to see a mandatory provision that for the referendum result to be accepted by the Government and acted on that there must be a turnout of at least 80% of those on the electoral roll & that for an independence result to be carried it must have at least 65% of the votes cast. This ensures that over 50% of those on the electoral roll are in favour.	Acceptable
1650	86078470	Colin MacKenzie	Individual	Individual	We need external oversight from ODIHR. Electoral Commission is next to useless.	Postal votes must be kept in Scotland. No sending to England for "scanning".	BBC should be registered as a campaigner.
1651	550395877	Tony Donaghey	Individual	Individual	Completely Independent adjudicators \rNo interference by Westminster or their cohorts\rMore transparency at polling stations	No Answered	This needs to widely publised
1652	39706139	Daniel Corrigan	Individual	Individual	Everything fine, other than postal votes being sent out of the country for counting.	All fine.	All fine.
1653	449371723	Martin Valntine	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
1654	566270018	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements.	I am happy with the proposed technical changes to the 2014 procedures.	I am happy with the proposed cahanges to the rules on permissible participants.
1655	142621633	gerry mclellan	Individual	Individual	As I live most of the year in Japan, I would like to be able to vote. I have property in Scotland and my kids have UK and Japanese passports, so I have a vested interest in their futures.	As Q1.	N/A
1656	843207611	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Yes think its the right way to go	Just a bit doubtful off the safety of postal vote	In favour
1657	363823667	Ian McLaren	Individual	Individual	I support the proposed arrangements.	I support the proposed technical changes.	I support the proposed changes.
1658	101434587	Gordon Herd	Individual	Individual	A big waste of money	Redacted text	Total Redacted text
1659	361939149	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements for management seems to be proper and fair.	I'm in favour of the proposals. I would ask for a further amendment to allow each side's local campaigners/ police officers a final check on basic counts i.e. ensure the contents of bundles for 'yes' and 'no' are appropriate and correct.	I agree with the amendments.
1660	781605072	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Only people BORN IN Scotland should vote.	An independent body from a neutral country should oversee.	An independent neutral country should be incharge
1661	20344146	Michael jack	Individual	Individual	Eligibility should stay the same but postal votes should only be for disabled/ unable to attend in person \rThere was a lot of mistrust in the organisation that handled the postal votes ! Security needs to be extended in the transportation of all ballot boxes and impartial counters checkers used	Addition of more impartial verifiers would help to alleviate any doubts in the system.	Any breach of the rules should be dealt with more harshly
1662	626844582	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the principles, however, am concerned there is potential for Westminster/Whitehall interference. In particular postal vote interference.	Agreed	Agreed
1663	457054587	Mairi Logue	Individual	Individual	I think it's essential that the referendum be managed by a totally neutral body with no party affiliations to avoid any allegations of bias in any direction.	I think a thorough background check should required of anybody volunteering for the count. I also feel that cctv cameras should be monitoring each counter and a second team of counters should be on standby to double check the original counters results if necessary. Postal votes should not be checked in advance by anyone.	I agree that all those resident in Scotland should be allowed a vote aswell as those aged 16 and 17. However I feel that scots living outside of Scotland should also be able to vote.
1664	263648014	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	1 Under no circumstances may any ballot paper leave Scotland for any reason as this opens the ballot up to interference by others. Excepting postal ballots being sent to eg Forces personnel \r2 under no circumstances should vans or other forms of transport moving ballots be left unattended and must be escorted by at least two persons at all times. \r3 Ballot box sealing must be able to be witnessed by representatives of the campaign groups who may also apply seals to the boxes\r4 Postal ballots may only be opened for the purposes of checking the voter signatures. The envelopes containing the votes must be taken under escort to the relevant counting place and only finally opened by the counters. \r5. Proof of ID should be required to vote	Postal vote checking and ID verification must only take place in Scotland \r Members of the House of Lords should not have a vote.	Only persons, bodies and organisations from within Scotland should be allowed to make donations or otherwise participate or campaign. This referendum is for the people of Scotland alone and persons out with Scotland should not be involved. Any organised body such as a Political party must be registered as an independent Scottish political party. UK political parties should not be involved
1665	395667354	cameron caulfield	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
1666	252479392	Raffaello Palandri	Individual	Individual	I agree with this part	The changes are good	Good to implement changes on Lobbying
1667	243358356	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Absolutely fine	Absolutely fine	okay
1668	81305744	Malcolm Hall	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
1669	794951248	ronnie heeps	Individual	Individual	good	good	good
1670	142754828	Craig Nicol	Individual	Individual	I agree with the changes.	I agree with the changes.	I agree with the changes.
1671	770267077	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am in complete agreement	Agree	Broadly agree, but would prefer to see franchise extended to all foreign nationals legally resident in Scotland, not just EU, Irish and Commonwealth Nationals. This category would enfranchise those who have chosen Scotland as their long term home, such as academics, and the Norwegian and Icelandic communities in Scotland.
1672	1070698916	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Why on earth are you wasting time and money on this?\r It is only 2 years since the last one.\r I find the whole thing pathetic and the Govt should be getting to grips with all the problems we are currently suffering in Scotland.	All Scottish people living abroad should get a vote too.	No comment.
1673	552497158	Stuart Knox	Individual	Individual	yes	yes	O K
1674	362035442	Derek walker	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
1675	1004590789	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Content that the previous system should apply again.	I agree with the foregoing statements.	I agree.
1676	464110598	leah paterson	Individual	Individual	This sound great. Maybe having electronic voting device so votes cannot be tampered with	This sounds fine	This is fine
1677	529600045	dale mcguire	Individual	Individual	disgrace. In 2014 i believe with many others that independence was won but surpressed thru fake ballotpostal votes.\r Dont want any postal votes as they are open to be forged,amended,replaced,lost\r The companies handling any votes (moving to be counted) need to be thourghouly vetted after it was reported in 2014 that the company had links to tory mps as owners or inverstos.\r Outside adjudicators,watchers required, Russians are willing to help no problem\r Basically any involvement by torys,labour,westminster,royals or anything to do with them then the result will likely be returned no again as it will be fixed.\r Ho about a new tv station while we are at it giving proper analysed real responses to viewers anxietees about indeependece rather than propoganda by the bbc &stv. Rt is the only news i watch now .	Look above	should have to reside in scotland & thats it, people with a scottish 2nd address should not be allowed to vote again like wise with any1 that has a 2nd property in scotland,if they dont live here they dont get a vote
1678	1025505722	Sean Stewart	Individual	Individual	i feel like the 2014 referendum was not carried out legally, as many scots have video evidence of YES votes in the NO pile. Also the mass protests that were hidden from tv were not reassuring. If you were to use this system again, I think we need close public scrutiny. \r I would like the BBC and itv to remain unbiased this time, as the last referendum was diabolical.	Im happy with these changes.	Ok.
1679	956327700	Randall B Walger	Individual	Individual	OK.	Fine. Would like to see proof of identity like banks at poll boots.	Fine
1680	542886562	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In favor,\r Although the referendum must be fought as an independence central plank, not\rto include any thing to do with the EU , otherwise I firmly believe another failure to achieve our goal,will be the result. That said, cast your mind back to 2014, what was the EU position then. We should, if we are successful in obtaining our freedom,seek trade deals with all interested parties and the details of such would require further consultation with the electorate, especially on the European question, by means of referendum, post independence.	In favor	In favor
1681	781265152	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements are sufficient to manage a second referendum. The last was well run, efficient in return and democratic. A second one should be exactly the same.\r The requirement or justification to hold one is not made clear enough however. In my opinion the outcome of the last referendum is not being respected by the current Scottish Government and this exercise is a costly and ill advised waste of tax payers money.	I think the eligibility requires clarification and a rethink. I do not agree with this proposal.\r I do not agree that this proposal for nationals of other countries, including commonwealth countries resident in Scotland should get a vote, particularly when the proposal excludes the rest of the UK, except those resident in Scotland, from getting a say. This is a matter for specifically for the Scottish people and those British citizens who live in Scotland, not for non-UK Citizens. \r If someone wishes a vote in this matter, they should become a nationalised British citizen. What is the justification for allowing a citizen from another country who simply is resident here to make such a critical decision? Given they can leave and return "home" at any time, I do not see them having the right to influence my "home" country without first demonstrating their longstanding commitment to it.\r It is however right that all registered Scottish voters who work elsewhere as a result of their jobs, e.g. Armed services persons, get to vote.	I support this.
1682	523405946	Sean McLaughlin	Individual	Individual	Agreed	Agreed	No comment
1683	206797711	Carrie	Individual	Individual	No Answered	It should be more tightly managed	Anybody Scottish 16 and over regardless of where they live should be able to vote
1684	369088458	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe there should be another referendum. The two million who voted to remain part of the UK amin 2014 (more than voted to remain in EU) are being ignored.\rI firmly believe this is because the Scottish Government are driven by one aim and one aim only.\r If the government ignores the democratic will of the people and forces through another referendum the question should relate to leaving the UK.	N/A	N/A
1685	102828217	David Simpson	Individual	Individual	They seem sensible.	Happy with the proposals.	Happy with the proposals.
1686	776667470	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is a complete waste of time and money. The current Scottish govt should concentrate on governing Scotland, improving our Education and Health services and seeking to balance our spending and income.	N/A See answer 1. above	N/A See answer 1. above
1687	595171951	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy for this to be the case	I am happy for this to be the case	I am happy for this to be the case
1688	606852918	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The 2014 referendum was rigged, we need to do things differently (perhaps have the EU or UN count it? Or simply have Scottish officials and not british officials counting).\r No postal votes (In person or proxy)\rNo polling cards. Entire towns did not recieve them and this was possibly a factor when it came to the people who showed up to vote, only to be told someone else had voted in their place.\rValid photo ID required at stations\rActually use security seals on ballot boxes (transparent ballot boxes?)\rCounts at polling stations (NOT transported)\rEveryone gets to wear their colours to polling stations(pref) or no one does. Not brits only like last time.	Lords should not be permitted to vote, most of them only have a holiday estate in Scotland instead of actually living here (rumour has it they got 1 vote per bedroom in 2014).\r Should non commonwealth residents who have lived here for a substantial length not be allowed to vote too?\r Yes to Proxy votes - NO postal votes\r Verification sounds good.	Dont let the brits parachute their etons and loyalists in like last time. Campaign participants should actually live here.\r Ban the uda, edl, etc from coming to Scotland until a year AFTER the next referendum, we dont need more violence and riots from british fanatics.
1689	40052476	Robert Harte	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
1690	936644835	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The referendum should be managed by a completely independent company. Not one associated in any way with Westminster or the Conservatives- especially any rich Conservatives with an input to such a firm	I welcome the tightening of procedures fir proxy and postal voting	I welcome this
1691	498189099	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We done it the people voted no skullduggery has been proven why again	People only want to change things when they hope it will benefit them selves so no	As above to benefit the people who want it
1692	254738587	Grant Latto	Individual	Individual	I do feel that these are sensible and fair arrangements.	These part of the proposals are absolutely vital. Postal votes must be accounted for properly. I think there are two elements to be aware of. All postal votes should be verified to ensure fairness and accountability in such an important referendum. There must also be a public perception that all voting is accountable and there has been no circumvention or cheating. Frankly, I'd prefer postal votes to be completely disallowed, however this may not be possible. In these regards, i agree with these proposals	I think they're a sensible evolution.
1693	160304041	Errin anderson	Individual	Individual	Following the current system would make things easier for people to engage however we need to look at ways the system allows more young people to get involved	No Answered	All fine
1694	931880638	LYDIA REID	Individual	Individual	The age limits are fair in my view \rI do believe tho we should take more care with the actual votes\rI believe Scotland should either use the UN or go back to the old methods of having supporters at the polls all day and following the van to the count	No Answered	I have reservations about some of the above
1695	167181118	Robert Mackay	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements seem acceptable. I do though believe that there should be many more independent inspectors within each counting place. Many counting places are massive and there should be a minimum of 1 inspector for 10 counting staff to ensure ballots are handled correctly.	Eligibility to vote in perfect.\r Absent voting had a massize increase in 2014. I believe that absent voting should only be allowed in exceptional circumstances. For example people who will be putwith Scotland on the day of polling or have mobility issues or another impair entry which makes visiting a polling station impossible or detrimental to their health.\r Polling and count staff should not be affiliated with any political party or campaign group.	No major issues here.
1696	662084598	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A Direct Approach is clearly the only method, otherwise the SNP will be perceived as " Weak " The Other Parties try to continue to give a distorted view of the Scottish Peoples " Right to Choose " Pushing Ahead "is the only way . The Other Parties treat Scottish Voters as some kind of Wayward Children who must be guided, towards the " UK Path " to victory. Independance is not going to turn Scotland backward , a declaration of facts as Scotland sees the Future, is the way the SNP has chosen, written words are required, so the UK Parties cannot tell untruths, in order to " Muddy the Waters " .	No Answered	Better than before
1697	984270423	Jacqueline Harris	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements for handling the Referendum are adequate.	The proposed technical changes to polling and counting arrangements are reasonable to ensure fairness. Consideration should be given to the situation of those who have properties in Scotland, but normally reside elsewhere. Do these individuals get a vote? Should they get a vote? Some consideration should also be given to vulnerable individuals, whose postal vote is filled out by another person (relative/canvasser). I am glad to see that those who are campaigning will not be counting votes.	The changes on permissible participants seems like a reasonable response to the Electoral Commission's report.
1698	52215792	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Electoral management board Who are they need a history\rCounting officers and chief accounting officer. I have no confidence in these people since they can choose private companies to assist in the count and that they are paid a fortune on top of salary.\rAll counting and verification to be completed in Scotland, no UK companies, no subsidiary companies whose head office is in England.\r Electoral commission have imho proven to be untrustworthy. Do not use\rEntitlement to vote\rNo holiday homes\rNo foreign student voting includes anyone not normally resident in Scotland\rNo workers who happen to be in Scotland on short term contracts even if for a number of years	British citizens resident in Scotland . No vote\rCommonwealth citizens . No vote\rRepublic of Ireland . No vote\rMembers of lords . No vote\rService Crown personal only if born in Scotland should they get a vote	To participate in any way shape or form Scotland must be your permanent residence \rTo be a permissible donor. Scotland must be your permanent residence
1699	487324112	Jacqueline Ellis	Individual	Individual	Agreed but feel count should be done by third party representatives ie impartial observers	Agreed	Agreed
1700	691960103	Euan Ross	Individual	Individual	Looks fine to me.	One thought about this. The ballot counting must be done exclusively in Scotland, if that's not planned already.	Looks fine.
1701	812736103	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements seem to make sense and would result in an efficient and joined up system.	No problem with changes and support scrutinising of results.	All makes sense-checks and balance are necessary and sensible.
1702	148857119	Tommy Hamill	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No English MPs are to Ben involved in this process or any police force from England. This should be run by the councils of Scotland and no one else.
1703	253325950	Robert Scott	Individual	Individual	In agreement.	In agreement.	In agreement.
1704	200896287	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposals are acceptable.	I am pleased that there will be more robust checking of postal votes, as this was an area of controversy at the 2014 referendum.\rI am concerned at the robustness of proxy voting, especially on behalf of those groups of voters who are represented by a few persons, eg. care home residents being represented by care home managers. I understand there were concerns that some voters were not being represented honestly by their proxy voters. I would like better legal protection for those who are mentally incapacitated.\rPerhaps a further proposal regarding count staff (2.16) should be that they should not be a member of a political party.	The proposed changes are acceptable.
1705	1048583607	James Duff	Individual	Individual	I would like to see far better management of the vote counting this time instead of the farces that were evident during the vote counting process where votes were piled in the wrong piles, bags of votes found dumped in public places & fire alarms were triggered during which bags of votes were tampered with.\r I would like to see some vetting of those handling & counting votes in that anyone who was suspected of mis-handling the votes last time either on video or transporting bags or boxes are excluded this time.\r also no politicians should have access to votes prior to or during the count like last time.	I would like to see the anomaly which became evident last time where some people had more than 1 vote as they had 2 addresses where they were registered to vote and also had a postal and an attendance vote because of this.	political parties should have to declare their proposed expenditure and sponsors prior to the campaign and should have to declare extra funding received during the campaign especially if it is large sums.\r There should be a help line to call for those being intimidated on their doorsteps during the campaign particularly the vulnerable.\r those proposing to visit vulnerable persons should be registered and wear identification declaring their interest.
1706	386805566	Charles P Kearney	Individual	Individual	I object strongly to any role for the 'Electoral Commission,' an Organisation Funded and Run by the British Government in London and would prefer oversight by an Organisation like 'ACE!'	That appears very satisfactory, however, might I suggest that all Transport carrying Ballot Boxes be accompanied by designated representative from both sides, from the gathering up of the Boxes to the Counting Place. Also that 'Agreed and Official' Video Monitoring be put in place during the Count, for later Reference!\r I am basically against Postal Voting if they leave Scotland at any point or are accessed by anyone before the Count!	Yes.
1707	55761957	Valerie Brown	Individual	Individual	I agree the system used in 2014 is the most appropriate with the added Proviso of tighter security of ballot boxes in transit from polling stations to count. I think all seals should be independently checked and boxes within sight of named escort.	Wholeheartedly agree.	Agreed.
1708	116401465	Duncan	Individual	Individual	The same as in 2014.	The same as in 2014	The same as 2014.
1709	320706551	Andrew Currie	Individual	Individual	The management of the 2014 referendum was legal and fair so I see no need to change the arrangements dramatically.	Seems fair and straight forward.	Great that new recommendations are being met.
1710	344197457	Alan	Individual	Individual	Better vetting of counters is needed to eradicate the large scale cheating that took place in 2014.	Any measures to cut out the cheating that took place in 2014 are welcome.	Seems all good and well thought out. All measures to cut out the clear and large scale cheating that took place in 2014 are welcome.
1711	789153589	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with this forum .	I agree with these changes , they are inclusive of everyone here who wants to be here , even if not forever .	I agree with those changes and understand the aim of the amendments .
1712	113591758	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We should bring in external counters from outside the UK. There was a few perceived abuses of the system while the last vote took place. The use of the Postal vote was extremely skewed away from the rest of the votes.	The postal vote allowed many people not fit to make a voting choice have their vote done on their behalf. Old People in homes with dementia etc. would have had their vote cast by people who worked there. We should ban the postal vote and have everyone produce identification to ensure the vote is completely without controversy. \rThere was also talk of counting postal votes beforehand. There was also talk of votes being moved from Scotland to England as well as talk about many votes being added to the pile. \rThe best way to ensure there is no impropriety is to have no postal vote at all.	no issues with this
1713	460382648	Fiona Simpson	Individual	Individual	Happy with the proposal	Happy with the proposals.	Happy with the proposals
1714	231939550	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	i was born in scotland but now live in england as i was born in scotland i should be able to vote in a 2 referendum as if i was born in england but live in scotland i would get a vote so scottish pepole living in england ireland and wales should be allowed to vote on scotlands future if not then english pepole or irish pepole or wales pepole should not be allowed to vote
1715	496760378	Carolyn Breslin	Individual	Individual	There should be no further monies spent on referendums. The public voted and SNP should respect that vote.	No Answered	Only taxpayers should have the right to vote. After all if no-one worked and paid tax we would be in a worse sorry state
1716	223158494	Reece	Individual	Individual	I think these arrangements are good.	I am very happy with these proposed changes	I am happy with these proposed changes.
1717	123503779	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Accept proposal	Only SCOTS should vote NOT EU Nationals and CERTAINLY NOT IRISH Nationals. An outrageous attempt to skew the result. Quite disgraceful.	No commemt
1718	470149727	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The referendum has taken place already. The Scottish people voted against independence, the SNP lost their majority and did not state that leaving the EU would be the 'Material change in circumstances' and therefore their mandate to hold a second independence referendum is non existent.	'Knowingly' is a very important word. Many influential social media pages support either side or debate and people behind the account may work at count but real name not shown to public. Weak idea, SNP must realise that they didn't lose last referendum because of people at count.	Let 16&17 year olds vote.
1719	541859225	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Having thoroughly researched the Electoral Commission, and the Electoral Management Board for Scotland, both are satisfactory for this role.	Eligibility to vote - no significant changes.\r Changes to Emergency Proxy voting to reduce administrative burden seem necessary. \r The changes to the checking of postal votes is an important, and required change.\r Change to Polling and Count staff selection is a change which will improve public trust in the legitimacy of the count.\r Changes to Verification Statements are correct, and in line with UK standards.	All changes are correct.
1720	373153739	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Would like scottish people living outside of scotland to be a part
1721	1020617943	Thomas McShane	Individual	Individual	There should be independent monitors, no postal votes sent to England, and only those with primary home in Scotland for more than 5 years should be allowed to vote.	Agreed	Agreed
1722	827273561	Lorna Nicholson	Individual	Individual	More international monitors	Aye fine	Fine
1723	272140622	Stevie Laing	Individual	Individual	I believe that the Referendum was open to abuse in 2014.\rRuth Davidson was live on TV before 22:00 18/09/14 stating that the Postal votes looked good for Better Together despite the counting wasn't to legally start until 10pm.\rEU representatives should count all the votes.	I believe counting should be witnessed by representatives from both sides.\r The Yes Campaign should introduce a Nationalised Central Bank so an Independent Scotland would have full control over our Finances !!!!	The Yes Campaign should introduce a Nationalised Central Bank to replace Curency Union.\r This way we would have full control over our finances without any Westminster or Bank of England interference.\r Without it were tied to Britain
1724	916891430	james troup	Individual	Individual	The postal vote was a big bone of contention. Good to see it is being addressed this time. Perhaps restrict the vote those who have been resident in Scotland for at least the last 3 years.	The postal vote was a big bone of contention. Good to see it is being addressed this time. Perhaps restrict the vote those who have been resident in Scotland for at least the last 3 years. \r Security of votes during transport form polling station to counting station also an issue.	Agreed
1725	807350988	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We should not be having a referendum.\rThere is no support in Scotland for this initiative by the majority.\rIt is damaging to the Scottish economy and distracting from the real issues like education.	I have no view because it should not be done.	I have no real view
1726	730319160	John McKay	Individual	Individual	Content with the proposals.	I disagree with unelected members of the House of Lords being eligible to vote in any Independence referendum.	I am content.
1727	100430367	Maggie May	Individual	Individual	Scotland voted 'No' and that should be the end of it for at least a generation!	See above!±	No second referendum!
1728	70097157	Harry Leeland	Individual	Individual	Keep it the same as 2014, use the same counting an procedure, and hopefully this time when we are promised everything from Westminster (lies and broken promises) we won't listen to them.	Keep it the same.	Keep it the same.
1729	239993674	Paul Docherty	Individual	Individual	Arrangements seem to be appropriate. I would urge inviting observers from a neutral state to ensure the fairness of the process. \rPostal votes also need to be handled better than in the previous referendum, and be traceable by region.\rConsideration should be given to ways to stop people resident elsewhere in the UK from temporarily registering to vote in Scotland.	Excellent. These changes should address most of my concerns.	Sensible and pragmatic.
1730	919496783	Matthias Glenday	Individual	Individual	It is understandable that the formalities of this proposed election are based off the last elections mandate.\rHowever, I feel it is within the best interests of the Scottish government and people to treat this referendum like a reaction to Brexit. If we do so, this would encourage and help the people who voted remain feel warmer and desire Independence more.\rFurthermore, I believe a more grassroots campaign which invigorates the public (especially young millennials) I would base this model off Bernie Sanders Presidential campaign in 2016.	The polling and count arrangements seem adequate, the inclusion of 16 and 17 year olds have included the next generation of Scots into the world of politics.\rFor a strong and successful campaign next referendum, I believe it is in the best interest for a specific but smaller campaign targeted at young people. This could include celebrities, videos and media.	I believe that the rules regarding permissible participants should somewhat follow the American model.\rForeign donations would be strictly prohibited to stop any considerable influence, and large donations intent and donor would have to be listed to the public. This serves the best interest of the people.
1731	932325077	Keith Farrell	Individual	Individual	I think it's a good move but we need more safeguards to prevent the same as what happened in the last referendum. \rPostal votes only for those that are sick or really unable to attend. Preferably to have a box at each voting station. So that postal votes can be cast by people's family members. \rHaving postal votes posted south or anywhere else. Even opened before the referendum is a no no. \rBeing open and transparent is the only way. EU observers will be needed as we know WM is going to try and cook the books again. \rEveryone who has voted will need some form of dye to mark their hand as having voted. Photo ID is required. Everyone has some form of ID. Those that do not, can have a certified ID letter supplied by council.	In line with what I think. \rHaving lived in South Africa. The rules to vote require ID and controls.	If you are normal resident in Scotland. Then you should vote. It's not a request but a requirement.
1732	771065780	Susan Gilchrist	Individual	Individual	The controls that monitors the counting of votes must be tightened up for another referendum, in 2014 there was vote rigging. Remote areas, like the Scottish islands, where the vote boxes are taken out on helicopters etc are far too open to fraud	Postal votes must be more closely monitored.	Improvement, but more needs to be done.
1733	593180992	Robert Logan	Individual	Individual	This fits nicely with the concept of accountability.	Somewhat glad proxy/postal processes will be tightened, moreso that counting officers will be restricted as well. This is more important than any 'normal' vote in the sense that it allows for a global redefinition of Scotland.	Keeping things civilized. Nothing wrong here.
1734	777033670	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No comment - seems good
1735	826799659	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think it's an utterly pointless exercise and the money would be better spent elsewhere. As someone who voted yes and was an snp member until I got constantly abused and smeared by cybernats due to my boyfriend being a no voter, I have now left the party especially after one of them started contacting my daughters school and then even though I sent an email to James dornan begging for help he still follows and interacts with this anonymous troll. The way the cybernats act on twitter disgusts me and I refuse to let my country be run by a party who uses thug trolls so will vote no next time.	Pointless	Pointless
1736	779518939	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No strong opinion	No Answered	Although I was in favour of the eligibility requirements during the 2014 referendum, I do believe that those with long terms Visas within Scotland should have the opportunity to vote. It did not make sense to me that someone from Canada who has a visa (within the Commonwealth) would be able to vote on this issues, while someone from the United States (outside of the commonwealth) is not able to express their opinion. Given that the decision would potentially effect them both equally, I believe that all of those on long term visas should be allowed to voice their opinions.
1737	781057048	James Manclark	Individual	Individual	I believe that postal voting should be limited to those who cannot get to a polling station due to infirmity or being out of the country, No other reasons. Proxy voting should be monitored in some way to avoid one person going into a place like a nursing home where people may not understand what they are voting for due to mental health problems and as such allowing that one person to register all the votes of those people in a certain way.\r Proxy and postal votes should not be automatic and as said, should be limited to those of sound mind and not to people whose decision is being made for them by a family member or someone involved in politics who would use those votes to their advantage.	I feel they could go further by limiting the number of postal and proxy votes for voters who don't have the capacity to make an informed decision by themselves and as such are relying on someone else to make the decision for them. Ie. mentally handicapped or dementia sufferers etc etc. People should not be prevented from voting but if someone else is going to be making that decision for them then these activities need to be restricted.	no comment
1738	467748693	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The people of Scotland voted in 2014 to remain part of the UK, when is the current Scottish government going to respect that result and get in with the job of running the country proper instead of running it into the ground.	The people of Scotland voted in 2014 to remain part of the UK, when is the current Scottish government going to respect that result and get in with the job of running the country proper instead of running it into the ground.	The people of Scotland voted in 2014 to remain part of the UK, when is the current Scottish government going to respect that result and get in with the job of running the country proper instead of running it into the ground.
1739	382022685	Craig Wilson	Individual	Individual	Tory owner counting companies should not be allowed to be hired for the counting process. Councils should not be given the choice. The government should choose. The media should be held to account also.	Agree.	No issue
1740	757951677	William George Lees	Individual	Individual	I have concerns about the electoral commission, and their ability to properly scrutinise the security surrounding the vote count and its collection.\rWe need to employ EU standard invigilators, and have more stringent policing of the count.	The postal vote should be massively restricted and only allowed in case of illness or physical incapacity. The postal vote is far to open to corruption.	All fine
1741	709178654	Lisa Pope	Individual	Individual	I agree with this.	Eligibility to vote should include people who may have moved away from Scotland for any reason, but within a limit of time (I think it is 10 years for other UK votes) especially since many people from Scotland are much more mobile and move about different countries both within Europe as well as world wide for periods of time for work, education or to broaden their experience which they then bring back at some point in the future to enhance Scotland. I think that everyone with a recent connection to living and residing in Scotland should have the right to have a say on whether they would like Scotland to be an independent country - especially if they are likely to return at some point.	Agree
1742	270196756	Steven Mailer	Individual	Individual	I feel the referendum would be run in the most fair and unbiased way possible and I agree that it should include everyone of age who lives in Scotland even if it is not their native land.	I agree with these as it helps to insure no tampering from either Yes or No can affect the referendum.	I agree with these changes.
1743	416592137	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	What referendum? The "once in a lifetime" referendum was held just over two years ago and the resounding result was NO to independence. The fundamentals then were weak, ill conceived and unaffordable - they are considerably worse now. All the recent polls and indeed common sense dictates that there will not be another referendum for a very long time and even then the vote is still anticipated to be a clear and overwhelming NO to independence. The Scottish Government must forget this insane and blind obsession and get on with the job they are paid to do - MANAGE Scotland.	What referendum? The "once in a lifetime" referendum was held just over two years ago and the resounding result was NO to independence. The fundamentals then were weak, ill conceived and unaffordable - they are considerably worse now. All the recent polls and indeed common sense dictates that there will not be another referendum for a very long time and even then the vote is still anticipated to be a clear and overwhelming NO to independence. The Scottish Government must forget this insane and blind obsession and get on with the job they are paid to do - MANAGE Scotland.	What referendum? The "once in a lifetime" referendum was held just over two years ago and the resounding result was NO to independence. The fundamentals then were weak, ill conceived and unaffordable - they are considerably worse now. All the recent polls and indeed common sense dictates that there will not be another referendum for a very long time and even then the vote is still anticipated to be a clear and overwhelming NO to independence. The Scottish Government must forget this insane and blind obsession and get on with the job they are paid to do - MANAGE Scotland.
1744	655434538	Stephen McConnell	Individual	Individual	It's disgusting. A loaded vote on a referendum the majority of Scots DO NOT WANT.	No Answered	No EU or commonwealth people should be allowed a vote on the future of Scotland.
1745	34082247	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No to another referendum	No to another referendum	No to another referendum
1746	1055226631	Gerry McAteer	Individual	Individual	If possible , I would be happier if an independent counting organisation from another neutral country was hired to manage the counting of votes.	I agree with these proposed technical changes from the 2014 referendum. In an effort to remove any uncertainty of ballot paper interference, I think it would also be desirable for the postal votes to be securely warehoused in Scotland before transportation to the counting centres on the night of the vote, rather than transported and warehoused south of the border , as I heard had happened in 2014,	I agree with these proposals
1747	737612589	Francisco Cabrita	Individual	Individual	I'd like see if new referendum happen same thing different...i think last time was same thing not right....i see images of corruption.	I AGREE.	I AGREE.
1748	484957612	Christine Malloch	Individual	Individual	The referendum should be monitored by a third party and postal votes should be limited to people who are ill or out of the country on the day of the vote. Votes should be limited to those who have their main residence in Scotland and people with holiday homes in Scotland but do not have their main residence in Scotland should not be allowed to vote.	No Answered	As above, but would stress that a third party monitoring the election would be advisable. Also the postal votes should be monitored to see that no sampling is done by parties. The postal votes should be kept in Scotland and should not be allowed to be taken to England for verification. The local Councils should take better care of the postal vote boxes in their charge.
1749	892976970	Kieran Tennant	Individual	Individual	This is the most acceptable way to run the referendum.	This is agreeable.	This is agreeable.
1750	210596812	Mary Fallin	Individual	Individual	You didn't manage it last time round. You won't manage it this time.	Give up you will lose the next election.	Disgraceful
1751	764393887	Frank Inglis	Individual	Individual	I have a concern about ballot boxes being removed from the polling station during the day. Are boxes opened, and counted as the day goes on? If not there should be one uplift at the end of polling.	I have no great problem with proposed changes to the rules	no problem with rules\r on spending as long as they are transparent
1752	982025111	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	I am concerned that there may have been irregularities at the last referendum, and that these were not followed up, e.g. I am sure my ballot had no bar code on the back; and how did Ruth Davidson manage to see postal votes? Whatever, I think as a minimum: photo ID should have to be shown when voting; there should be international observers; postal voting should be minimal (not encouraged); and votes should be counted and kept at the polling site. With regards to eligibility, I think there should be a minimum residence requirement, and I would also like people firth of Scotland (expats) to have a vote.	I think there should be an independent scrutineer (the Freedom of Information Commissioner?) who will adjudicate on claims and counter-claims and ensure prominent apologies for wrongful (political) statements.
1753	174029399	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with these arrangements	I agree with these arrangements	I agree with these changes
1754	802376467	Len taylor	Individual	Individual	Given that it is impossible to rule out partisan bending of the rules , I feel that international oversight is paramount to a fair election.	No Answered	Eligibility to vote deadline should be set to the electors registered at the last holyrood elections. This would rule out people having a short term address in Scotland simply to vote
1755	606807035	Rev Adam Plenderleith	Individual	Individual	Wasting money	Unnecessary	What about doing what you were elected to do. Oh sorry minority Govt
1756	734401882	Charles Patrick O'Brien	Individual	Individual	Postal votes to go to local area and be opened and counted with the rest of the votes,I think important.\rThe voter's roll,needs checked and updated now anybody coming in from England Wales or Northern Ireland to be barred especially if they also managed to arrive in time for the 2014 poll but leave next day!?\rEuropean arbitrators are needed at all counts and all counts on CCTV the recording of which must be shown on ITV news channel over the next few days.To allow all of us to see that the voting was fair and counted properly.No YouTube showings with dodgy picture to annoy and confuse some people.	Service/crown personnel registered to vote in Scotland only if they and /or family also normally reside here in Scotland.\rProxy votes (emergency) will require more than just identification will also need medical proof of illness?\rPostal votes of residents residing in nursing homes or sheltered housing need to be witnessed by independent witness' Tales were told of certain people coaching residents on how to vote,which way,to vote,and even rumours of staff filling out the votes for residents,even if it is only one then that vote still needs protecting.	Seems to be fine with me.
1757	157500816	Richard Dismore	Individual	Individual	If you are happy with the way the first referendum was conducted, then I am too. Maybe exit polls would be a good idea for mythbusting foul play.	Agreed, 16 year olds must be included as it is their future. And postal votes need more scrutiny as they are the weakest link to corruption which in a close result would provoke uncertainty.	From what I understand of this, it seems right that only votes from people of sound mind should be applicable, no one should be able to use the vote from people that dont fully understand what they are voting for.
1758	807587954	Mr Adrian Cardy	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum. Scotland voted to remain part of the UK. We did not vote to have another referendum everytime the SNP don't get their way.	I belive the SNP will change the rules any way they can to ensure a bigger proportion of the vote goes their way. I believe only full Scottish citizens should be allowed a vote, not EU nationals living here.	As above.
1759	455007800	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Independence Referendum (2) is against the Scottish economy. Using results of Referendum on leave/remain as an excuse for another referendum is an insult to all but SNP activists. 2025 should be the first date for another referendum. Many Scottish businesses are no longer investing and holding off because of threats of disruptive Independence Referendums. I know of many Scottish businesses who have plans in place to move to North East of England should Independence happen. They understand how businesses will be expected to fund the public purse and rather than risk bankruptcy will relocate as soon as possible. At 9.4% deficit Scotland has horrific future in the EU out of the UK. If SNP politicians achieve dream their their job is done. Their pensions are in place and the will be voted out promptly with votes being again divided between the traditional parties. What a mess. I had consistently voted SNP purely from a patriotic point of view with little thought about the reality of it. The White Paper of 2014 blew open all the downfalls when scrutinised. Incompetent shambles of errors and lies. " No" side did not sway me. I was even more critical in dissecting their arguments against Independence. More devolved powers did not attract me either (unless we have experts who can manage them properly) I was shocked at my change of support for Independence because I realised how shallow I had been in appraising the values of it. I will always be Scottish first but I am also British. A less important part of my decision was, I am against the constant push by SNP to make Scotland a multicultural country. When I started voting SNP it was a party saying Scotland for the Scottish people. No longer. Immigrants are more favoured than our indigenous people. English are moving to Scotland (with their education and skills) because they feel their culture is being denied in large English Cities which are now overwhelmed by increasing ethnic minority communities. Our tourism relies on our Scottish culture not only our scenic beauty. English settling in Scotland usually come with assets and ask for no financial help and find jobs easily. Helensburgh has a large number of English residents many of whom commute to Glasgow. The Western Isles are being kept alive by English families turning to lives within crofting communities. In 1920 the white race was 30% of world population now we are 8% and our Scottish government is prepared to wipe the Scottish off the face of the earth by opening the door via the EU to mass immigration. I have seen what has happened to areas in Glasgow in a few short years from the time when Alec Salmond asked the UK government to send asylum seeking families etc to Scotland. Polish people are wonderful and of our culture, integrate easily but many others only want to create their own societies and after several generations still speak the language of their forefathers within their homes and communities. They may be Scottish by birth but their heart is in a far off land and will never integrate. Sorry but without a change of agenda within the SNP party my vote will have to go elsewhere. Don't forget the 400,000 traditional SNP voters who voted leave the EU. Their votes are in the balance also.
1760	631817066	Graham Stewart	Individual	Individual	I am perfectly satisfied with the arrangements although thought should be given to allay fears (real or perceived) that the the 2014 referendum had elements of false handling of papers	I am perfectly satisfied with the proposals	I am perfectly satisfied with the proposals
1761	637437336	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would like to see independent verification at all counts. While I don't buy in to the conspiracy theories I think this would remove all doubt.	No Answered	Independent international observers at every count.
1762	760626194	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We don't need another referendum	We don't need another referendum	We don't need another referendum
1763	652306811	danel roberts	Individual	Individual	Including 16 and 17 year olds is vital. We had an amazing turnout in 2014 so I suppose 'don't fix what isn't broken'.	All sounds good to me. I don't believe we have a problem with voter fraud at the moment, but think that given the circumstances it is feasible that 'the powers that be' could try to lose some papers. I'm all for anything that saves on costs without impacting the electorate, so whilst I agree with you that the leap in emergency proxy votes is a pain and something that needs to be addressing, I would argue that this needs to be addressed by making it easier for people to vote. We seem to be in the business of fixing historical problems with modern tools at the moment, and I would argue that voting online in all elections should be possible, for those who have registered to vote, and have a Government Gateway ID. Everybody who does a tax return and many other people now have a verifiable, secure online ID which can be programmed to require an SMS verification which is surely just as secure as voting at a booth.\rI think that allowing people to vote online could really help to get young folk involved in politics, and could take a lot of hassle and expense out of postal and proxy votes.\rThere would, of course, be a large expense up front for the software.	I honestly don't know enough about the issues at hand here to give an opinion. I think that transparency in 'activist' and 'grassroots' campaigns must be improved, as many interested parties, the SNP included, have taken to preaching under false names in order to show a concensus among 'activists' that isn't necessarily there. I understand why it's happening, but fake 'grassroots campaigns' and their publication by biased media is what has won Trump the helm.
1764	286314112	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No referendum required	No polling required	No participants required.
1765	695829367	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	unfair	Unfair
1766	538950103	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A further referendum would be an unnecessary and damaging event.\r It is agreed that the Electoral Commission should be responsible for oversight of any referendum. The Commission should report to the Scottish Parliament for its role in any referendum called by the Scottish Government, but it should also have a duty to report to the UK Parliament. It is the future of the UK which is at stake and the UK Parliament is responsible for the continuing success of UK, its territorial integrity, its defence, and the security of its citizens in all parts of the UK.\r I also note that many voters in the 2014 and the European referendum felt they did not have enough information when they came to decide on our future. The rise of ‘post-truth’ politics has led to the public having to decide on competing ‘facts’ and contradictory information offered by both campaigns. The consequence has been accusations of bad faith and this has contributed to an inability to accept the result by some people.\r In 2014, in key areas such as the currency, more devolved powers, the future of the NHS, North Sea oil projections and basic economics, the public were let down by some politicians and campaign groups who indulged in ‘post-truth politics’. Many of these are still disputed two years later. How can we provide the public with indisputable, unvarnished facts which are not tainted by desperate campaigners whose will to win surpasses their sense of fair play or objective analysis?\r I suggest a forum is created to ensure facts are made available to the public. Both campaigns could agree to an independent and qualified ‘Truth Commission’ to act as an unimpeachable fact-checker to review and arbitrate on areas of dispute. This independent panel of experts could be agreed by both sides to adjudicate on behalf of the Scottish people.\r Voters should be able to go to the polls informed and confident in their decision, not having to decide which politician is the most convincing. We cannot afford to take such a momentous decision with a ‘post-truth’ referendum. An independent and trusted fact-checker which both sides agree to respect would arm voters with the information they need to make a considered decision and allow any division to heal after the referendum.\r With regard to management of the referendum, although I strongly oppose such a referendum, steps must be taken to reduce the possibility of intimidation and harassment. The Scottish Government must consider the implications for policing during the referendum campaign and on polling day. Specifically, there should be provision for Police Scotland to record whether any criminal activity reported to them is related to the referendum.	The extension of the franchise to 16 and 17 year olds should not be an excuse to politicise schools. If school premises are used for campaign meetings (as is suggested in this consultation paper) such meetings should be outside normal school hours, and school staff must ensure there is objectivity in the classroom.\r There is no explanation in the consultation paper as to why the local government franchise is to be favoured over the parliamentary constituency franchise. This creates an anomaly whereby some voters are eligible to vote for a Member of Parliament but not for the future of Scotland in the UK. It specifically excludes voters eligible to vote in a Scottish Parliamentary constituency but currently resident in other parts of the UK. We suggest a review of the franchise to confirm the fairest option and explain rationale for the decision.\r The consultation paper makes no reference to the majority that would be required to change Scotland’s constitutional status within the UK. I note the inability of many people to accept a 55% result and acknowledge the diversity of opinion in what an appropriate threshold is for a major constitutional change. We would welcome a reflection on previous referendums and a review of all options to ensure we deliver an accurate result that everyone accepts. This would minimise the risk of anyone feeling unfairly dragged out or kept in.\r I also note the consultation paper suggests the Scottish Government is minded to propose a variation on the wording of the referendum question. The Scottish Government should be aware the Electoral Commission concluded that a Yes/No question would not be fair in the context of the EU referendum. There is some advantage to the side which seeks the ‘Yes’ answer, a fact acknowledged by Alex Salmond, First Minister at the time of the 2014 referendum.\r I believe the Electoral Commission should reflect carefully on its previous finding and I trust that it will determine an appropriate and fair question in the event of another referendum.	I agree that the Electoral Commission should again be responsible for policing the campaign rules, but I believe it should report to the UK Parliament as well as the Scottish Parliament. The future of the UK is at stake, and Parliament would need to be reassured that the campaigns were being conducted fairly.\r With regard to ‘permitted participants, I feel greater care needs to be taken to ensure that participants are genuine participants in their own right and not simply branches of the main campaign. Funding arrangements (see question 4) should ensure that each participant is truly self-funding and is not simply being funded by a larger organisation.\rI note the proposal to allow designated organisations to use meeting rooms in schools and other public buildings (paragraph 3.7). It is important that any campaign is conducted without politicising schools. If campaign meetings are to be held in schools, they must be held outside school hours and without any disruption to school life. Schools should not display campaign material.\r The resources of the Civil Service should be used to provide accurate and impartial information but should have no role whatsoever in producing a political prospectus. Politicians should and must respect the independence and integrity of the civil service.\r Use of the phrase “Westminster Parliament” (paragraph 3.1) in this context is deliberately coloured language to make Britain’s Parliament sound remote and to undermine its legitimacy in Scotland. Documents produced by a non-partisan civil service should use less emotive terminology.
1767	134615434	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No problem with these arrangements, except that I do not believe a second referendum is necessary with the Scottish voting public having rejected independence conclusively in the September 2014 vote.	There is a major problem here with seeking a view on independence from people with no direct stake in Scotland except by residency. E.g. my family - 2 sons - 1 son may vote as he lives in Glasgow. The other, equally Scottish by birth may not vote because he is a house owner in London. Paradoxically a Pole resident in Scotland who may or may not have a long-term commitment to living here has an equal vote to the Glasgow son.	No problem wih this.
1768	836388293	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No referendum the last one was a democratic vote a once in a generation vote and I do not believe there is a mandate for another	No, it was no last time and that must stand	Do not agree with a second referendum there is no need for one
1769	296232786	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No referendum non	No referendum	No referendum
1770	399701438	Paul Pinder	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum. You can't keep asking people to vote on the question of independence in the hope you may, one day, get the answer you want. You are tearing this great country of my forebears, that I have chosen to call home, apart.	Couldn't care less. Spend time and money fixing the economic mess you are making of this country.	How about banning those who don't take no for an answer? That strikes me as pretty democratic. After all, if you can't accept one vote, why be allowed to participate in others?
1771	487926417	George Longmuir	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	This is an utter farce. Forget Independance and concentrate on the important issues ... ie Health, jobs, education and policing. All areas in which you have failed miserably
1772	23428338	Lauren Fraser	Individual	Individual	I agree.	I Agree	I agree
1773	246055240	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Do not wish another referendum under ANY circumstances.	Acceptable if a referendum is forced upon us, although the maority of Scots do NOT want another referendum.	OK.
1774	875713095	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It should not happen. A once in a generation decision made in 2014 and the snps continuing attempts to find an excuse to hold another one is disgraceful	All Scots should be allowed to vote.. Even when abroad	None
1775	408979248	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Already voted No in 2014 and still stands	Do not need another vote already voted NO	Do not need another vote already voted NO
1776	104434747	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not now, not ever.	Seems reasonable. Stil unsure if under 18's should have the vote.	Seems reasonable
1777	101989564	Dawson Michie	Individual	Individual	There should be no second referendum.	There should be no second referendum.	There should be no second referendum.
1778	88375165	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We voted no in 2014 respect the "settled will of the Scottish people" remember this was a "once in a lifetime" "once in a generation" referendum!	We voted no in 2014 respect the "settled will of the Scottish people" remember this was a "once in a lifetime" "once in a generation" referendum!	We voted no in 2014 respect the "settled will of the Scottish people" remember this was a "once in a lifetime" "once in a generation" referendum!
1779	95152901	Graham Duncan	Individual	Individual	No need to change this process. In fact I see no reason for another referendum. We've done that decision was made and we do not need another divisive referendum. Any party that supports another referendum should should be called to account as they do not support the fact that we live in a democracy. There has been no significant change in circumstances worthy of another referendum. It's been done it was once in a lifetime? Now get on and run Scotland as that's what we pay you for and that's not running round Europe wasting our hard earned money.	I do not agree that citizens of the EU or the Republic of Ireland are allowed to vote in any Scottish referendum. It should only be those holding a current and valid U.K. Passport or those born in the U.K. and resident in Scotland at the time of any referendum.	No issue
1780	899208283	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We have already had one which split the country and left us with an SNP government that is incapable of running Scotland so why would we need a second one? Will we be having endless referendums until the SNP get the answer they want?	The whole proposed changes are proposals that favour the SNP so should be checked by an independent adjudicator and not one appointed by the SNP.	the Electoral Commission should again be responsible for\rpolicing the campaign rules, but it should report to the UK Parliament as well as\rthe Scottish Parliament as Parliament would need to be reassured that the campaigns were being conducted fairly.\r With regard to ‘permitted participants, greater care needs to be taken to ensure that participants are genuine participants in their own right and not simply\rbranches of the main campaign. Funding arrangements should ensure that\reach participant is self-funding and is not being funded by a larger organisation.\rOrganisations to use meeting rooms in schools and other public buildings should not be allowed.\r Use of the phrase “Westminster Parliament” in this context is deliberately\rmisleading this should appear on all documents etc as the UK Parliament.
1781	225661632	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No comment	I dont understand why Commonwealth Irish and EU citizens should have special rights to participate over any other resident taxpayer	No comment
1782	736264771	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Waste of time, effort and money to have another referendum. We decided in 2014. No need to have another one.	Ok.	It's all a waste of everyone's time.
1783	876913298	Alastair Murray	Individual	Individual	No Referendum is required.Scotland made its decision in 2014	No Referendum is required.Scotland made its decision in 2014	No Referendum is required.Scotland made its decision in 2014
1784	876264833	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't accept that a second referendum is either required or in the best interests of the people of Scotland. It expressly stated in the White Paper that a Scotland remaining in the U.K. would be subject to the outcome of any future U.K. referendum on EU membership - the use of "Brexit" as an excuse to justify a future referendum is deceitful and contrary to the paper produced for the 2014 referendum.	There were no issues with the manner in which the 2014 referendum was conducted so no changes are necessary for any future referendum. However I don't accept that a second referendum is either required or in the best interests of the people of Scotland. It expressly stated in the White Paper that a Scotland remaining in the U.K. would be subject to the outcome of any future U.K. referendum on EU membership - the use of "Brexit" as an excuse to justify a future referendum is deceitful and contrary to the paper produced for the 2014 referendum.	No opinion on this however I don't accept that a second referendum is either required or in the best interests of the people of Scotland. It expressly stated in the White Paper that a Scotland remaining in the U.K. would be subject to the outcome of any future U.K. referendum on EU membership - the use of "Brexit" as an excuse to justify a future referendum is deceitful and contrary to the paper produced for the 2014 referendum.
1785	278162021	Wilson	Individual	Individual	If its repeat of 2014 minus result	OK	OK
1786	536839134	Gordon Rae	Individual	Individual	The referendum should be managed In the same way as the previous 2014 one and in line with other Scottish elections. However I believe it is a waste of money as this question has been answered and as our former first minister alluded was once in a generation.	No Answered	I believe the vote should only be completed by British citizens living in Scotland, and considering the uncertainties regarding brexit eu nationals who don't have citizenship should not be allowed to vote.
1787	62558455	Stephen Crockett	Individual	Individual	This proposal is based on lies by the current dictatorial Scottish government.\rThere is no justification for another reference.\rWe were promised after the last referendum that there would not be another in a generation.\rWith all the lies told in the last white paper how could we ever trust a bunch of story tellers again that an independent Scotland would be our saviour.\rI and a majority of Scots voted no and this should be abandoned.	This current Scottish government in the name of the snp have already been working underhand by sending all 16 year old children a birthday card with clear reference to the snp and a Scotland run by Scotland.	None
1788	287026569	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Should remain as per status quo	No Answered	Should remain per status quo
1789	870996689	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No referendum	No changes	No referendum
1790	661347032	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Why have one, accept the result of the last one	Implement a condition that if the remain or leave vote is less than 60% based a turnout less than 75% there should be another referendum or result is void\r The European Union Referendum Act received Royal Assent in December 2015, receiving overwhelming support from Parliament. The Act did not set a threshold for the result or for minimum turnout and as a result divided the nation	No comment
1791	887951795	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I voted in 2014 to be British,and I will vote again to remain British, I will not recognise any future referendum to continue the anti democratic stance of this Scottish National Party . At present, only SNP votes matter in all aspects of politics. Scottish politics has become toxic, and bigoted	No Answered	If we as British subjects are allowed to vote in the countries mentioned in the list, i.e. Republic of Ireland, EU etc, that is fine, but if this is a back door exercise to split the UK. Wrong.
1792	85412033	George Hannah	Individual	Individual	No referendum should happen this matter was resolved in 2014, which is still this generation.	No Answered	Only British citizens should be eligible.
1793	122759103	Steven Richardson	Individual	Individual	I do not see a need for any proposed referendum arrangements as the result in 2014 was clear . The people of Scotland wished to remain part of the United Kingdom	I do not see a need for any proposed referendum arrangements as the result in 2014 was clear . The people of Scotland wished to remain part of the United Kingdom	I do not see a need for any proposed referendum arrangements as the result in 2014 was clear . The people of Scotland wished to remain part of the United Kingdom
1794	1060324431	Kenneth Archbold	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements seem sensible but this is NOT support for another divisive and unnecessary referendum.	Uninspiring.	Again, uninspiring.
1795	341101339	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No, to another referendum.	No, to another referendum.	I do not want another referendum. \rI want this Scottish government to STOP harping on about independence and START taking responsibility and govern with the resources they have. \rThe result may not have been everyone's choice but many people in Scotland did vote to leave the EU. The result to leave was the democratic decision of the U.K. of which the people of Scotland are part of. We the people decided that before and you saying 'Brexit' changes that is the SNP playing games. Stop playing silly games, it is costing our country dearly.This government has squandered over 60 million pounds on Named Person and are STILL not listening when parents say they do not want it.\rThe SNP need to listen to ALL the people of Scotland. A good government should.
1796	873891213	andrew murphy	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum	there should be no referendum	there should be no referendum
1797	213441958	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These arrangements should not be in place as this is an unnecessary referendum which offends the democratic choice of the the Scottish people, made in 2014. \r As constitutional matters are reserved the UK Government must legislate on this, not the Scottish government. As such all citizens of the UK should be allowed to vote, not just those in Scotland.\r Should be a required turnout and majority for independence to be effective, not a sinple 50%+1.	As constitutional matters are reserved the UK Government must legislate on this, not the Scottish government. As such all citizens of the UK should be allowed to vote, not just those in Scotland.\r The reduction of voting age has resulted in the politicisation of teaching, and bringing politics into the classroom. The indoctrination of the youth is a standard policy of ideological nationalists.	None.
1798	147259236	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Completely unnecessary.	No views	No views
1799	1047015415	Mark Fairman	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
1800	777726834	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There should be no referendum. We had a "once in s generation" vote in 2014.
1801	756780970	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My views as a small business owner are that the SNP have only been good for causing division in Scotland.There should be no second referendum.This nonsense is holding investment in business up.	Vote no.	Vote no.
1802	910456164	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe the SNP have grounds to pursue a second independence referendum in Scotland. There do not have a 'clear majority', but ooerate a minority government.	Since I do not believe that the SNP have a mandate to pursue a second independence referendum in Scotland the proposed changes to the 2014 referendum are irrelevant.	This is clearly not a consultation , but an attempt to justify the SNP's manipulation of the rules to reinforce their position a d to skewer any future referendum in their favour. This is a bogus survey.
1803	72044385	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No, not again , we have been through this once, the once in a lifetime !!! it was NO, its still NO, this is about the SNP and their crusade at all costs. This is not about the people of Scotland this is about ego's , Get on with running the country which I might add is not going well is it ?	EU ? why? yes I agree to people not currently living in Scotland but born here but EU has nothing to do with this. Just a ploy to increase the Yes vote	Not interested
1804	766194831	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	A waste of time. We've had a decisive referendum which wasn't even close. This process denies the democratic choice of the people, damaging our economy and relationships with our fellow countrymen.
1805	579564799	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We've had a referendum. The vote was NO. David Cameron had announced there would be an EU in/out vote long before the referendum. Scotland voted to remain as part of the UK. The UK voted to leave the EU. That's democracy. Just because the SNP don't like the result, continual talk of a referendum is simply wrong. Get on with governing Scotland. God knows the country needs a government who is focused on our many issues. \rIndy ref, last Scottish election and last general election- average of less than 50% of Scotland voted for the SNP, only our unrepresentative electoral system gives the SNP such a majority. I don't like it, but as I said before - that's democracy.	No opinion	No opinion
1806	216821797	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No referendum	No referendum	No referendum
1807	528764868	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	There should not be a referendum - the previous result was clear and was supposedly one in a lifetime. This is an expensive unnecessary farce.	No view - this is a waste of time and money
1808	77187890	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No to a second referendum.	No to a second referendum.	No to a second referendum.
1809	658782704	Ken Tweed	Individual	Individual	I am totally against a second referendum - we have had a referendum and the result should be accepted and move on. I do not understand why anyone would want independence from the UK but still have our so called "independence" being run by non elected numpties in the EU.	I am totally against a second referendum - we have had a referendum and the result should be accepted and move on. I do not understand why anyone would want independence from the UK but still have our so called "independence" being run by non elected numpties in the EU.	I am totally against a second referendum - we have had a referendum and the result should be accepted and move on. I do not understand why anyone would want independence from the UK but still have our so called "independence" being run by non elected numpties in the EU.
1810	41007549	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I consider a second referendum to be a waste of tax payers money. A clear answer to this question was given 2 years ago. It is undemocratic to ignore the result and re-run the process.
1811	202685185	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	a further referendum would be unnecessary, divisive and damaging for the country.\r The electoral commission should be responsible	School children should NOT be politicised and meetings should not be held in school hours.\rWhy is the local government franchise being favoured over the parliamentary franchise?.\rThe Electoral commission should endure the wording on any question is fair.	The Electoral commission should be responsible and report to Westminster as well as the Scottish Parliament \rEach participant should be self funded.\rSchools should not be politicised\rThe civil service should provide accurate and impartial advice, and not be used to produce political prospectuses
1812	936011949	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
1813	714813507	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Awful. Do not represent my views at all and undermine the UKs hand in negotiations, which with have negative impact on prosperity in Scotland.	Scottish people in othe parts of the U.K. Should be able to vote. They will have strong roots and will have contributed to the country before they left to further their careers. It is insulting to my fellow scots.	Not important.
1814	360486304	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The last referendum should have included everyone whose nationality would change depending on the outcome. Everyone born in Scotland should be entitled to vote, whether they are living in the country or not.	No Answered	As previous comment above. If Scotland became independent everyone born in Scotland would stop being British and their passports would need to be changed. It is undemocratic to not allow everyone affected by a change in Nationality to vote. There fore actually everyone in the UK should be able to vote on whether Scotland can become independent.
1815	881829990	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	We already had a referendum and the majority of us voted to stay with the rest of the uk. The snp do not believe in democracy unless it suits. As for their insistence of the single market they have obviously not read the Lisbon treaty	No real comment on this
1816	975551117	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Referendum	No Referendum	No Referendum
1817	636972940	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Referendum required.	No Referendum Required, do not agree with 16/17yr olds having vote.	No Referendum required.
1818	146709323	peter green	Individual	Individual	Given the serious nature of this for the whole of great britain i would prefer national oversight on managing this process. The Government in scotland who are proposing a yes vote cannot be entrusted to be truly impartial and are likely through their political arm to sway the process to favour themselves.... its natural that this bias exist .. however it needs to be eliminated if a true result is to be found	No Answered	The scottish government has already made it quite clear that all people under 18 are obliged to have a state appointed guardian...... The reason for this is that they are considered vulnerable and open to manipulation. Their vote would therefor be likely be influenced by that state appointed guardian. not withstanding this issue i still have serious doubts that they can be truely objective and wise in relation to making the right decision either for themselves and for us in this referendum
1819	517112556	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No comment	No comment	No comment
1820	645305489	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum. Get on with your jab	There should not be another referendum. Get on with your jab	There should not be another referendum. Get on with your jabThere should not be another referendum. Get on with your jab
1821	663559032	Ian white	Individual	Individual	I do not want a referendum. We have had one which divided the country and do not require another. We live in a democracy and the majority have spoken.	See question 1	See question 1
1822	310801743	Anne Houghton	Individual	Individual	Referendum is not required	Referendum is not required	If children, up to the age of 18, require a 'named person' to look out for them they are not responsible enough to vote
1823	43840659	Iain sellar	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I do not want a referendum Scotland voted no and the snp should accept this and get on with trying to govern the country
1824	428695327	Lorraine philips	Individual	Individual	No referendum should be held\rWe had one and said no	No European immigrants should be allowed a vote\rThey can go home at any time	Not reading it as no referendum should be allowed\rWe had our vote
1825	33750008	Robbie	Individual	Individual	No , we Han a referendum . Nicola is raging she has lost two now, she should do the honourable thing and resign .	No , keep it simple , so most people understand	Yes
1826	936541718	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no requirement to manage an unnecessary referendum.	There is no requirement to manage an unnecessary referendum.	There is no requirement to make changes for an unnecessary referendum.
1827	919539524	Steve McIntosh	Individual	Individual	I do not have any views on this issue as I do not feel that a referendum is required as the 2014 vote clearly indicated the preference of the Scottish people. The Scottish Government is using the EU referendum to make a case for another independence referendum by assuming that those that voted remain, voted to leave the Union, which is nonsense. I voted remain, but I would rather remain part of the UK than be part of the EU. The EU referendum showed a majority of UK citizens want to leave the EU and from my perspective it was a UK vote and as such we should respect the majority decision as one nation not as individual countries.	I do not have any views on this issue as I do not feel that a referendum is required as the 2014 vote clearly indicated the preference of the Scottish people. The Scottish Government is using the EU referendum to make a case for another independence referendum by assuming that those that voted remain, voted to leave the Union, which is nonsense. I voted remain, but I would rather remain part of the UK than be part of the EU. The EU referendum showed a majority of UK citizens want to leave the EU and from my perspective it was a UK vote and as such we should respect the majority decision as one nation not as individual countries.	I do not have any views on this issue as I do not feel that a referendum is required as the 2014 vote clearly indicated the preference of the Scottish people. The Scottish Government is using the EU referendum to make a case for another independence referendum by assuming that those that voted remain, voted to leave the Union, which is nonsense. I voted remain, but I would rather remain part of the UK than be part of the EU. The EU referendum showed a majority of UK citizens want to leave the EU and from my perspective it was a UK vote and as such we should respect the majority decision as one nation not as individual countries.
1828	280294349	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements not required, no need for a referendum	Changes not required, no need for a referendum	Changes not required, no need for a referendum
1829	1038999233	derek hinselwood	Individual	Individual	In my opinion there is no need for a second referendum, I do not feel the Scottish government has a mandate for this	These seem reasonable, although if we are not part of the EU at this point, should EU citizens have a vote? Also if 16 and 17 year olds need a nominated person to look out for them, should they be deemed capable of voting?	Anything which makes the process fairer and more transparent is surely a good thing
1830	419013503	Gary Smith	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum, we have had a referendum people voted to remain as part of the UK. \rWe had a Uk vote on leaving Europe not a Scottish vote and we voted to leave Europe, to use the referendum as some sort of bargaining chip is both immoral and churlish, the government should concentrate on running the country and not on some pointless crusade for the poisoned chalice of independence .\rCONCENTATE ON RUNNING THE COUNTRY !!!!!!!!!	SEE 1	See 1.
1831	594010948	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	fair enough	No Answered	disagree with anyone under 16 being allowed to vote.
1832	159469763	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Limit on spending on campaigns. HONESTY must be at the heart of any campaign. Clear and transparent way of checking facts surrounding any case.\rThat said, I do not believe there should be another referendum. This was decided in 2014 and is an insult to the decision made then. Furthermore the vote on leaving the EU was a UK vote and not a regional referendum. We are part of the U.K. Scotland's biggest export market share is England, not the EU therefore it makes no sense to break away from the UK.	No issues.	No issues.
1833	188876607	John McCormick	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
1834	985099466	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Measures must be taken to ensure that there is no intimidation of Unionists outside polling stations such as groups of Yes voters hanging around! An equal number of Yes and No campaigners should be present!\rI do NOT believe this referendum should be held as the results of the 2014 one still stand and polls have not shown any change despite the results of the EU referendum!	The referendum must not be run in such a way as to attempt to increase Yes votes! No under 18,s should be allowed to vote as they are not mature taxpaying adults. Also only UK citizens should be eligible. No foreign nationals such as EU citizens! They are not UK citizens! They should only get the vote if they have first obtained full UK citizenship! Scots resident in England should be permitted to vote as they were born in Scotland and have the right to decide the future of their birth country!	No under 18,s should be eligible to vote and that means no school children and absolutely no Named Persons should be involved!!
1835	540476466	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
1836	45631125	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Keep Scotland in the union (UK) \rKeep Scotland out of EU, EEA, ECJ, Customs Union\rTake control of borders\rNo second Referendum	Keep Scotland in the union (UK) \rKeep Scotland out of EU, EEA, ECJ, Customs Union\rTake control of borders\rNo second Referendum	Keep Scotland in the union (UK) \rKeep Scotland out of EU, EEA, ECJ, Customs Union\rTake control of borders\rNo second Referendum
1837	453991755	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Keep Scotland in the union (UK) \rKeep Scotland out of EU, EEA, ECJ, Customs Union\rTake control of borders\rNo second Referendum	Keep Scotland in the union (UK) \rKeep Scotland out of EU, EEA, ECJ, Customs Union\rTake control of borders\rNo second Referendum	Keep Scotland in the union (UK) \rKeep Scotland out of EU, EEA, ECJ, Customs Union\rTake control of borders\rNo second Referendum
1838	434740096	Geoff Leeson	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum. Scotland voted to remain part of the UK and must accept the overall result	There should be no referendum	There should be no referendum
1839	548004884	margaret usher	Individual	Individual	Agree. I would also highlight that the purdah period before the next independence referendum is fully observed by all parties (eg the famous vow). If this is included in the draft referendum bill, with appropriate/legal sanctions if broken by either side, this might mean the result is not skewed by one side taking an unfair advantage.	Agree that tightening security regarding proxy votes, essential judging by the totally unrealistic percentage ratio achieved in the last referendum. If at all possible, I would ensure the same or similar rules apply to postal votes as my research has indicated that the postal votes may have also been compromised, although I am unable to find substantiated proof. \r Would also ensure complete neutrality of counting officials/returning officer. Also, voting should be restricted to those who have have been permanently resident in Scotland for a set period of time (for example 6 months) to be eligible to vote.	Agree
1840	868583144	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	I agree	Agree
1841	1024399644	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	After what happened last time we should be wiser, no having a wee peek before the count Ruth and no ballot papers going down South then brought back up. It's a ridiculous system	Length of time people have stayed here should be mandatory, (3 years perhaps) this thing last time where people had holiday homes ere and voted no isn't on. Recounts should also be allowed. Also many of the Europeans who live here voted no because of scare stories that Scotland wouldn't be in the EU and they'd have to leave. You couldn't make it up.	Fine with the above, but what to do about voting fraud?
1842	329809751	Angus MacAlister.	Individual	Individual	While the Electoral Commission is the standard option with such an important decision it may be advisable to follow the standard in other countries and have UN observers involved to insure that the result is not open to question due the Electoral Commission being a UK entity.	The proposals are fine as laid out in the draft bill.	These changes are important as they reflect recommended changes and should be adopted.
1843	415997128	David Mogg	Individual	Individual	Perfectly fair but I am concerned about the problems with postal voting.\rPlease review the policy.	Review postal voting.	Noted
1844	964259983	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Keep Scotland in the union(uk)\rKeep Scotland out of EU, EEA, ECJ\rNo second referendum	Keep Scotland in the union(uk)\rKeep Scotland out of EU, EEA, ECJ\rNo second referendum	Keep Scotland in the union(uk)\rKeep Scotland out of EU, EEA, ECJ\rNo second referendum
1845	1059200490	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum as the peopl have already voted No and it appears SNP don't accept any result which is against their view ie they are totally undemocratic \r Only over 18's should be allowed to vote. No EU citizens should be allowed to vote as they have a right to vote in their own country.	There should be no referendum as the peopl have already voted No and it appears SNP don't accept any result which is against their view ie they are totally undemocratic \r Only British citizens living in Scotland should be allowed to vote. No under 18's should be allowed to vote as could be influenced by named person attached to them.	There should be no referendum as the peopl have already voted No and it appears SNP don't accept any result which is against their view ie they are totally undemocratic
1846	335982798	Slobodan Petrovic	Individual	Individual	Referendum is not needed. Scottish government just waist our money on trivial things such as referendum.	Supporting the proposal.	Supporting proposal
1847	264013042	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fair	Unfair. Scots resident outside Scotland should have vote.	No comment
1848	939090532	Decklin Johnston	Individual	Individual	Should not be implemented. The Scottish government has other priorities to deal with than bringing up another referendum which was settled little over 2 years ago. Cherry picking the EU referendum as a motive to implement such a bill is unacceptable; independence voters knew that by voting to stay in the union we were either going to stay in or leave the EU. Public opinion has not swayed either; a recent YouGOV poll found that the amount of individuals who still support staying in the UK is around the 55% mark. This is without mentioning the detrimental effect which becoming independent will have on the Scottish economy.	Should not be implemented either. The FM is simply seeking a way to garner arbitrary support for independence.	-
1849	192243185	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No referendum should be required as the Scottish people gave a recent response on the matter of independence and this should be respected.	Given previous response that the recent referendum result should be respected then no response is required as no referendum is needed.	The 2014 referendum result should be respected and no further referendum is required.
1850	679576818	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I fully agree with the proposed arrangements as I believe the last referendum was carried out fairly.	I agree with these changes. It is vital everyone has confidence in every vote cast being genuine.	I fully agree with the proposals.
1851	232841852	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	While I agree with the principles set out in the proposal, I absolutely do not agree that there should be a second referendum	I do not agree that EU or commonwealth citizens residing in Scotland should be able to vote, especially as the UK (including scotland) has voted to leave the EU. I absolutely do not agree that there should be a second referendum	I have no particular views on this however I absolutely do not agree that there should be a second referendum
1852	1029799128	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I can see no problems with that however the racist and threating parades to be under police powers	no issues there but what about scottish people but are living in england	as above
1853	132640464	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree that the arrangements outlined should be used again in the next referendum as per what was done in 2014	I believe that voting for the referendum voters must be 18 years of age and older. I also believe that postal votes from Scots normally residing in the Scotland that are abroad... working/army/students/travelling etc should be able to vote. \rI fully support the effect of checking identities if someone is using postal voting. \rWith many people in Scotland taking this issue to heart and have strong opinions about another referendum I agree with the provision regarding employing someone that has been campaigning during the referendum.	I do not agree with the paragraph regarding party campaigners allowing to also take on the responsibilities of the treasure's role as my first worry about reading this that people will use this is a mean to discredit either side of the campaign and scrutinising finances on what money is spent on, how much has been given.
1854	700178933	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be an unneccessary second referendum. The people have already spoken, the voted to stay in the UK. In the EU referendum the UK voted to leave. Both referendums should be respected.	There should not be a second referendum. If there was, any change result should require at least a supermajority of 66% of eligible voters. The standard electoral roll should be used, not the local council one.	There should not be a second referendum. If there was one, then the civil service should not be co-opted into writing a party political manifesto for independence as was done in the 'once in a generation' 2014 referendum with the so-called 'white paper'. Care should also be taken to ensure that each participant is genuine, and not just a party front. See Business for Scotland etc.
1855	265388353	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I support this, however would wish to see unique and perpetual identification of the ballot boxes and secure, tracked conveyance to counting stations, and reconciliation of same, to ensure absolute fairness.	Fully support	Fully support
1856	893968765	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Iam happy with these	Very fair	Im happy wth this
1857	915095917	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	agree	agree	agree
1858	843881759	Iain Macpherson	Individual	Individual	Ballot boxes should never be in the care of just one individual, either during voting or during transportation to the count.	I would prefer to see eligibility to vote limited only to Scottish people but realise that may not be possible.\rCan we make it a requirement that voters must be registered for the Scottish rates of tax oor do you only get so registered when you are actually paying tax? Plainly, it won't be acceptable to preclude students, the retired etc, but it could be another way to check eligibility.	Maybe groups should only be allowed to spend their own money. ie no fundraising for campaigns, or donations from wealthy individuals. If they want to fund a YES or a NO they should get out and campaign in their own name instead of hiding behind a group or organisation.
1859	521982796	lesley mcpherson	Individual	Individual	Exit polls please\rPostal votes counted in Scotland and not viewed before date\rNo fake voting slips\rStringent checks at counts	Sounds fair	Fair
1860	171034760	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agreed, however the international press should be able to oversee the counts unlike in 2014.\r There also should be additional spot checks on counts to ensure high consistency of sorting and counting.	No Answered	No additional comments.
1861	69748777	Martin	Individual	Individual	Great. I believe you're doing the right thing to let all eligible residents including Commonwealth citizens and citizens of the European Union vote. This is a very important step towards a united Europe.	Sound good to me!	Makes sense to me
1862	980065286	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	is it possible for the scottish government to have a representative who is known to be pro-independence 'shadow' each presiding officer so there is less chance of 'foul play' being voiced?	as the eu referendum was for british nationals only, so a scottish independence referendum should be for scottish nationals only.	are these aspects not more pertinent to elections rather than referendums?
1863	388521241	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Totally agree	No Answered	I think more needs to be done to safeguard the vote for people living in Scotland. I know from the last referendum several people who moved to other parts of the UK or EU but registered to vote in the referendum at their parents address in Scotland.
1864	630909042	Alasdair Milton	Individual	Individual	During the first referendum the voting papers had no barcode or numbers so if there was any question of fraud it would be impossible to prove it. \r During local elections there were clear bar codes and each ballot paper numbered which should always be the case for traceability.\r The ballot boxes should be counted in the same room the votes are made. There is no reason whatsoever to transport ballot boxes. They should be guarded and counted in the same place they were made.\r There is absolutely no reason to transpose ballot papers and if there's a necesssity to move ballot boxes and transported they should be under official guard only with witnesses from all party members. \r The way in which the referendum vote was conducted was leaving miles of room for fraud yet the complaints process to highlight those areas of fraud is uslesss as the Electoral Commission will not look at any part of the process unless you have proof of wrong doing. \r The response I received when I highlighted many areas of possible fraud was pathetic and raised even further suspicion about how the process as already broken and cannot be fixed until there is conclusive proof of fraud.	How can you stop postal votes being made from\rHoliday homes in Scotland? \r I'd like to know how many Scottish holiday homes are owned by people from rUK or people from Out with Scotland and how do you propose to stop them voting against Independence?	All votes in total should be re counted again afterwards by an independent body even if it takes weeks and every paper should be varified as official.
1865	960516793	Kath Ramsay	Individual	Individual	There must be declarations in every conting area, so votes can be tallied with the voter numbers. This might be included in the above, but is not clear to me.\r I would like to see tv/newspaper ads on the voting process e.g., the polling staff checking the no on the back of the voting paper before it is put in the box.	I am worried about the electoral register and disenfranchised voters. Publicity about registration and an easy process is vital.	Ok
1866	581465892	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	An improvement on the last referendum	I don't feel that those who are citizens out with the UK should be able to vote on Scottish Independence, however, I think informally their views should be taken into consideration somehow.	N/A
1867	328998429	George Robertson	Individual	Individual	My first point is, that I think postal votes should be counted in Scotland, and not sent to England for processing. As there was a moment in the last referendum when Ruth Davidson made reference to having seen the result of the postal vote before the result was announced.\rSecondly I believe that ballot boxes should be accompanied at all times by representatives from both yes and no campaigns to ensure that nothing untoward happens to them (multiple fire alarms, unforeseen detours on route to the counting centre, as was the case in 2014). But also to ensure that there can be no doubt on either side of the integrity of the result. As there was plenty of doubt last time.	No Answered	I believe that a representative from both sides of the referendum should be present at each counting table at all times.
1868	369601607	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the system used in 2014	I am happy to proceed as outlined above.	I agree with the changes and happy to proceed as outlined above.
1869	660578860	Daniel Forbes	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals.	I agree with the changes and proposals.	I agree with the rules set out in the changes.
1870	1052918979	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree	As a patriot of Scotland and proud Ayrshire Lass who currently lives overseas due to family. I feel very strongly that those of us born in Scotland who consider Scotland our home should also have the opportunity to vote. I reside between Scotland and Australia and was living at home in 2014 and voted for our independence. I would like to do the same again. All of my family live in Scotland this is about their future, what Nhs services will they have, what about schools policing, climate change ect, so I may not currently live within its boudaries but its my home and my nearest and dearest are all there. \r I feel strongly that Scotland has more than enough economical resources to support the population as an independent country. However the Westminster leach has other ideas and they wont let us go when we are feeding their economy so brilliantly! \rAs a health professional who trained and worked for the NHS and is very proud of this. All things consider it still provides an outstanding Free health service to all. Are there issues yes absolutely some I witnessed myself but the main crux of the matter is funding! There is not enough funding...so whilst westminster syphons our wealth for all it can the Scittish population suffer...do we have MUG written on our forehead! We need to save our nation if we leave Europe the Scottish government may have no option but to sell off what limited assets we have such as the NHS...\r We are a nation of brilliance, best engineers, researchers in health, academics, to mention but a few imagine what we could achieve on our own...this is why I would Vote not for Independence but for Scotland! Its about time we stop feeling sorry for everyone else's situation and look after our nation and its people.	No comment
1871	1023044925	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Managing the rhetoric and keeping it clear of lies as witnessed in the Brexit campaign and to an extent in the 2014 campaign.\rThis is extremely important to me as the results are based on false substance playing to people's fears. - but I am not sure how that can be managed.	No comments here.	No comment.
1872	800351265	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	we need to step it up a gear and make it illegal for any participating person to knowingly tell an untruth to effect the vote we heard to many lies last time and in the E.U vote as well	good to see some logical changes our voting system should be totally transparent and all voters should be able to be check that there vote was counted correctly	seems ok
1873	283936783	Ben McKinlay Williamson	Individual	Individual	I believe it wholly appropriate that any persons associated with either campaign be ineligible to serve in any capacity that has them handling or counting votes.\r The proposals seem perfectly reasonable to me.	I applaud the acknowledgement that those resident in Scotland are most effected by this issue and should have their voices heard. I feel allowing 16 year olds to vote is also a positive step, enabling young people to have a say on a future that they more than any other current voters, will be living with longest.\r I do however believe those eligible for Scottish citizenship in the event of independence should have their voices heard, while I realise it's an impractical and expensive process to include such individuals, as an expatriate, my resident status within the EU is effected by this vote and the result of the brexit referendum\r Those of us who face losing our EU citizenship in light of Brexit or those Scots abroad who favour Brexit should be able to vote on our future.\r While this does present an additional impediment to a prompt vote, this is a process that perhaps should be completed anyway - full data of those eligible for Scottish citizenship and the percentage of those who would intend to either retain a UK passport or adopt a Scottish one will give a clearer picture of the size of the citizenry at home and abroad in order to better inform policy.	I agree with the proposed approach.
1874	22513403	Arthur McIlwraith	Individual	Individual	Full agreement	Full agreement	Yes
1875	863554329	Mark Arbuthnott	Individual	Individual	I do not believe we should be holding a referendum in the current climate and we should concentrate on governing the country.	I do not believe we should be holding another referendum yet.	See above.
1876	55972100	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	All votes to be counted after the poll is over, including all postal votes being opened and verified at the count. No prior counting of postal votes!
1877	370789730	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agreed	Agreed.\rCan we use electronic counting as is done in local elections?\rThis delivers a faster result and the exception handling is very visible.	Agreed
1878	219553005	George Ross	Individual	Individual	Purda was broken last referendum with last minute Vow with no consequences . \rThere appears to me to be potential for postal vote and miscounting fraud as witnessed in last referendum with no consequences.\rI wonder what is the point of rules so easily broken.	I believe there was serious issues with postal votes and counting of the votes. The ballot boxes had a paper sticker as a seal. The box was placed in a vehicle with single driver , how is that foolproof.? \r He who casts his vote is powerless , he who counts the votes holds all the power.	No comment
1879	37232207	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposals are sensible	totally agree	Agree
1880	489605763	Claire Buick	Individual	Individual	I agree with the process set down.	Agree and glad there are changes to the postal vote to prevent counting of votes before election day.	Agree
1881	475695853	Kevin Stephen	Individual	Individual	There has to be safeguards put in place to ensure that there can be no question, this time, of tampering with votes. Attention must be given to postal votes and what happens there. No-one should be able to 'sample' the postal votes before the count! I would love to see any postal votes being kept in Scotland and overseen by impartial officials, preferably from an EU country as I simply wouldn't trust Westminster officials. I would also like to see Police Scotland and not Police from English forces being used.	Attention must be given to postal votes and what happens there. No-one should be able to 'sample' the postal votes before the count! I would love to see any postal votes being kept in Scotland and overseen by impartial officials, preferably from an EU country as I simply wouldn't trust Westminster officials. I would also like to see Police Scotland and not Police from English forces being used.	No issue with this.
1882	130101796	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Security of the votes is vital. Voting papers should have an identification mark on them to prevent fakes. People with more than one residence in Scotland should only be allowed one vote.People from elsewhere with a holiday home in Scotland should not be allowed a vote.	i am in favour of 100% checking.Postal votes should be kept secure and opened on counting night.Nobody should be allowed to open any before counting night.I agree with the rest of the actions.I would suggest that people must bring their polling card to their election site to be allowed to vote.	Agree.
1883	193553346	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the referendum should not be carried out. There was a referendum in 2014 and this conclusively showed that the scottish people want to stay with the union and nothing has changed in 2 years to change this. it is a waste of public money and a distraction for the government away from more pressing issues of the police, the NHS, social services etc which are all failing currently!	This should not go ahead so no i am not happy. I think the referendum should not be carried out. There was a referendum in 2014 and this conclusively showed that the scottish people want to stay with the union and nothing has changed in 2 years to change this. it is a waste of public money and a distraction for the government away from more pressing issues of the police, the NHS, social services etc which are all failing currently!	This should not go ahead so no i am not happy. I think the referendum should not be carried out. There was a referendum in 2014 and this conclusively showed that the scottish people want to stay with the union and nothing has changed in 2 years to change this. it is a waste of public money and a distraction for the government away from more pressing issues of the police, the NHS, social services etc which are all failing currently!
1884	77702746	Scott Morrison	Individual	Individual	Make sure that the referendum is monitored by an independent agency based outwith the UK with no ties to either side	Great.	Great.
1885	243962326	Amanda Jenkinson	Individual	Individual	These seem fair and democratic.	Agree.	Agree.
1886	424144309	Owen Jones	Individual	Individual	I agree but I would like to see international observers at the referendum.	No Answered	I agree with the franchise but members of the House of Lords and Service/Crown personnel serving in the UK or overseas in the Armed Forces or with Her Majesty’s Government who are registered to vote in Scotland should not be allowed to vote.
1887	338295065	alexander speirs	Individual	Individual	Look fine	looks fine	ok
1888	95041275	Robert Buntin	Individual	Individual	I am concerned about the integrity of Postal Votes. There were problems reported in 2014 Referendum : eg a large numbers were transported to England ,why?\rSome Politicians were reportedly declaring their satisfaction with their share of the Postal Votes before results formally announced. \rI think the management of security & integrity of processes in the Polling Sations could be much better than in 2014.	I agree with the proposed technical changes.	I agree with them.
1889	335765712	Dr Colin MacLeod	Individual	Individual	The arrangements in 2014 seemed to work well. Why not continue with that.	That to me seems fine EXCEPT the inclusion of Members of the House of Lords.\r Can't we exclude THEM???	I can't really get worked up about this!! OK??
1890	382268305	Keir Wotherspoon	Individual	Individual	International bodies should be present to confirm that no wrong -doing was done by the counters of the vote.	Due to EU Citizens not being able to vote in the EU referendum I believe other British people should not be allowed to vote. Also the 'two year' rule which allowed stidents from other countries able to vote shouod be scrapped. It isn't their country.	No opinion
1891	976658962	Lorraine Cowan	Individual	Individual	Seem sensible to me	These changes are necessary	Fine
1892	947186421	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Seems fair	Fair	Fair
1893	572089226	Catherine jamieson	Individual	Individual	I would be happier to know who owns and directs the company whose system is used for the voting count .\rI have heard it is owned by anti independence sympathisers.	Considering the numbers of English people who have taken residence in Scotland and are against independence, i would be more satisfied to have these people excluded from voting.	As above
1894	1072485275	Neil Sutherland	Individual	Individual	More scrutiny of voting system. We can't trust WM.	In 2014 some observer positions were such that it was impossible to see correctly. We should be allowed closer viewing. \rAnd a recount. Possibly by counting machines	No view
1895	848646354	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed method\r.	I agree with the a over. In particular the changes to checks made with to regard to postal votes.	I agree with the proposal
1896	744781960	Louise McKenzie	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements.	Again I am happy with the changes.	Happy with this.
1897	357121370	Graeme houston	Individual	Individual	The un and eu need to monitor the vote to stop a tepeat of the english government rigging our vote\rAlao english people should be banned from voting also	The vote should only be open to scottish citizens no other nationality shoyld be aloud to vote under any circumstances	Speak English as this makes no sense
1898	490308119	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements previously used appeared adequate	Seems fair	All good
1899	613702719	Dan Dangleberrie	Individual	Individual	Free bucky and weed to be provided at all polling stations.	Armed guards with Yes vests on to put off Yoons from voting.	No non-Scotch shud get vote.
1900	22009228	Ally Soobratty	Individual	Individual	The Referendum should be transparent and before voting must make sure that this time the YES will win	Its absolutely in line	I fully Agree
1901	53751818	Hugh Marnoch	Individual	Individual	They seem reasonable and fair to everyone living in Scotland.	As there were (perceived) issues with postal votes in 2014, this change is welcome.	No issues with this.
1902	273272830	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't want a referendum on Scottish independence. The people voted no already. So it doesn't matter what the arrangements are, the referendum is illegitimate, should not go ahead and therefore needs no management arrangements.	I don't want a referendum on Scottish independence. The people voted no already. So it doesn't matter what the arrangements are, the referendum is illegitimate, should not go ahead and therefore needs no polling arrangements.	I don't want a referendum on Scottish independence. The people voted no already. So it doesn't matter what the arrangements are, the referendum is illegitimate, should not go ahead and therefore needs no participents arrangements.
1903	1059327505	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree.	No Answered	Not happy with ANY postal voting. \rWould very much prefer that franchise be limited to Scots born and/or residents of minimum five years.
1904	964409306	Frank McGinnis	Individual	Individual	General agreement. No privately owned organisation should be involved in managing the referendum. Media outlets must be impartial, equal TV time-slots for both camps, newspapers must give equal column-inches & headlines. Experts of equal standing must be presented to discuss subjects. Scot Govt should conduct official exit polls.	Polling-cards should be produced when voting, should be mandatory requirement.\rAgree counting staff should be other than those involved in campaigning.\rProper exit polls should be conducted by Scot Govt agency.	Polling-cards & Identification should be produced when voting, should be mandatory requirement.\rPostal-voting should be restricted to permanent residents who are infirm (attendance allowance recipients etc) & those permanent residents temporarily out of country on business (must be householder at qualifying address) No proxy voting should be allowed.
1905	699632705	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't want another referendum	Don't care \rI don't need another referendum	See 2
1906	331387470	Dennis Bartholomew	Individual	Individual	i hope the count will be well scrutinised i believe at the last referendum a lot of yes votes where put in with no votes as seen on sky news and a counter marking ballot papers i dont think there should be postal votes	No Answered	people from commenwealth countrys ,europe,or anywhere else inthe world or the uk should be able to vote if they have lived more than 5 years and worked or gone to school and payed taxes in Scotland
1907	719868514	Robert Traquair	Individual	Individual	As i stated previously in the prior consultation document, I have grave misgivings on the impartiality of the Electoral Commission as evidenced at the 2014 indyref1. \r The ability of the then vow Redacted textto flagrantly disregard and ignore with impunity, the supposed purdah rules and regulations due to a slackening of their combined Redacted textmuscles , with promises ( which turned out to be lies ) who knew ??? .\r The very public statement put out by a senior member of the unionists in Scotland published throughout the mainstream media , that she was party to postal voting results , albeit that these votes were supposed to be under lock and key and had not even been counted .\rBoth these examples and others have never been fully investigated IMO, which results in me having little faith that the EC is fit to oversee indyref 2.\r It is with these concerns that I as a sovereign Scotsman INSIST that the Scottish Government undertaking indyref 2 take cognizance of my insistence and appoint independent adjudicators alongside the EC eg. EU regulators to ensure strict compliance .\r We are under no illusions that the westminster government of ALL colours will do everything possible , legally or otherwise, aided and abetted by the MSM and their unionist cohorts to prevent Scottish independence , without Scotland's vast natural resources and riches England and the rest of the UK is effectively bankrupt , not forgetting they won't have anywhere to DUMP their WMD's	As a sovereign Scotsman I have grave concerns over the eligibility criteria for electoral voting for non domiciled voters. There should be STRICT constraints for qualification on students , second home owners , transients and any other semi residential applicants . Proof of residence and a national insurance number must be provided, accompanied by receipts for FULL council tax payments for a minimum of 1 year.\r As previously stated up page In consideration of the 2014 debacle of The very public statement put out by a senior member of the unionists in Scotland published throughout the mainstream media , that she was party to postal voting results , albeit that these votes were supposed to be under lock and key and had not even been counted .\rThis overt example and others have never been fully investigated IMO, which results in me having little faith that the EC is fit to oversee indyref 2.\r The postal voting numbers for indy 1 defy logic ,the VAST increase in numbers has never fully been explained , consequently any postal voting requests must be restricted to severely disabled applicants and applicants who are temporarily working away from their Scottish home , with proof being required from their doctor or their employer of their inability to attend personally to vote .\rIt is also imperative that an exit poll be conducted , as the failure to conduct one on the previous indyref permitted allegations of corruption and fraud to go unanswered.\r These conditions may appear severe and unworkable but we must remember we are fighting for our SOVEREIGNTY and our right to determine OUR and our CHILDREN'S future , we are also fighting an amoral group who are determined at any cost to retain Scotland's wealth and vast resources , as is evidenced by the suppression and listing under the official secrets act of the McCrone report by governments of all hues	All donors and lobbyists should by law have to register ANY donation or affiliation to ANY political party
1908	509410160	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I would hope that the weakness highlighted in the 2014 independence referendum have been addressed. Will there be an exit poll conducted for indyref2?
1909	212090987	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no second referendum. The country is divided after the last one and needs time to mend. To keep having a referendum every two years spits in the face of those opposed to leaving the UK. We voted. We said no. You didn't listen. \r The main reason for the SNP claiming another referendum is needed is due to Brexit. If and when we do leave brexit there is no guarantee that we would get back in. All member states need to agree and Spain has already voiced its reluctance to let Scotland back in the EU due to regions such as Catelonia and the Basque region also wanting independance. To say we can get in the back door by claiming some special status due to the fact we were once in the EU is risky and not guaranteed. \r It would be nice is Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP could run the country and do the job they are paid to do. \r You claim to be for the majority of Scotland but the majority said no and you ignored them. Do your job, let the country heal and try again in 20/30 years once the country is in a more stable position.	There should be no second referendum. The country is divided after the last one and needs time to mend. To keep having a referendum every two years spits in the face of those opposed to leaving the UK. We voted. We said no. You didn't listen. \r The main reason for the SNP claiming another referendum is needed is due to Brexit. If and when we do leave brexit there is no guarantee that we would get back in. All member states need to agree and Spain has already voiced its reluctance to let Scotland back in the EU due to regions such as Catelonia and the Basque region also wanting independance. To say we can get in the back door by claiming some special status due to the fact we were once in the EU is risky and not guaranteed. \r It would be nice is Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP could run the country and do the job they are paid to do. \r You claim to be for the majority of Scotland but the majority said no and you ignored them. Do your job, let the country heal and try again in 20/30 years once the country is in a more stable position.	There should be no second referendum. The country is divided after the last one and needs time to mend. To keep having a referendum every two years spits in the face of those opposed to leaving the UK. We voted. We said no. You didn't listen. \r The main reason for the SNP claiming another referendum is needed is due to Brexit. If and when we do leave brexit there is no guarantee that we would get back in. All member states need to agree and Spain has already voiced its reluctance to let Scotland back in the EU due to regions such as Catelonia and the Basque region also wanting independance. To say we can get in the back door by claiming some special status due to the fact we were once in the EU is risky and not guaranteed. \r It would be nice is Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP could run the country and do the job they are paid to do. \r You claim to be for the majority of Scotland but the majority said no and you ignored them. Do your job, let the country heal and try again in 20/30 years once the country is in a more stable position.
1910	173220869	Brian Sweeney	Individual	Individual	Their should be independent EU monitors and better security at polling booths too many serious breeches the last time	There shall be no postal votes it was abused last time	Fine
1911	364505644	Janet Traquair	Individual	Individual	As i stated previously in the prior consultation document, I have grave misgivings on the impartiality of the Electoral Commission as evidenced at the 2014 indyref1. \r The ability of the then vow shysters to flagrantly disregard and ignore with impunity, the supposed purdah rules and regulations due to a slackening of their combined sphincter muscles , with promises ( which turned out to be lies ) who knew ??? .\r The very public statement put out by a senior member of the unionists in Scotland published throughout the mainstream media , that she was party to postal voting results , albeit that these votes were supposed to be under lock and key and had not even been counted .\rBoth these examples and others have never been fully investigated IMO, which results in me having little faith that the EC is fit to oversee indyref 2.	As a sovereign Scotswoman I have grave concerns over the eligibility criteria for electoral voting for non domiciled voters. There should be STRICT constraints for\rqualification on students , second home owners , transients and any other semi residential applicants . Proof of residence and a national insurance number must\rbe provided, accompanied by receipts for FULL council tax payments for a minimum of 1 year.\rAs previously stated up page In consideration of the 2014 debacle of The very public statement put out by a senior member of the unionists in Scotland published\rthroughout the mainstream media , that she was party to postal voting results , albeit that these votes were supposed to be under lock and key and had not even\rbeen counted .\rThis overt example and others have never been fully investigated IMO, which results in me having little faith that the EC is fit to oversee indyref 2.\r The postal voting numbers for indy 1 defy logic ,the VAST increase in numbers has never fully been explained , consequently any postal voting requests must be restricted to severely disabled applicants and applicants who are temporarily working away from their Scottish home , with proof being required from their doctor or their employer of their inability to attend personally to vote .\rIt is also imperative that an exit poll be conducted , as the failure to conduct one on the previous indyref permitted allegations of corruption and fraud to go unanswered.\r These conditions may appear severe and unworkable but we must remember we are fighting for our SOVEREIGNTY and our right to determine OUR and our\rCHILDREN'S future , we are also fighting an amoral group who are determined at any cost to retain Scotland's wealth and vast resources , as is evidenced by the\rsuppression and listing under the official secrets act of the McCrone report by governments of all hues	All donors and lobbyists should by law have to register ANY donation or affiliation to ANY political party
1912	424032016	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It has worked previously	The changes make sense especially the postal votes being checked.	Common sense
1913	302104200	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the arrangements detailed above.	I agree with the above. I am however concerned that second home owners pretending to live in Scotland to reduce their council tax bills are getting a vote. I think that votes should only go to people that have lived in Scotland for over 5 years.	I agree
1914	202841914	Don cairns	Individual	Individual	I don't think there should be a 2 nd referendum on Scottish independence	I disagree with all of the proposed changes	As above, I disagree with the proposals
1915	848057426	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There were too many irregularities reported in the 2014 referendum. This needs to be addressed, recommend neutral observers should be in place to ensure no tampering at any stage of polling or vote counting.	I think that Scottish nationals living in other EU nations should be given a vote as Brexit will have an impact on them.	No comments to add
1916	779040215	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Independents from England.	Nothing.	Nothing.
1917	584156533	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agreed that the proposed arrangements are appropriate.	Agree that the changes are appropriate.	Agreed.
1918	66118882	Shaun Duffy	Individual	Individual	The arrange proposals are good however they could be a little bit more rigid giving the accusations made after the 2014 referendum which stated that votes were tampered with.	They are good	It's the people's choice
1919	14585692	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Do not hold one again ever.	Leave it as it is.	Should always be over 18 and people born in Scotland only.
1920	967908420	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	My view is that there should not be another referendum. The result of the 2014 referendum was clear, and it is not acceptable for the SNP to use excuses to seek to ignore it. \r Notwithstanding the above, the 2014 referendum ought not to have had a "yes/no" question, as this gave the pro-independence side the opportunity to portray their case as "more positive"' which it manifestly was not.
1921	44031969	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum. Scotland is part of the United Kingdom. A higher percentage voted to remain part of the United Kingdom than the percentage votes to remain in the EU. The SNP should bear that in mind when ranting about not leaving the EU.\r Scotland gets more benefit from being part of the United Kingdom than from the EU.\r There is not guarantee that the EU would let Scotland join it.\r The Scottish Government need to start doing the job they are paid to do i.e. Govern the country. The sole purpose seems to be independence, independence, independence!\r Start dealing with the huge deficit instead of adding to it.	I do not want another referendum.	If we don't have another referendum we don't need any changes!see
1922	34540058	Matilda Bell	Individual	Individual	It would be better if Scottish people had a bigger voice in what happened to Scotland.	This is all well and good but Scotts abroad should be able to be heard	This is fine.
1923	866106940	Ben power	Individual	Individual	They seem reasonable	They are sensible changes	Sensible changes
1924	637514926	William Espie	Individual	Individual	Fair and honest method in line with previous referendum.	Fully support the proposed changes. Especially rules 10 and 29.	No adverse views. Support the current proposals.
1925	1071175507	Graeme Mooney	Individual	Individual	I would like the count to be done by a proven impartial body.	I agree	I agree
1926	746272084	Alan James Sweeney	Individual	Individual	There was too much about the last referendum that just seemed wrong. A lorry crashing up north carrying ballot papers. Fire alarms in Dundee etc. I'm not claiming all out skulduggery but some aspects just felt wrong. Ruth Davidson admitting to seeing postal ballots ahead of polling day. We will need to ensure there is no such ambiguity next time.	I agree with these technical changes	I agree
1927	855489831	Tom Mcfarlane	Individual	Individual	I believe the 2014 referendum was not conducted in a fair and democratic manner. There were several serious anomalies that have never been fully investigated. How was Ruth Davidson aware of the postal vote before they were opened? Why was the count in Dundee totally inconsistent with the polls and what happened to the votes during the evacuation of the building? Who investigated the countless reports by counting staff of unlawful delivery practices of ballot boxes? Why did Irish civil servants cancel their customery work that they were required to complete in the event of a yes win "before the voting ended?". What investigations were made into the complaints made by official observers? Why was there no complaints by Holywood into the dirty tricks campaigns led by Westminster and Whitehall?\rI truly believe that any future referendum should be controlled far more rigorously by the Scottish Government.	I fully agree with all aspects of the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements, however I reiterate once more of my concerns regarding the potential abuse of postal ballots.	Only those people who have a clear link to Scotland should be able to participate lobby on behalf of their party.
1928	55859205	Michael P Ennis	Individual	Individual	I now firmly believe we should leave it to Westminster as I feel they are the only REAL politicians	I no longer agree that 16.and 17 year olds should be allowed to vote	If nothing obscene can be included then sturgeon and salmond won't be involved in the referendum
1929	983151680	Gordon Milne	Individual	Individual	No comment	I think that only British people living in Scotland should be allowed to vote. The possible breakup of the United Kingdom is far too important an issue, affecting the whole of Great Britain and its indigenous population, to be influenced potentially by other E U citizens.	No comment
1930	1041108728	Brian ross	Individual	Individual	We had what was supposed to be a once in a generation referendum about independence and the majority choose to stay part of the UK	DON'T change what is not broken	Leave things as they are
1931	726932912	Gary	Individual	Individual	After seeing Angus Robertson stand in front of the house of Commons and call out Russia for "aggression" REALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'd like the party i support to do their own research instead of echoing the blatant lies and fear mongering the establishment and media spit out day after day.	As above	As above
1932	15061752	Joe Young	Individual	Individual	It cannot be said that a referendum is fair and transparent if it breaches the terms of the democratically passed Scotland Acts.	Absent voting should be eliminated to cut down fraud.\r British and Commonwealth Citizens, as well as Irish citizens, should be able to vote.\r Peers should not be able to engage in the democratic process as per the SNP's virtue signalling crusade against the constitution.\r EU citizens should also not be permitted a vote as the nature of the vote's cause would cause objective bias.	Only one official campaign on each side should be permitted to campaign. All trade unions and other bodies must be affiliated to a body.
1933	982644861	Ms Carol Ann Kurth	Individual	Individual	To be honest i haven't read it yet, however i will fully support the Scottish Government and the SNP in particular, in any way they want in order for us to finally get our independence!!!	Again i haven't read it as yet but there definately needs to be a change to the postal vote and the counting of ballots! It's far too easy for Westminster or MI5 or any other London based government gangs to infiltrate our next referendum the way a large amount of us believe they did in the 2014 referendum. Westminster have far too much to loose to just "allow" us to take our country back.	Yes i agree with this.
1934	527212779	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Thee was a referendum in 2014 and the country gave a definitive answer "No" to independence in what was a "once in a life time referendum". There is no mandate for a second referendum particularly as the result of the EU referendum was also a demcratic result for the UK and even if you subset Scotland Unionism was the winner here.	They are irrelevent. There is no case for wasting money and time on a referendum distracting the Scottish assembly from dealing with its job which it is failing miserably.	Again irrelevant. There should not be another referendum. Participants should be none!
1935	897124486	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I strongly disagree with any proposals for an illegal referendum. The people have voted No to independence and that is that. I also object to the waste of money that this exercise is.	I think that only Westminster can authorize a referendum and these proposals are illegal.	Send above
1936	948695689	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the arrangements.	I agree with the technical changes.	I agree
1937	4079987	Mr Gilbert Mc Robbie	Individual	Individual	I would prefer that a referendum wasn't held at all, a once in a generation/lifetime referendum was held two years ago,(perhaps you remember), and the Scottish executive was given a very clear indication from the people of Scotland that they would prefer to remain a member of the United Kingdom.	If a referendum was held, I have no problems with the count arrangements, when it comes to polling, I would hope that under 18s weren't included in the vote as I believe that such young minds don't really have thier political Allegiance's in a true perspective, I would however demand that Scottish army,navy and air force personnel serving overseas were included in the poll.	See above.
1938	200797282	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe the same process as before will be adequate, however I would like to see an independent, third party from a neutral state (Germany?) oversee the election count. The media coverage of votes being counted incorrectly was disconcerting.	There were a number of concerns about postal votes in the last referendum. First of all, there was coverage of citizens living in other areas of the UK registering themselves at holiday homes to participate in the referendum. This needs to be closely monitored. Another concern was when Ruth Davidson mentioned she had seen the result of a number of postal votes, this should be completely disallowed.	No views.
1939	171717668	Alan Jack	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	You mention "Triggers such as being dragged out of the EU against our Will". Yet if the SNP had been successful in September 2014 and won the referendum which was held then, Scotland would have left the member State which was a member of the EU and therefore the EU itself. You knew this was the case because the White Paper mentions the ways you were going to try and remain inside the EU. But the EU wrote to you to tell you, "if you leave the UK, you also leave the EU". I find it highly hypocritical that you were perfectly willing to abandon membership of the EU via independence from the UK and now that the UK (which Scotland voted to remain a part of) has decided to leave the EU, you consider what will be the same thing (ie exiting the EU) a trigger for a further independence referendum. I refuse to take any further part in this farce.
1940	420560624	John MacLean	Individual	Individual	I agree fully with draft proposals.	I agree fully with draft proposals.	I agree fully with draft proposals.
1941	611915626	Steven Eagleson	Individual	Individual	Sensible and transparent	No concern.	No concern.
1942	314287556	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The referendum in 2014 was a once in a lifetime chance ------------------Scotland voted to stat part of UK ------------END OF .	ONLY THE ADULT PEOPLE OF PERMANENTLY LIVING IN SCOTLAND WITH UK BIRTH SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO VOTE FOR SCOTLAND,S COUNTRY .	DEMOCRACY OF THE PEOPLE OF UK IS IMPORTANT ,SCOTLAND MUST ACCEPT DEMOCRACY,ALSO THE 2014 REFERENDUM RESULT .
1943	705273868	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the Scottish Government is right to hold another referendum. I think the voting system should be overseen by outside parties.	I agree with this	I agree with these changes.
1944	261639795	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a referendum so soon after the 2014 one, no matter what excuse is given to do so.	Additionally there should be ID checks at polling stations.	none
1945	180392555	Alison Purse	Individual	Individual	I am broadly in favour of the management of a referendum in line with that held in 2014	I agree that civic nationalism requires inclusion of all choosing to live in Scotland, but have some concerns that some 'visitors' (those registered under a second home etc) might be inadvertently included in those allowed to vote (as was claimed in 2014) and therefore skew the results	The proposed technical changes appear appropriate
1946	600232876	Kieren Laverty	Individual	Individual	I believe that going further and aiming towards a new referendum we need to look seriously at removing the the royal family as head of state for country. They are a symbol of wealth and overpowering the working class at a time were individual wealth is gained from the tax payer, many all across the UK and not only Scotland believe it is time for the royal family to be no longer the head of state and polls have suggested this also. We live in a democratic country but yet have someone who has inherited a vast amount of wealth and a grand title who has the final say.	I believe that going further and aiming towards a new referendum we need to look seriously at removing the the royal family as head of state for country. They are a symbol of wealth and overpowering the working class at a time were individual wealth is gained from the tax payer, many all across the UK and not only Scotland believe it is time for the royal family to be no longer the head of state and polls have suggested this also. We live in a democratic country but yet have someone who has inherited a vast amount of wealth and a grand title who has the final say.	I believe that going further and aiming towards a new referendum we need to look seriously at removing the the royal family as head of state for country. They are a symbol of wealth and overpowering the working class at a time were individual wealth is gained from the tax payer, many all across the UK and not only Scotland believe it is time for the royal family to be no longer the head of state and polls have suggested this also. We live in a democratic country but yet have someone who has inherited a vast amount of wealth and a grand title who has the final say.
1947	102816505	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
1948	196744385	James Guild	Individual	Individual	I support the proposed arrangements. \r My only thoughts are there should be a closer watch on the placement of where yes and no votes are stacked, they should clearly be separated to avoid any doubt, unlike some of the pictures that were seen during the 2014 referendum where some votes for yes were clearly seen on a table of no votes!!	The technical changes make sense.	Happy with the changes.
1949	391867921	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Seems wise to cover all the options and have this ready if needed.	All seems fair.	Seems fair.
1950	460441506	John G Murphy	Individual	Individual	The above is agreeable	The above is agreeable	Agreed
1951	967122349	Francis Buchanan	Individual	Individual	I worked well in 2014 so should work well again.	They seem very sensible. An Independent Scotland would be governed in the interests of all people resident in Scotland. They should be the same people who make the decision on whether or not we become Independent. The fact that someone was born in Scotland but now resides outside of Scotland is exactly the same fair reason to exclude them from an Independence Referendum as it would be to exclude them as at present from other geographical voting (European, Westminster, Holyrood or local council elections or referenda).	They seem sensible
1952	1071575755	Marie Banks	Individual	Individual	Soar Alba! I dont agree with the voting system that we have. In 2014 it was rigged. Dundee the fire alarms went off 3 times. Dundee East was the strongest support for Independance. And other places in Scotland, Glasgow was another. Ballot papers where found in a bin after the count. There are many other things but the point is the voting system must change. If it doesn't I believe it will fail again. And that is devastating. The whole voting system must change our voting system counts for nothing. PLEASE take note.	No Answered	As for postal voting people's ballot papers went missing. Something must change on that.
1953	119057250	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm not sure whether it's true that indyref 1 votes were counted in England. This would be unacceptable for any further referendum. I would want to see much more international scrutiny of the whole process and exit polls.	Good to see postal voting identification tightened. Not sure about 'sampling' the vote, remembering Ruth Davidson.	I feel for many of my Scottish friends and relatives who live in EU who don't get a say.
1954	779266354	Derek Wilkie	Individual	Individual	I am very ware or cautious to who manages the count. I would prefer a more secure manner in which the votes are counted.	Does postal voting mean that persons born in Scotland but live abroad can use postal voting OR someone may live in a Rural area in scotland and would prefer to post their vote?	This is fine.
1955	400691920	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Excellent	I comply with everything that is stated.	Perfectly agreeable.
1956	784826836	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	All votes should be counted by local areas in and by Scottish residents as per current Scottish guidelines.	Agree with these proposals. Also that counts etc should be carried out by Scottish agencies in Scotland.	Agree
1957	619698978	Neil Cook	Individual	Individual	No postal votes should be allowed. Little credibility on to the votes being tampered with on social media without any response as to whether it was true or not. Messrs Davidson intimated that sampling had been done on the night prior to the count without being called into question!!	Eu citizens working in and residing in Scotland should be entitled to vote.	No comment
1958	100757217	Chris Vialls	Individual	Individual	So excited for sexit(scotish exit)	Fine.	I like it.
1959	779635439	James Patrick Wyke	Individual	Individual	I think they sound very reasonable.	I think perhaps more people should have the option to have a postal vote if they would like, as it increases turnout, but otherwise I am fully in agreement.	Sounds absolutely fine.
1960	847964304	Donna Penman	Individual	Individual	As long as it doesn't allow the same kind of fraud that was committed in 2014, ballot papers found dumped etc and my ballot not having any bar code on the back and being told I was a liar by the police. I feel it was a total farce last time and rigged for the no vote to win...	Yes I agree and would be good to be able to see online or some other way how your own vote was recorded. If I vote yes I want to be able to see that it was recorded as YES and not have the same doubts as 2014.	I agree.
1961	465058884	John Wilson	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	There must be a check on postal votes and this should be done in Scotland. The postal votes should not be sent south to England and then returned. No one should be able to sample postal votes as Ruth davidson admitted doing in the last referendum.
1962	244120494	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	1. Be wary of the Electoral Commision, they are part of the UK establishment. \r 2. I would like to see the referendum checked by countries other than those from England, Wales or NI.\r 3. No Postal Votes to be sent to England and no companies ever again to take part as Peter Lilley's company did in 2014.	No Answered	People allowed should have been resident in Scotland for a length of time and they must have at least 5 years to be resident in Scotland after the vote.\r Student from other parts of UK who are finishing a Uni course and have 3 months left in Scotland should not get the vote for example.\r Polling and counting staff should not be from other parts of the UK. As at my polling station there were individuals from York and other parts of England working on the polling station.\r More security on boxes. Also if at a count a fire alarm goes off better security to make sure the boxes haven't been tampered with.\r There were reports that individuals had a number of peoples (who were on holiday) voting cards and was going around the polling stations.
1963	245006520	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Postal votes should only be allowed if voter is classed as medically unfit to leave house. Postal votes should not be opened prior to count, another type of verification process should be considered for posts votes.	Members of the house of lords should not be allowed to vote unless they are Scottish. They are unelected and dont represent the people of scotland. An exit poll should be commissioned and carried by an impartial countries media.	Agreed
1964	418520947	Alan Kyle	Individual	Individual	Agree in full with the proposal	Fully support the proposal	Fully support the proposal
1965	81172875	isabella duffy	Individual	Individual	I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE SECURITY FOR POSTAL VOTES I WOULD HOPE THESE VOTES WERE SENT ONLY IN SCOTLAND.	IN AGREEMENT	IN AGREEMENT
1966	1031403627	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm happy with the arrangements.	I'm happy with the proposals.	I'm happy with the proposals.
1967	673260238	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	agree in part...but wonder if there is an issue with the votes being counted and verified without having to leave the polling stations would that not prevent tampering with our choice... i just worry about an indyref2 being fiddled to prevent us Scots getting our homeland back where it belongs... just fair play for us all	This question is difficult as my preference would be for only Scots to vote for our independence . and of course vote tampering would be high on the list (hopefully a way to stop it) would like to see more campaigning to get the support from the 16 and 17 year olds the more young voters for an indyref 2 the better	agree as long as fairness on Scottish votes
1968	391019547	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The poll and the count must this time be observed by an independent body or an international authority. I do not trust the Electoral Commission. In the last Indy Ref there were glaring abnormal things going on with the count. For it to be fair and democratic there needs to be extra security and verification in place.\r No postal votes, Proxy vote only.\rIf postal vote allowed, no sending PB to England\rThey should be collected, stored securely in front of representatives of both sides.\rInternational authority should over see.	Personally I think only Scottish people should be allowed to vote but acknowledge Scotland has EU nationals resident here who to be fair should be allowed to vote too. I don't think people who only have holiday homes here and do not reside in Scotland all year round, year after year should be entitled to vote!\rAbsolutely NO POSTAL VOTES!\rBut if this is not possible, only Proxy votes.\rPolling and counting staff should be shadowed by, if possible, an international authority to oversee this process.	I don't pretend to understand the proposed technical changes but any changes made should be to make the process more secure and fair and not open to fraud or tampering.
1969	826731179	Michael Canavan	Individual	Individual	I would only allow postal vote on medical grounds	I agree	I agree
1970	607644886	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	you have a mandate use it.	I agree Postal votes were very dodgy at last referendum ,I don't believe any sampling should be allowed	would have preferred it if it had been a scot only vote ,but seems fair enough
1971	1062374217	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements	I strongly agree that no individual involved in campaigning should also be involved in counting votes.	I agree with these proposed changes.
1972	494810583	Les Brown	Individual	Individual	I agree with them as stated	Again I agree they are fine	makes sense although Id like to see a restriction on newspapers having anything other than a neutral stance as so many in Scotland are currently regional extensions of UK organisations with a vested interest
1973	985028484	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the above.	I agree with the changes and believe that a modern liberal society should base voting rights on residency and that verifications statements should be available. There is, however, no mention on what residency means. How long does one have to be resident to claim a vote? Are EU students included as residents? These are things that I think should be clarified.	I agree.
1974	660347003	John Short	Individual	Individual	As long as the eligibility to vote remains the same as last time.	I'm ok with this.	Ok
1975	434087553	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think these are sound - in particular the fact that 16 & 17 year olds and EU nationals will be entitled to vote on their country's future.	I think it's a shame that people who are here as long term refugees & asylum seekers are not empowered to vote, but understand that this lies outwith the Scottish Government's competencies to change.	No view
1976	960823847	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	agree	agree
1977	466030840	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They sound good	I think this is very important. Postal votes didnt seem to be counted properly last time. Important that all those who will be affected get a say in their future. Concerned re 2nd home owners who may live elsewhere the majority of the time -do they get a vote?	It should be transparent.
1978	284240047	Anne Meikle	Individual	Individual	Delighted that EU citizens and 16/17 year olds will be able to take part.	Re Absent Voting: Section 2/13 \rI am very concerned about the security of postal voting forms after they have been completed and posted. Can you ensure that no completed postal ballot forms will be sent to any outside contractor for counting and sorting and that this will be done with the tightest security possible by the electoral officers in each local authority area. Representatives from Official YES campaign if there is one, or Scottish Government officers (civil servants) should be invited to attend the opening of the outer envelopes as invigilators. In fact, it is my preference that the inner envelopes containing the ballot papers should not be opened and counted at all before the actual Referendum voting day. They should be done at the same time as those who've voted in person. This will end the many rumours and allegations of fraud which followed the referendum in 2014.\rAlso, there should be a national campaign to ensure maximum registration on the electoral roll with paper registration forms and information on online registration delivered to every household.	Any Non Political Party registering should be compelled to declare who their financial backers are, individuals or companies, in the interests of clarity, before the vote, together full disclosure with their financial returns afterwards.
1979	590277549	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We should seek external monitoring / auditing (i.e. by an EU body) of the process to ensure "impartiality".\rThere should be "Exit Polls".	"Residency" needs to be strictly defined - there should be a minimum period of say 10 years. \r"Duplicate" votes must be avoided :-\ra) The possession of a "second home" in Scotland should not be counted as "residency".\rb) It should be ensured that landlords who own more than one property across Scotland do not get multiple votes in different constituencies.\rPerhaps either the CHI number or new "S" in the tax code could be employed to denote those employed / on benefits in Scotland who are within the eligible categories ?\rRegisters of deaths must be cross-checked with the electoral role to ensure that deceased voters can be excluded.\rIs there some reason that "residents" from EU / Commonwealth countries can vote, but not those from e.g. the USA ?\rWith regard to Postal voting - proof of need should be required in advance of allowing such a vote - e.g. proof that an individual will be out of the country (travel schedule etc.), or that they are infirm (residency in care home).\rFor care homes, consideration should be given to the potential for holding small on-site Polls within care homes where sufficient numbers of immobile residents are based (with balanced monitoring to ensure lack of staff "assistance" or influence in vote completion).	Purdah rules must be strictly enforced for both sides of the campaign. The Westminster Government must not be allowed to interfere as they did in 2014.
1980	752456742	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Results of postal voting have to be published separately from in-person voting.	Postal voting should be by exception and not an alternative to in-person voting.	More transparency. Too many organisations hide their true identity.
1981	552835091	Brian Cowe	Individual	Individual	Chief Counting Officer to be from Neutral Country	All counting to be Done with live Cameras, watching boxes being opened etc	Im happy with that.
1982	445709183	gordon simpson	Individual	Individual	Would prefer returned postal votes be stored in a tamper-free location, outwith council access and control. Would like to see a European Union team of control and audit specialists be involved in all aspects of our next independence referendum to safeguard against any interference.	No Answered	Sounds all good.
1983	854403526	David Bremner	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	There is an arguement to be made for allowing Scottish expatriates a vote in the referendum. I was ineligible last time because I live and work outside of Scotland (on a fixed term contract for 3 years) but still consider Scotland to be home. I was able to vote on the Brexit decision but an independent Scotland wouldn't affect me as much as the Brexit decision. It would also affect my decision to continue working abroad.
1984	764871802	Ciaran Jamieson	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements	I agree with the proposed changes	I agree with these changes
1985	316382395	Keith Aitchison	Individual	Individual	I support the calling of a referendum in the event that Scotland's interests are not given due weight by the Westminster Government in planning for withdrawal from the EU. I also support the simple question which the draft Bill proposes, avoiding complexity and the potential for confusion were other outcomes in addition to independence put to the voting public\rThe paper should have noted that the satisfaction rating of the 2014 referendum on polling was based on a sample of 1854 individuals. A higher figure would have been more likely to reflect at least some of the views now being expressed by those lard to the probability of another referendum.\rThere was and remains dissatisfaction in areas with a large proportion of second and holiday homes. Both the Electoral Register and Postal Votes are seen as not proof against owners of these homes obtaining the right to vote in the Referendum. It is of course illegal to register when not normally resident in the Constituency, but there appears to be no check on information supplied at the point of issue. The Postal Vote declaration is in particular at fault, requiring only the assertion that facts provided are correct to the best of the signatory's knowledge, rather than an assertion these are correct and it is understood that supply of incorrect facts will incur penalty. The increase in checking numbers of postal votes against facts supplied would therefore not seem alone to greatly mitigate potential for abuse. \rOther than the above - I support the proposals as outlined.	I support these proposals.	I support these proposals.
1986	721233865	james stewart	Individual	Individual	i don't think the same old group of people should be hired to count votes. if they have a vested interest then they can hardly be considered neutral!	only passport holders who have a Scottish address should be included so that we can truly say that the people of Scotland have decided our future.	see response to question two.
1987	467551576	Jim Farquharson	Individual	Individual	Postal Votes.\r I feel that the Postal Vote system needs a radical overhaul.\r There is anecdotal evidence of Postal Votes being registered at Second homes, where the main home is not in Scotland. ( Second home in Rafford Moray, main home in London. Had a postal vote at Rafford.)\r In the Draft Referendum Bill I note with relief that Postal votes will now be subjected to 100% checking .\r The present Postal Vote form is not suitable for Referenda as Postal votes can be applied for and sent anywhere.\r I think Postal Votes should only be sent within the Local Electoral Area but not to Second homes which I believe are identifiable through council tax records. I believe that, and the new Scots tax code of the applicant should weed out most spurious applications.\r Of course we could make the penalties for wrongful declarations swingeing as well, that and the 100% checking of postal votes would hopefully act as a deterrent.\r I realise that the above points may involve a bit more work at Electoral Offices, but democracy is important.\r Turning to the present POSTAL VOTE APPLICATION form I would suggest the following changes,\rSection 3 (a) “Until further notice” should be deleted.\rSection 5 Tighten the acceptable reasons for the “Alternative address”. (Is this section needed?)\rSection 6 “Your declaration”, “As far as I know, ….”. Now is that not the biggest get out of ALL time? The declaration has to be strengthened, and add the statement “You will be fined (for example) £1000 for making a false statement on this form”.\r I would suggest that the following points are taken into Electoral law.\rSecond homes cannot be used as a registered address.\rBusiness addresses cannot be used as a registered address.\rPostal Votes can only be sent to a registered address within the Local Electoral Register area.\rPostal Votes must be applied for every year.\r Postal Votes should be available, to those who need them, the elderly, the infirm, people who cannot get to their polling station on polling day because of work commitments. But NOT to those who “can’t be bothered going to a Polling Station”. I realise that this will be unpopular with the political parties.\r In very many cases a Proxy vote would fulfil the same function. Though, that too requires a little tightening up.\r It would probably surprise many that on average, 30 to 35% of Postal Votes do not get returned.\r I do feel that it is well past time that postal voting was drastically tightened up and this is an opportunity to do it.	No Answered	On the whole I am pleased with the draft bill and the consultation.
1988	658867233	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'd like to see the need to produce Id and would prefer ballots be counted where they're made. Or secure escorts to count	No Answered	All postal votes remain in Scotland
1989	402812688	Stuart MacPherson	Individual	Individual	Same as before is fine	Seems practical and fair.	I agree
1990	612479735	Kenneth Law	Individual	Individual	As an expat, I would have hoped to be able to vote!!\rOther than that I am not entirely happy that non Scots living in Scotland getting a vote when I don't. I can see myself coming home to register!!	None, albeit I have my suspicions on postal and proxy votes!!	None
1991	674056011	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements are comprehensive but I have serious concerns with "eligibility to vote" qualifications. (see Qu.3)	Agree with proposals	I disagree with the list of those eligible to vote. I know two Irish Republic citizens, resident in Edinburgh, who did not participate in 2014 as they felt the the referendum should be decided by Scots.\rWhat is the proportion of non-Scots in our population, including:-\r-rUK students\r-people working in Scotland on a temporary, even if long-term basis(i.e. intend to return home)\r-retirees from rUK who retire here for quality of life reasons but remain "British" and would never support Scottish independence.\rWe are handicapping the outcome we hope for before we even begin. Voting should be restricted to those who can show Scottish qualifications through parentage or marriage.
1992	355360818	Tom Tomney	Individual	Individual	A referendum should be called at the earliest opportunity. I think we should have already had a second referendum you do not need any other excuse other than the broken Promises maid by the 3 Main UK unionist Parties!	All participants should be resident in Scotland at time of Poll and no postal votes should be allowed to be opened until all polling closes.	Any such referendum should contain mention of the Fact the original self autonomous Scottish Parliament Prior to union of Parliaments was only suspended and not dissolved. So in theory we could already reconvene the original Parliament without a Referendum? Any union of countries should have maintained an equal status for each Individual Nation and Not one Nation lording it over the the others!
1993	744317980	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum. The only thing that I feel would improve the current process would be if we could use an online system for voting. However this system would need to be 100% secure to ensure it could not be compromised and provisions would need to be put in place for voters without a smart phone or computer.	I am happy with the proposed technical changes, the only thing I would suggest is that if possible CCTV could be used to ensure the counting was done correctly for paper ballots. If an online system was used this would mean less, and potentially no, paper ballots would be required to be counted.	I am happy with the above changes.
1994	296155949	Allan Sinclair	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the arrangements with the proviso that there is greater scrutiny when it comes to votes being counted and placed in the appropriate piles. That all the bundles of votes are numbered to ensure all.votes are accounted for and placed in the appropriate place, for or against. It was clear there were some irregularities during the last referendum.	Again I agree with the arrangements for this.	No problem with the above changes.
1995	648076606	Steve Haggerty	Individual	Individual	The arrangements seem suitable. I believe the Media played to much of a roll in Indy 1, particularly BBC Scotland and need to be unbiased.	There was a strong opinion that the count arrangements where not as honest as they should have been, CCTV controlled by an independent power should closely used. Also the movement of sealed ballot boxes should be independently managed, at the least following the proposed count changes.	No issues
1996	416437015	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am content with the independence of the Electoral Management Board for Scotland.	I support the current system, using Counting officers and a Chief Counting Officer.	I strongly support all proposals outlined here. This worked well in the previous referendum.
1997	254165111	Jacqui Waring	Individual	Individual	I believe a fairer reflection of across-the-board opinion on this matter would be delivered via a digital means which gives every individual a way to adequately represent themselves . The National Administration would be able to assess the collective will of the people, in real time, as it fluctuates which would prevent elections being called at the wrong time, under misapprehensions, or in line with erroneous information provided by pollsters.	irrelevant given my reply to question 1	Again irrelevant - this could all be so much easier and less expensive
1998	521497107	Robert McLean	Individual	Individual	All arrangements appear satisfactory with one question. There is no reference to second home owners. People that only holiday here or work here on a temporary contract but main residence is abroad. \rWill their status not need to be qualified?\rPersonal opinion - holiday homes (second homes) for none residents of Scotland should not attract a vote.	Satisfactory	Satisfactory
1999	44435614	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am ok with the proposed arrangements	I am in agreement with proposed tech changes	In agreement with proposed changes
2000	785713364	joe bloggs	Individual	Individual	leaves much to be desired	doesn't help much to reduce electoral fraud	allowing 16year olds and EU immigrants is not going to give you a yes vote because the will of the majority of the people of Scotland is NO
2001	852160522	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't want a referendum	I don't want any changes - it was enough the last time and the country gave its opinion	I don't really care
2002	347432259	Andrew Campbell	Individual	Individual	I believe it is wrong to go back down this road again for independence. The people of Scotland voted to remain in the U.K. Therefore even if we as a nation voted to stay in the EU, our voice is united with the Uk and the Scottish government needs to accept we are led by Westminster	I am annoyed it will once again come down to religious nature of Catholics vs protestants - why not take the vote to the UK if they want Scotland?!	Feel that change is being made to purely push the yes vote through
2003	137711961	Finny McClain	Individual	Individual	The government has far more important things to do than this load of old soak	Leave it as is unless it works out that the snp are never voted into power ever again. Then yes ok	As long as no snp are permitted to enter then it's ok
2004	629389732	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A familiar pattern is helpful.\rThis is a consultation, but it's awfa' dry stuff.	A cceptible.	Accepepted.
2005	662187208	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Good	Yes, I'm in agreement	Yes, I agree
2006	721030157	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with this.	Id like Scottish citizens living abroad to have a vote if theyre not entitled to one in their country of residence.	I have no issues with these changes
2007	9477254	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements for managing the Referendum .	I agree that there should be 100% checking on all postal votes and that those entitled to vote should be resident in Scotland. I think there should be some check on folk with holiday homes who are only here a fraction of the year. They should not be entitled to vote.	I agree
2008	702719976	Marianne Docherty	Individual	Individual	Yes, agree . It should have same arrangements as other elections.	Yes I agree with changes to ensure there is no electoral fraud. I eleven that fraud did take place last time.	Agree
2009	905892940	Lorraine philips	Individual	Individual	There should be No referendum\rWe had it in 2014\rOnce in a generation	Still no to independence under this cult	No to independence
2010	19985446	Eileen Higgins	Individual	Individual	Please ensure very tight checks and balances to ensure there is no tampering with the voting papers. 2014 left me feeling that there was Avery strong possibility that the result was not as stated.	Every possible check is welcomed.	There should be very strictly monitored here. Limits on the amount of purchased influence externals can have. This is a decision for the Scottish people only.
2011	142841912	Craig Fisher	Individual	Individual	Satisfied that the arrangements for managing the referendum are in line with accepted practices.	I'm pleased that the personal identifiers verification process on postal voting has been raised to 100%.\rThere were issues raised in the last referendum about the security of the ballot boxes when being transferred from polling stations to counting area. I would suggest that this area be looked at to allay any repeat. My suggestion for this would to have a representative from either side accompany boxes whilst in transit. Extra reassurance could be provided using body cam/video footage.	Acceptable
2012	1026804905	Rose O'Hara Mavin	Individual	Individual	I agree	I agree	I agree
2013	33635465	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Individual	Two comments: both regarding the "Franchise"\r regarding the following paragraph of the draft bill\r2 (1) d)\r"a Commonwealth citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland or a\rrelevant citizen of the European Union"\r This appears to exclude British (and Scottish) Citizens if the UK is no longer in the EU at\rthe time at which the Referendum is held.\r The second regards the eligibility of expatriates of Scots origin living in the EU:\rThere is a strong case for enabling Scots (those of Scots birth) who have resided in the EU long enough to have fallen foul of the UK's 15 year rule on eligibility to vote (and so were not eligible to have voted in the 2016 Referendum on EU Membership), and whose last registration on the electoral roll to vote was in Scotland, to be able to vote in a referendum on Scottish Independence. \r Scotland's Future (2013) before the 2014 referendum: was strangely silent on overseas electors (or citizens elsewhere in the UK) despite proposed citizenship criteria for a future Scottish state being liable to yield large nunbers who are not habitually resident\r "617. Who would have voting rights after independence?\rThe Scottish Government’s only proposed change to voting\rrights is that they should be extended to 16 and 17 year olds\rin future Scottish Parliament elections.\rThe Constitutional Convention appointed by the Scottish\rParliament, after independence could consider whether the\rrules on who can vote should be changed as part of Scotland’s\rpermanent written constitution."\r The UK government is edging closer to re-enfranchising such voters, \rhttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/558280/overseas_electors_policy_statement.pdf\rbut proposals were not included in the Queen's Speech and thus are at least a year away from implementation.\r Since an independent Scotland in the EU would be the only hope, in the event of a "Brexit" out of the single market or the EEA, for those individuals and their children to continue to enjoy the freedom of movement and residence in the EU which they do at present, they should be given the opportunity to vote in a forthcoming referendum on Scottish Independence. \r The numbers involved will not be substantial so the administrative overhead to establish their eligibility should not be too great and would be one way to "correct" the disadvantage which they have suffered from not having been able to participate in the UK Referendum on June 23rd, 2016.
2014	844428539	Robert Wilson	Individual	Individual	would wish that secure delivery of ballot boxes is guaranteed by the boxes being escorted by a person designated by the Electoral commission and one other staying with them until they are signed for by presiding officer at each counting centre	Good this should remove as much bias as possible	Good
2015	983869306	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These seem fair enough to me.	Again, this seems fine to me.	Fine
2016	586185109	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	I am concerned about posssible fraudulent use of postal votes and about security of postal votes. I recall Ruth Davidson making reference to postal vote results during 2014 referendum before anyone was legally entitled to see them.	Participation should be restricted to people and organisations based in Scotland. UK Government should not participate. Only Scottish branches of U.K. wide political parties should participate. (Imagine if foreign European governments had tried to take part in the recent U.K. EU referendum!)
2017	1051855358	Conrad Penman	Individual	Individual	i strongly think the next referendum needs looked at closely . so there is no tampering with ballot papers or any fraud.\r get an EU representatives to monitor the counting.	no disrespect to anyone. but i didn't trust the Uk Gov during our Indy Ref 2014 i knew something wasn't right before the counts weren't even started things just didn't add up.	im for all changes as long as they are concrete so nothing can be tampered with.
2018	383348616	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Migrants, immigrants, assylum seekers and refugees should be allowed to vote. The result will affect their livlihoods as much as anyone elses.
2019	445914832	David Wardrop-White	Individual	Individual	No comment. I believe holding another referendum in the foreseeable future to be a waste of government time and attention, and if public money. (See new poll published 2/1/17)	No comment. I believe holding another referendum in the foreseeable future to be a waste of government time and attention, and if public money. (See new poll published 2/1/17)	No comment. I believe holding another referendum in the foreseeable future to be a waste of government time and attention, and if public money. (See new poll published 2/1/17)
2020	730563670	Pamela McMahon	Individual	Individual	Have issues with second-home owners who spend a couple of weeks annually in Scotland but appear to be able to vote in our elections, to the detriment of those of us who live and pay taxes here.	No Answered	"Must not knowingly" is a very vague and easily over-ridden get-out clause. Surely in 2017, data is available to the counting officer to ensure that he/she is not employing anyone with rabid political affiliations of whatever political hue?
2021	478647751	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Firstly there is no need for an independence referendum. We had one in 2014 and pro-independence supporters should accept that Scotland is permanently part of the UK and cease their campaign for a second referendum. \r If a referendum is held, and I would strongly oppose the holding of one, I should be run in a free and fair way. This needs to ensure that voters are not intimidated by campaign supporters, endless flag waving and stickers littering lampposts up and down Scotland. \r 16 and 17 year old should not be able to vote. The UN considers 16 and 17 year old children (under the UN convention on the Rights of the Child). Having 16 and 17 year olds voting unnecessarily politicises children and this should be avoided at all costs. \r There also need to be restraints put on the Scottish government about the factual statements that they can make prior to and during a referendum. For instance the white paper for the 2014 referendum looked more like an SNP manifesto than a document that represented the high standards of the civil service that the people of Scotland expect. In particular statements made by the Scottish Government should be subject to independent scrutiny before being published so that the people of Scotland can have confidence in their accuracy. For instance in the days leading up to the referendum in 2014 government ministers claimed that the only way to "save" the NHS was to vote Yes despite the fact that the NHS is fully devolved to the Scottish Government. Only a few months later in the 2015 general election the SNP claimed that the NHS was safe in their hands using the existing powers. \r Government ministers should also be required to use politically neutral language that gives appropriate respect to other institutions in the UK. For instance the UK government and parliament should be referred to as such rather than referring to the specific neighbourhood where parliament is located. \r Furthermore there should be in increase in education for the Scottish people about what the exact powers of the Scottish parliament. During the 2014 this ignorance by a minority of the population was exploited for political gain.	As outlined in my response to question 1 16 and 17 year olds should not be able to vote. \r The franchise should be extended to Scots who are living outside of Scotland in the rest of the United Kingdom. For instance Andy Murray would not be able to vote under the proposed rules. This should include anyone in the UK who was born in Scotland or has spend at least 2 years of their life living in Scotland. \r For some bizarre reason the consultation does not ask about what the question should be. Any sensible government would want to consider the experience of the past and learn from it. Clearly the 2014 vote did not result in the stable constitutional position that was agreed to by all sides as a permanent settlement. One would think that the government would be keen not to have a constitutional limbo after the yet another referendum. Therefore the question should be clearer that people are making the positive choice to remain in the UK. The question should be re-written to say "Should Scotland remain in the United Kingdom". While some people have pointed out that a Yes/No question could result in bias clearly the Scottish Government does not think that this is the case and therefore would have no objection to the proposed wording. \r The referendum should also require a 2/3rds majority for independence to occur. If many clubs and societies up and down the country require this level for significant changes in club constitutions then I struggle to see why Scotland should settle for just a simple majority for such a significant (and likely to be highly expensive) change. \r It also seems strange that local council area should be "dragged out of the UK against their will". Therefore there should be the option for any council that does have a majority support for independence to remain part of the UK and separate from Scotland. The logic for this is the same as the First Minister's arguments for independence.	It is good that the proposed bill recognises that public money should not be used in the campaign. It is also appropriate to record the time and expense of public officials (including MSPs, MPs, MEPs and local councillors) in attending. During the 2014 referendum there was no consideration given to the significant amount of time and expense spent on the referendum campaign by politicians and civil servants. It should be recognised that there is an opportunity cost to this time that could be spent addressing the real issues that affect Scotland - such as the fact that people are having to wait weeks to see their GP, the declining standards in schools or the shocking lack of housing for young people. \r Schools should not be political venues and should not be used for any aspect of campaigning. This should be the case at all times and in the 6 months leading up to a referendum. Once again the young should not be being politicised.
2022	1006787855	George Quin	Individual	Individual	I for one would welcome these changes to how the next indref is run but would like more information on how international observers are allowed access to the workings as im not sure international observers were even allowed in the last indy ref.\r I also agree with the proposals for how funding campaign work for maximum transparency a very good idea.\r i also strongly agree that noone involved in either side of the campaign should be allowed to be part of the counting process this is vital and that security on the sites of counts should be paramount to prevent tampering.\r One thing im unsure of and could use more information is why was there no exit poll in the last indy ref a very unusual turn of events.\r The last thing that really really concerns me is where the votes are counted as far as i know the votes were actually shipped out to england to be counted and if true is also very unusual.\r And last but not least i think that the measures on postal voting are reasonable but werent the postal votes not counted in the region but were instead shipped out for counting elsewhere if so (and i hope this wasnt the case) if so this should not be allowed to happen the votes should be counted in the council region that they were taken from, not shipped elswhere.\r In my view i believe the electoral commission didnt do enough to uphold the rules of the last indy ref the most glaring example i can think of is the breaking of purdah with Gordon Browns "Vow".\r Im sorry i typed all this before i read down this is the first time i have participated in a consultation of any kind so im sorry for putting all my answers in the first field and will duplicate my answers, but i felt that i should leave my comments at any rate.	These seem like common sense as i firmly believe that noone from either side should be involved with the count as i seem to remember msp ruth davidson having before hand knowledge of the postal vote result due to sampling while counting, i actually thought that was illegal correct me if im wrong.	I really couldnt argue with any of the points made and agree with them all.
2023	143003074	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am satisfied with the proposed arrangements.	I am satisfied with the proposed technical changes.	I am satisfied with the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
2024	401857510	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Think they are rubbish and cleverly designed to get a vote supporting SNP mantra	Designed to facilitate a vote in favour of SNP agenda	Designed to get a yes type vote and support SNP mantra
2025	561932999	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The eligibility to vote is my concern. I previously lived in Scotland for 17 years and was eligible to vote. I currently live abroad, but have only lived outside UK for 7 yrs. in 2014 referendum I was unable to cast a vote, which I accepted. I was, however, eligible to cast a vote in the Brexit referendum, having lived outside UK for LESS than 15 years. \r Now, the Scottish Government is using my vote to invoke a second referendum (a material change in circumstances, Scotland being taken out of EU against her will) but denying me the chance to vote in the second independence referendum.\r The First Minister stated that many EU citizens were denied a vote in Brexit and that they would now be given a voice. The same thing is happening to me...I am now being denied a voice in a referendum that is based on my Brexit vote! This is clear inequality. \r I propose that BOTH groups be given a voice.....if you are eligible to vote in second independence referendum based on residency, that's fine but also if you were eligible to vote in Brexit referendum ( the result of which has triggered this consultations) then you should ALSO be eligible to vote in second Independence referendum.
2026	257330405	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Have no issues or concerns with these arrangements they are well proven and work well.	These seem fine and in Li e with best practice	Acceptable
2027	31638684	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My view is it's all a waste of govenment time, and my money, which should be spent on real Scottish issues, and not consulting on fantasy Draft Bills.	These should be dealt with under a Draft Bill for all Scottish Elections, not a fantasy referendum Bill.	These should be dealt with under a Draft Bill for all Scottish Elections, not a fantasy referendum Bill.
2028	431621171	Alan Keane	Individual	Individual	The electoral management board for Scotland should be replaced by a similar board from outwith Scotland. This is because after 2014 is anyone who lived through Indy ref one truly independent?\r People born in Scotland and living out with Scotland should be deemed equal stakeholders and be eligible to vote. This is because they may have a vested interest in Scotland as they may have family or assets in Scotland; and they may want to return to their birth place later in life.\r I don't believe 16/ 17 year olds should have the vote. This is because personally I am now embarrassed by the way I voted even in my early 20s. This is too big a decision for young people who have less life experience to make. I am aware I am in the minority for this particular point. I am also aware that young people are politically engaged and have a grasp of the issues however just feel people change their views as they get older and this would be a once in a lifetime vote. Taking a snapshot of an adolescents viewpoint for a lifetime decision is not reflective of their adult self for the next 65 years.	No Answered	I agree that those who have campaigned should count.
2029	457167409	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am 100% against the proposal for a second independence referendum and Nicola Sturgeon is abandoning her pledge, when she was elected First Minister to unite the country and speak for all Scots, whether for or against independence. This referendum is unnecessary as the will of the Scottish people only 2 years ago was to remain in the UK. Nicola Sturgeon is breaking the terms of the Edinburgh Agreement by not abiding by this decision. The threat of a second referendum is causing damaging uncertainty both to the Scottish and UK economy and is causing division among Scots.\r If the Scottish Government wish to rip apart the UK, then this decision should be firmly in the hands of UK citizens. \r EU citizens, as in the EU referendum, who have been here for a short period of time, and who may or may not intend to stay here, should NOT be allowed to vote. Anyone resident in Scotland for 5 years or more may vote. Similarly, Scots living in the rest of the UK for fewer than 5 years should be allowed to vote too. It is their country which is potentially being ripped from the rest of the UK so they should have a say in the matter.	It is clear that a simple majority of 50% + 1 is unacceptable in the case of major constitutional change. Even the 55/45 split in the 2014 referendum has caused major division in the country with 45% unable to accept the will of the majority. A threshold of 60% should be required for major constitutional change and the Scottish Government should consider carefully the possibility of a repeat of 2014 in the event of a 51/49 split either way. For major constitutional change it should also be assumed that those not voting represent an acceptance of the status quo and should be counted as in favour of remaining in the Union.\r Regarding the wording of the question on the ballot paper, the Electoral Commission state that a Yes/No vote was biased in respect of the EU referendum and so this time, the wording should be 'Do you believe Scotland should remain in the UK'. This would give those wishing to remain, the YES vote. Alternatively, a completely different question should be posed which does not have the Yes/No choice eg Remain/Leave.\rRepeating the same question as in 2014 is UNFAIR to those who wish to remain.	No comments
2030	874262673	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It would be an economic nightmare to go independent as shown by several well known institutions. The record of the SNP over the last 10 years has been terrible, ie education, the crumbling NHS, the failing railways. They are splitting the country apart with their hatred of all things English. I am British and Scottish and very proud of both and wish to stay that way. Our biggest market by far is to the rest of the UK in comparison to Europe.	I disagree with persons under the age of 18 being given the vote, it should remain the same as the rest of the UK.	No views
2031	531657871	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It seems fair and honest. The more honest and transparent the better.	I would strongly recommend that the vote count be verified and counted a second time and by an independent body. \rI would also ask that you consider giving Scottish people living in EU countries the chance to participate.	Ok
2032	722736112	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should absolutely be no referendum. Two years ago both Salmond and Sturgeon stated this was a "Once in a genereation chance". Perhaps they should have a look at what a "Generation" is! \rUsing the EU referndum as an excuse for their blatant desire for breaking up the UK is totally unnaccepatble. Its worth pointing out that only 1.3million out of 5.5 million actually voted in Scotland. And of that 60 percent voted to stay in the EU. Thats not a compelling amount of voters and this seems to be overlooked.\rIts also worth pointing out that, even though its clear there is no new desire for either another referendum, or increase in support for independance, that an Independant Scotland would have to re-apply to join the EU, again something Sturgeon and the SNP overlook. Along with the fact its highly unlikely that Scotland would be allowed to join, with Spain certain to veto it due to the Basque seperatists. \rThe UK as a whole trades 4 times as much with Scotland than the EU - its not in the interests of the Scottish people to leave the UK to stay in the EU and the sums are clear on that.	As above, only Scottish Nationals should be allowed to vote. Foerign people who are resident but may not be in the future should not have a say in any referendum,	No opinion on this.
2033	991860498	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum at all.	There should be no referendum at all.	There should be no referendum at all.
2034	124739698	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No objections to this proposal.	Scottish citizens resident in the rest of the uk and the EU should also have the right to vote. Excluding these people from voting is constitutionally wrong as they have more of s concern for Scotland than many of the people from outside Scotland who are being allowed to vote.	No objection to this proposal.
2035	761347560	Michael Stepney	Individual	Individual	The current guidelines envisaged for any future referendum appear adequate.\r NOTE: Before any movement is made to formally introduce any future Independence Referendum, the Scottish Government (SNP) must make it crystal clear to all Scotland as to how Scotland would be expected to operate across all aspects of existing and future trade , commerce, transport, banking etc., with both the UK and EU. Currently, there is little or no possibility of Scotland 'going it alone' in this respect, and given that Scotland would require all 27 remaining EU members to endorse any application for separate membership for Scotland, it is 'pie in the sky' , thinking that Scotland could declare UDI!\r A comprehensive 'White Paper' covering all aspects of 'going independent' should be published before any new referendum, and unlike the last white paper offering prior to the 2014 Independence Referendum, should cover workable solutions and not 'straw grasping' as was the case. Scotland would be knocking at the door of the IMF today begging bowl in hand had the 2014 referendum gone the other way..., thankfully, common sense prevailed.	In addition to the above changes, more focus on individual identification should be introduced e.g. passport or driving license proof of identification/address.	No comment
2036	525967568	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No comment	No comment	No comment
2037	54683415	Charlie Magee	Individual	Individual	Postal votes to be limited to those who are elderly/sick. \rIdentification of voter with other forms of identification to be produced at polling stations.\r Postal votes to be handled in exclusively in Scottish mail centres, secured.\r No sampling of votes by either party.\r Boxes sealed and carriage protocols strictly adhered to. \r Exit polls to be carried out.	Agree with proposed technical changes	Agree with proposed changes to rules on permissable participants
2038	713668807	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fully supportive	Fully supportive - and appropriate steps should be taken to ensure that neither campaign are able to see any postal ballot papers while they are being verified before polling day.	Fully supportive
2039	908767581	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm happy with this	There should be a stipulation about where postal votes are checked. Sampling of postal/proxy votes should not be allowed. \r Not convinced that the changes to polling staff makes a difference. Regardless of whether someone was involved in polling they will likely have a strong opinion on this issue, if the previous referendum is anything to go by. It would almost be better to know their opinions so there can be adequate representation of both sides at any counting table.	No opinion
2040	1066831282	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There shouldn't be another referendum.	No views	No views
2041	889272156	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Unnecessary exercise so no view on how to manage it.	Not required as no referendum should be taking place.	Irrelevant changes.
2042	364878054	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Very fair proposal	Ok	Very good
2043	356720254	Richard Teed	Individual	Individual	Ok.	Ok	Ok
2044	243556868	Stuart Malcolm	Individual	Individual	Ok	Postal voting needs servious review.	Ok
2045	339914059	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As the proposals mirror the 2014 blueprint then this blueprint must be accepted as a fair and unbiased method of determining the democratic will of the Scottish people. As such the result was clear in 2014. This democratic mandate must be recognised and therefote a further referendum is not necessary. Should a referendum go ahead then the interpretation of the result by the Scottish government must be detailed before the event for example best of three, five referendum etc. At no point in this consultation is the prime question i.e. "do you think there should be a second referendum" asked. Can I therefore ask how this prime outcome will be assessed and presented to the general Scottish people who are being asked to respond to this consultation to determine the appetite for a second referendum.	Acceptable	Acceptable
2046	780983018	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with these arrangements.	I feel reassured that more scrutiny will be given to the ID checks of postal votes.	I have no concerns regarding these changes.
2047	780048644	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine.	Fine.	Fine.
2048	953914538	Graham Larkin	Individual	Individual	I agree with the Scottish government's proposed arrangements.	I agree with the proposals.	I agree with the proposals.
2049	698032405	christopher mcguire	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposals	I am happy with the proposed technical changes	I believe these proposals are correct and worth making
2050	306644667	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The vote was made, it was a once and for all vote, I gave my vote and abide by it, the SNP should do the same, this government should concentrate on managing the coutry.	I dont support a second referendum	As above,
2051	328181870	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not consider another Referendum should be held for at least 20 years, roughly speaking a generation, as we were told by the SNP after the last referendum only 3 years ago.	Non UK citizens should Not have the right to participate in any future Referenda.	No comment
2052	926153919	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Every option has I believe similar financial costs; such costs are not justified as I firmly believe that such a vote is not wanted by the majority of voters and has become an embarrassing vanity issue for the SNP.	These changes are an improvement.	These changes are an improvement.
2053	1024478587	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel that arrangements are not required as a second independence referendum isn't required. We have already voted as a nation and that should stand as it was done fairly and democratically. I am a remain voter on Europe and the UK brexit had not changed my view as both votes where carried out democratically	As above	As above
2054	626730495	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A distraction from running the country. The people of Scotland made a decision in 2014 and obviously not everyone was going to be happy with it. We can't just keep having this until SNP get the answer they want. \r Scotland is suffering from the uncertainty caused from continuing independence obsession and it is becoming such a divisive population.	We had a vote. The people decided. Respect what the people chose.	Allow Scottish expats to vote as well. They are entitled to a say on their country.
2055	328208407	Charles L. Gallagher	Individual	Individual	I wish a way could be found for young Scots, in particular, who have been forced away to find work could be allowed to vote. Perhaps they could Register at the Family Home?	Postal votes should not be opened until the actual count of ALL votes.	No comment but seem to be in keeping with views expressed after Indy - 1.
2056	322199726	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should NOT be another referendum that will totally waste millions of pounds much better spent on dealing with existing problems	No comment	No comment
2057	700819572	iain ross	Individual	Individual	The referendum should not occur.	I disagree with them and believe that a status quo threshold should apply	I disagree with changes
2058	369946563	Kieran O'Brien	Individual	Individual	You're a bunch of loons obsessed with only one thing. \rThis consultation means nothing to you. You're not going to listen. \r You're sooners who see independence as the solution to everything. \r "The girl doesn't always say yes the first time" and not taking no for an answer... Weirdly rapey too. \r I wish you nothing but awful luck.	Still a bunch of loons. Nothing changes.	Surprised you think Tories are acceptable participants given you're loony xenophobes.
2059	642752412	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't think there should be a second referendum.	I'm against a second referendum, I think the Scottish Giverment should put less effort into a second referendum and concentrate on running the country, improving NHS, police, schools and roads.	Im against this
2060	854563402	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Ill conceived lacking planning and foresight. Lack of consultation at all levels of devolved governments.	Sensible proposals however, voting for 16 year olds remains too young - for most of them from the conversations of my own with them.	No issues.
2061	691764469	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	good	good	good
2062	27059865	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't want another referendum .	I don't want another referendum.	I don't want another referendum.
2063	785901178	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements appear to be fair	These changes muse ensure that no-one is appointed as polling or counting staff who have either campaigned or been a member of a political party.	Agreed
2064	952442711	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe that all Scottish born or people who reside in Scotland should have a vote and that includes Scots who are residing in other countries	I accept the changes	I accept the changes
2065	905855679	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It seems fine to me.	All seems fair to me.	Fine
2066	923268376	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	the mechanics seem adequate but I question the necessity for the referendum	adequate	adequate
2067	714608763	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No requirement for a 2nd consultation never mind a referendum	Agree	Agree
2068	630881335	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We have voted to remain part of the U.K., Let's have the integrity to honour the will of the people.	against.	Subversive.
2069	379288572	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Ok	Non-UK citizens should not be able to vote on such a crucial matter for the country.\rAll voters should have to show ID	Ok
2070	931487132	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	A referendum costs a considerable amount of money which can be better spent on education or the NHS. Spending time on organising also takes time away from issues related to running the country effectively and efficiently. \r The general public voted for the MPs and MSPs so giving them the mandate to run the country. There should be no need to have a referendum which in effect makes the elected members of government redundant.
2071	197284536	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	All though I am a Scottish Nationalist. I am totally against another independence referendum on the basis of Brexit. The referendum that was held on remaining in Europe or not was a UK wide referendum and as such we should accept this democratic decision of the people even if it was not what the majority of Scots voted for. I for one will if another referendum is held on this basis will vote NO.	N/A	N/A
2072	88017462	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe that allowing younger people in the last referendum vote helped create a wider spread discussion on all things political, not just the referendum. Also I believe that this was a success. \rManaging of the referendum was fine last time so going in the same direction would be a good plan	I agree with the changes planned, especially the postal voters being checked (I was a postal voter)	Agree with these changes
2073	696057663	Dr Euan Robert Brown	Individual	Individual	All good. However if U.K. Exits from EU before indy2 what will be legal status of EU citizens in vote. Should be contingency for this.	No Answered	Good! Result should be perfectly transparent.
2074	499087904	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Stop wasting our money on decisions that have already been made.
2075	567504666	Helen Spragg	Individual	Individual	No to another referendum . Stay with the UK. Stay with the same electoral process please.	No referendum please.	No referendum please.
2076	913861227	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There appears to be no proposed change to the management of the referendum. The electoral system in place is adequate. Opening it to younger people did not affect a fair result.	The proposals seems fair.	The role of Treasurer should be wholly independent from and impartial to the campaigning process and campaigning parties. I disagree that the role of Treasurer can fairly be fulfilled by a campaign officer.
2077	728187870	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not interested in another ref already had one and the people were told no more	Not in agreement . Tackling changes mean voters are being found elsewhere	Don't ageee
2078	425597528	Telford Moore	Individual	Individual	Agreed	Agreed	Agreed
2079	12865317	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I disagree with the whole process of a referendum.	I have no strong opinion on these mechanics	I have no strong opinion on this matter.
2080	460723399	Raymond Routledge	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No second referendum!Scotland should remain part of the United Kingdom.	Only voters living Scotland should have a vote.
2081	170337523	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Last time it seemed to run smoothly so I don't see an issue.	One thing I disagree with is the inclusion of any British citizen living in Scotland - last time I was a student only a month away from my course ending, and I knew a number of other students who were intending to move to back to their homes in England within weeks of the result who still voted - why did they get a say when they would be in no way affected in the same way as the rest of us?	No issues with this.
2082	1055687798	Alvin Charles Buchanan	Individual	Individual	As I am not in favour of another Independence Referendum I do not wish the arrangements to proceed	Not in favour	Not in favour
2083	244426308	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't want it, don't need it! No means No!	Don't want it, don't need it! No means No!	Don't want it, don't need it! No means No!
2084	991198471	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fair and clear	This does seem to deal with any possible electoral fraud	Rules on campaigning did need to be tightened. Will this eliminate all negatve and abusive campaigning?
2085	224045810	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There no reason for another referendum. The Scottish public are sick to the back teeth of the SNP,s constant whining about this subject. Leaving the EEC is no reason for another referendum. The latest opinion polls prove that to be the case. The SNP,s financial projections at the previous referendum have proved to be fairy tales. The no voters at the previous referendum have still to be provided with answers to the questions asked, for example what currency will be used. The UK government need to give approval for another referendum. That will not happen any time soon.	The changes to the rules to allow 16 and 17 year olds to participate were only implemented by the SNP to improve their chances of winning the previous referendum.	No comment
2086	78952106	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with proposed arrangements	Happy with proposals	okay with this
2087	858016114	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Completely unnecessary and playing politics on single issue, nationalist agendas. Efforts should focus on representing Scotland and it's people within the UK as the whole country requires to get the best deal in leaving the E U. \rThe challenges that will be faced by the UK would also be faced by Scotland if independent. At this time of change, please consolidate our position in practical terms rather than pursuing ideals.	Consolidate our current position and stop trying to 'move the goalposts' to suit your own ends.	Refer to the previous answer. The previous move to include 16-18 year olds was a desperate emotive attempt to swing the vote of those with least experience of life. Whilst they couldn't buy a drink or watch certain products you suggested they could decide on government. Please move on from the rhetoric of justification and excuses and actually govern.
2088	12139994	Personal Opinion.	Individual	Individual	As far as I am concerned I have no issues with regards to the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum.	As far as I am concerned this appears to be a fair way to do things.	Again , I see no issue with these technical changes.\r I would make one comment though, recent election have seen a "rash" of complaints about spending on election expenses etc., Parties and individuals should be properly qualified or engage qualified individuals to manage expenses.
2089	514996930	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	MAIN ISSUE THAT WE DO NOT NEED A REFERENDUM AND THIS CONSULTATION DOES NOT APPEAR TO GIVE ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO STATE THIS. ANSWER TO ABOVE LAST ONE WAS FINE.	DO NOT AGREE THAT UK, OVERSEAS, EU AND IRISH PERSONS WHO WERE NOT BORN IN SCOTLAND BE ALLOWED THE VOTE.	NO COMMENT.
2090	446460500	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements sound fair. As long as everything is transparent and can be seen to be working as it should and not leaving any vote open to dispute or claims of fraud. (Not that I feel another vote is needed, as there was a clear and fair outcome last time)	Seem fine	I cannot see how you would police this. Have counters to confess to previously campaigning?
2091	34428987	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree with the proposal	Agree with the procedures	Agree with the changes
2092	1000531419	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There should be no referendum and no more time, money and resources spent on a another referendum.
2093	852828211	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a referendum. We were promised no repeat referendum for at least a generation.	There should not be a referendum. We were promised no repeat referendum for at least a generation.	There should not be a referendum. We were promised no repeat referendum for at least a generation.
2094	81162279	Sally Milne	Individual	Individual	I agree.	I agree.	I agree.
2095	341885936	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A total waste of time and money	A total waste of time and money	A total waste of time and money
2096	587434353	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum- we were told it was a once in a generation event. Another referendum will cause economic uncertainty and is damaging for jobs, investment and public services.	There should not be another referendum- we were told it was a once in a generation event. Another referendum will cause economic uncertainty and is damaging for jobs, investment and public services.	There should not be another referendum- we were told it was a once in a generation event. Another referendum will cause economic uncertainty and is damaging for jobs, investment and public services.
2097	220215786	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
2098	561149730	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Forget it	As above	The 2014 result should be respected
2099	628927632	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We scots have already answered this question and it was no, and we voted no knowing that if the tory party won the UK general election then there would be an EU referendum, Mrs sturgeon also knew this. So really the Scottish government should not be allowed to manage another referendum on this poor excuse that we were lied to by the better together campaign.	Do not let the Scottish government propose any changes to anything including referendum procedure's.	Again, do not let the Scottish government make any changes.
2100	431912953	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements seem acceptable.	These proposals seem acceptable.	These proposals are acceptable.
2101	591617343	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Should a referendum take place, I have no issue with the manner in which it will be managed.	No strong feelings.	I do think that Scots living outside of Scotland should continue to be excluded from voting - if they cared about the country, they'd live there. Ultimately, if they left, they preferred somewhere else.
2102	915568086	Neil Mcleod	Individual	Individual	If there will have to be a referendum then this is an acceptable method	Technical changes are ok	Happy with16,17 but not happy with EU residents who are not Scottish citizens voting
2103	580470667	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	independence yes but NOT part of the EU	No votes for EU citizens	none
2104	776511427	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No specific issues about the management of the referendum. But have huge concerns about the bullying tactics employed by SNP supporters in the last referendum. Also the cost of the referendum itself. How can this be justified when the NHS, Police and Education are subject to such cost restrictions.\r Having got to the end of this questionnaire, I discovered that the most important question was in fact missing - do I think that another referendum is in any way justified. This is a resounding 'no'. There are so many reasons why it shouldn't happen. WE were assured it was a 'once in a generation event'. Is 2 years a generation\rThe first referendum was probably the most divisive event ever to take place in Scotland. It affected business in that no-one wanted to invest in business while the threat of separation hung over us. Many Scots actively investigated moving out of Scotland if there was a Yes vote. Those were mainly the high earners in the country.\rWhy do SNP continue to ignore democracy - not once but twice. Does Ms Sturgeon think that if she aks the question often enough she will get the answer she wants? Scotland voted to stay in the Union. The UK voted to leave the EU. Respect the democratic view, and put the government's energy into sorting the mess that the country is in. I spoke to a Fife PC yesterday who told me that due to cuts/shortages there is often only 1 PC on duty in the whole of North East Fife. Isn't policing, NHS, education more important than chasing one woman's dream of independence? In my view they are, and the question of Indy2 should be removed now, and let us all move on.	No Answered	I don't think 16 year olds have sufficient life experience to vote on such a massive issue.
2105	701207192	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am content with these changes	I am content with these changes	I am concerned in general terms about permissible voters. There is currently no scrutiny on eligibility to vote for foreign nationals i.e. there is no check for forged or counterfeit documents and the Registrar, when I discussed with them, stated that would only question a document/individual if they were suspicious but given they have no training and that illegal entrants are able to obtain bank accounts etc using their documents, they are never suspicious. Each foreign national deemed eligible to vote in any election should be referred to Immigration Enforcement for status checks. This issue has been ongoing for years.
2106	168064455	Fergus Cook	Individual	Individual	The proposals maintain the flawed decision to allow 16 year olds to vote. This policy has not led to a significantly greater involvement by this age group in politics. Furthermore nothing has been done to educate this age group regarding their new rights and responsibilities regarding voting. Consequently until this is done they should not, in my opinion, be allowed to vote, especially on such a crucial issue as independence.	No issues	No issues
2107	788776210	James Mutter	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There should be no referendum- Scotland voted to stay in the United kingdom- respect the wishes of the majority and stop wasting money and time on your obsession with breaking the United Kingdom up!
2108	635507874	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am against any indy ref. One was enough. no more.\rthose who voted to stay in UK, also voted to stay in eu, and some snp also wanted to stay in eu. I am wholly against another ref risking our 48 billion market with uk in favour of a 11 billion eu market is stupid and almost you want to destroy what's left of my country! Face it, independencentral can not exist in a global market. let's stay with uk and deal with our joint problems as one wee island. The eu will not exist within 5 years anyway, it has died .	I am against any changes and any indy ref 2.	I am against any changes and any indy ref 2.
2109	168784141	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no views on the proposed arrangements for the referendum as I do not think another referendum is wanted or needed.	I have no views on the proposed technical changes as I do not think another referendum is wanted or needed.	I have no views on the proposed technical changes as I do not think another referendum is wanted or needed.
2110	143983552	Liz Clark	Individual	Individual	As I believe that Scotland has spoken clearly about independence in 2014 I see absolutely no need to raise the subject again and thus proposed arrangements for managing the referendum are unnecessary	Again as I believe the referendum is unwelcome and unnecessary we need not discuss this aspect of the bill	Again as I believe the referendum is unwelcome and unnecessary we need not discuss this aspect of the bill
2111	867945702	Rory McNally	Individual	Individual	I stand by the result of the independence referendum. You shouldn't just keep having referendums until you get the result you want.	I stand by the result of the independence referendum. You shouldn't just keep having referendums until you get the result you want.	I stand by the result of the independence referendum. You shouldn't just keep having referendums until you get the result you want.
2112	300069121	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There shouldn't be another consultation, the Scottish people have already voted to stay part of the UK. This is a total waste of money that would be better spent on helping to sort out the budget issues in Scotland.	See above	See first answer
2113	410102972	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Seems reasonable.\rBut nowhere in this consultation a man I allowed to say that I do not want a referendum. I am Scottish, I voted to stay in the EU, but I do not want to see any further breaking up of the community caused by a divisive referendum.\r Please just focus on uniting our country, educating our children better, and saving the NHS.	Seems reasonable	None
2114	617535507	ian mckemmie	Individual	Individual	A number of measures to prevent election fraud should be considered and implemented.	No Answered	Great.
2115	623791601	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Referendum is not required. Clearly there is not a majority in favour of independence and the Scottish Government should get on with the rest of their manifesto commitments in which they are filing miserably.	Not required	Not applicable
2116	310336575	Charles Turner	Individual	Individual	No strong views	Given the UK referendum result to leave the EU any independence referendum should be on the same eligibility rules as the UK wide EU referendum, i.e the following should be excluded from the vote, citizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland.\r Given the material change since the 2014 referendum its important the criteria for voting reflect these changes	No strong views
2117	358737333	CLAIRE MORRIS	Individual	Individual	reports of problems (as described in the Huffington Post) from the last referendum concerning postal votes and incorrect ballot papers need to be addressed.\r As a scot living in France I would like to be able to vote, the result would affect my decision on whether to return to Scotland	ok	ok
2118	1053479496	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Please respect the view of the electorate. NO means NO. Give it a rest and get on with the job that you were elected to do because you are making a real mess of this. There is only so much that you can get away with blaming Westminster for. \rStop wasting public money on consultations.
2119	444796659	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the arrangements proposed.	I strongly disagree with the Reduction of Voting Age Act 2015 as I believe that 16 and 17 year olds do not have enough understanding of the political sphere and are more easily influenced by media and peer pressure.	There should be a definition of "permissible participants" included in this description, it is unclear and confusing.\r I agree that all should be registered and made aware of such to prevent being registered unknowingly and to ensure that participants can be made accountable for their actions during campaigning.
2120	399468691	J Gilmour & Co. LTD	Individual	Individual	All changes made are trying to influence the vote in favour of the SNP and a yes vote.	No Answered	Unless they are a British Citizen living in Scotland, or a British Citizen working for the FO or MOD, they should not be allowed to vote. Why should someone from another country in the EU which we are leaving be entitled to vote? This is a clear attempt from the SNP Govt. to fix the vote.
2121	67083328	colin brown	Individual	Individual	Stop wasting money on a referendum	Fair changes	Is this to help the snp win the referendum
2122	376560876	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the arrangements	I agree with the changes	I agree with the changes
2123	11358340	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The referendum in 2014 was a once in a lifetime event. I do not agree that the vote to leave the EU is enough to trigger Indey2.\rScotland on its own and not being a member of UK and/or EU is not viable as UK is Scotland's main customer.\rI have not met one person who is in favour on independence . I personally voted to remain in EU but agree that the result was UK vote and not a vote by individual areas.	I do not agree that EU nationals should have a say in voting.	No comment
2124	606273301	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't support these proposals. The Scottish Govt is showing contempt for the 2014 result by revisiting these issues under the guise of having this consultation. This is a shameful waste of the civil services time and a ploy to keep the issue alive	Another contemptible attempt by the Scot Govt to alter the result by garnering more votes for Independance. I oppose the technical changes to the polling and count arrangements of any future referendum.	This tinkering with detail is a rouge. The reasons for the consult seems to enable this to stay in the public arena. I deeply oppose another referendum.
2125	510004035	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't support a 2nd referendum	Don't support a 2nd referendum	Don't support a 2nd referendum
2126	313749855	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Think it all runs smoothly. But keep postal votes under lock and key and no party members from any party allowed near them	Think they are good	Agree
2127	611321722	Colm Cunningham	Individual	Individual	I am happy with this plan.	I approve of this.	I approve.
2128	265580325	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no requirement for another referendum as we voted in 2014 and the result was conclusive. The SNP have no mandate. Once in a generation we were advised last time!	There is no requirement for another referendum as we voted in 2014 and the result was conclusive. The SNP have no mandate. Once in a generation we were advised last time!	There is no requirement for another referendum as we voted in 2014 and the result was conclusive. The SNP have no mandate. Once in a generation we were advised last time!
2129	415068545	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Shouldn't even be asking his. Dont want another referendum. We said no. Move on and run the country.	Shouldn't even be asking his. Dont want another referendum. We said no. Move on and run the country.	Shouldn't even be asking his. Dont want another referendum. We said no. Move on and run the country.
2130	1001153982	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Just don't have a referendum - there's enough business and political uncertainty without this vanity project	Just don't have a referendum - there's enough business and political uncertainty without this vanity project	Just don't have a referendum - there's enough business and political uncertainty without this vanity project
2131	310871330	Michael Rolls	Individual	Individual	The whole idea of dragging Scotland through this pointless exercise is a waste of time and money. It would be much better if the Scottish Government concentrated on tackling the many problems facing Scotland, with deteriorating health and education services, infrastructure inadequacies - especially public transport.- and even road surfaces.	Pointless as is clear form my comment aboive	It is quite ridiculous that 16 and 17 year olds are given the vote - they have inadequate experience of life in general.
2132	655461155	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	More scrutiny of BBC bias.
2133	189372403	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree.	Agree.	Agree.
2134	517855145	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Once in a generation means once in a generation. The second independence referendum should not happen! Sadly SNP keep back paddling on their promises as they did not get a result they wanted.	There is no reasonable rationale for those changes.	There is no reasonable rationale for those changes.
2135	878102784	Ronan Mellin	Individual	Individual	No issues	No issues	No issues
2136	423828118	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	There should be NO referendum in the first place. The Scottish government needs to get on with governing this country ! It's gone to rack and ruin under SNP	Any future referendum should be restricted to SCOTTISH PEOPLE, LIVING IN SCOTLAND ONLY
2137	594505283	Ian Murray	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum	There should be no referendum	There should be no referendum
2138	613663093	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be a shorter lead in time.	Satisfied	Satisfied
2139	356384659	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum.	It shouldn't be needed. There shouldnt be another referendum	Irrelevant to me since i dont want another referendum
2140	459088480	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is a total waste of time and money, the Scottish people have already voted to stay as part of the UK. The budget set aside to cover the cost of this would be better spent on helping to sort out the budget issues in Scotland and not wasted on another referendum.	See answer above.	See first answer.
2141	807054159	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Your first question should be do we need a referendum. This question assumes we are having one! Very decisive and totally unnecessary.	I attended the last one, no need to make any changes	No views
2142	174009678	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It should not go ahead. The majority of people do not want independence. The SNP should stop pursuing this crusade like rabid dogs.	It should not go ahead. The majority of people do not want independence. The SNP should stop pursuing this crusade like rabid dogs.	It seems as though the SNP are extending the pool of participants to those that they think are most likely to vote for independence. Why can a 17 year old be given the responsibility to vote for the future of the country but still require a "named person" to look after them?...
2143	1054852213	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are fit for purpose	These are fit for purpose and should ensure accuracy and fairness	No comment
2144	574063387	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Good	Good	Good
2145	18304639	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	1. I regard them as un-necessary, as I also regard this process and the prospect of another referendum un-necessary.\r 2. I am not happy that children are, again, to be allowed to vote.\r 3. Off topic, but you do not have a question pertaining to it. I am sick and tired of the SNP's attempts to ride roughshod over the views of those of us who support the Union. You claim to govern for all of us. You do not. You are busily ignoring our democratically stated wish to remain part of the Union. That's what happens in a democracy - you don't always get what you want. You constantly claim to speak for the 'people of Scotland'. In what way? We voted to stay in the Union, yet here we are again, about to go through the horror that was the last independence referendum (which was supposed to be a once in a generation opportunity) because you refuse to accept that will. Stop the posturing and travelling round Europe (at our expense) whining about the EU. Accept that we are in the Union, and that the Union has voted to leave the EU. There was no separate Scottish, English etc vote - it was a UK vote, and the UK voted to leave. Accept it, stop wasting time and our money, and try to do the job you were elected to do - that of running Scotland, and improving it. While Sturgeon goes begging to the EU, our health, education and other sectors are crumbling. When is she going to do something about that, rather than her incessant focus on independence? When are you going to do something to earn those grossly inflated wages? When are you going to stop ignoring us????????	I believe that Scots living abroad should be allowed to vote. They will, after all, come back here to live. If you get your way and destroy the Union, they will come back to a changed Scotland, yet you will not allow them to vote on those changes.	No views.
2146	361058418	Ewen Glen	Individual	Individual	Worked well so no need to change. However, I feel there is no need for another referendum on this matter. It's not in the interest of the Scottish people nor is there a great desire for it.	I was born and raised in Scotland but the last vote was held during a time I was temporarily a resident in England. No provision was made to allow me to vote. I have now returned to Scotland and I am once again eligible to vote. I understand the system but it does raise the question who are the "Scottish people?"	Fine
2147	550591834	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The Scottish Political scope has changed with the Smith Commission being somewhat delivered. Specifically it is now easier for ScotGov to see Scottish Tax Codes and Benefits/Social Support being paid via Scot Gov. \r These new information sources should be used when deciding on eligibility to vote. \r I want to see anyone who contributes to Scottish Society have the option to vote, this will not include those who's main residence is elsewhere in the world yet become eligible to vote due to owning a 2nd or even 3rd home here.\r Use the new information we have to allow contributors to Scotlands society to shape that society. Not part time tourists!	See q1	See q1
2148	924319488	Michael Shields	Individual	Individual	I voted yes for independence in the last referendum. If there was another in the near future I would vote no.\rI Have several reasons.\r 1. The economic case for independence just now is not as strong as it was.\r 2. I voted yes for Brexit and so would not wish to live in an "independant" Scotland which was part of the European Union. When we joined the Common Market it was supposed to be an economic union now it is being driven more and more towards a political union. The reasons for this seem to be purely idealogical with scant regard for reality.\r 3. I believe that the focus for Scotland at the moment should be joining with the rest of the UK in getting as good a deal for the whole of the UK as possible. I believe that the current conduct of the Scottish Government in pursuing a seperat deal for Scotland, which in my view is totally unrealistic and a waste of money, only serves to weaken the country's (ie the UK's) negotiating position and so is likely to make us all worse off than we would otherwise be.\r 4. I don't think that the Scottish Government should even be talking about independence at the moment as again it weakens the UK's negotiating position.\r 5. The logic of wanting to split from the UK, which is far and away our biggest trading partner, but remain in the EU baffles me. It seems to me that the idea is illogical.\r 6. It worries me that the present Scottish Government is quite happy to penalise hardworking families by refusing to implement the full increase in the tax allowance for those who fall into the 40 per cent bracket, claiming that they are rich! Get real! \rThe question I ask myself is how much further would they go if we were independant?\r 7. The way that the Scottish Government is handling Council Tax rises worries me too.\rThis in my view should be a tax which is paid according to a person's ability to pay not on the size of house they live in. Again how much further would they go if we were independant.\r 8. The SNP are constantly harping on that we need control of the economic levers in order to strengthen our economy. We have had control of at least some of these levers for a long time now and nothing has been done. I fear that the reason is that the SNP are more interested in power than doing the best for the country.	I have no objections to these proposals	Seem ok.
2149	298627521	Greig Ker	Individual	Individual	I agree with the 2014 model.	Citizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland should not be allowed to vote unless they have lived here for a minimum number of years. Students of other countries should not be allowed to vote as they are only here temporarily.	Agreed
2150	88957646	Dave Dawson	Individual	Individual	No appetite for a second referendum. The question in June asked if the UK should remain part of the EU. According to various legal he referendum isn't legally binding, it's consultative. \r The SNP proposals are not balanced. They have not explored potential for Scotttush business outside the EU and presents a grim conclusion. Not the even-handed, serious analysis such an important issue requires. It adds nothing to the EU debate and is a blatant political move.	Not required. Don't do it.	N/a
2151	468402367	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In all honesty, the people of Scotland have already voted to stay as part of the UK so this decision to propose a new referendum is ridiculous.\r Surely the government of Scotland has more important things to deal with like the problems with education and transport than petulantly making noises about rerunning a referendum that they didn't like the result of.	No Answered	Shouldn't happen as we already had a referendum and the people of Scotland voted to remain as part of the UK!
2152	618324303	Mr keith reeves	Individual	Individual	This is a hypothetical question as there should be no more talk of a referendum. The Scottish people voted conclusively to remain part of the uk in the once in a generation 2014 referendum.\r As part of the uk, we democratically decided to exit the EU. This was not a Scottish vote and does not give the SNP the right to continue their anti English campaign under the guise that Scotland voted to remain.	I do not agree that 16 year old people have sufficient life experience to understand the financial implications of the wreck less decision to leave the uk.\r The vote should be restricted to a minimum of 18 year s of age.	No objection as it stands, but nypothetical as there should be no referendum.
2153	713744217	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Why is this government continuing to waste public money on this issue -we had a vote in 2014 and the result was clear.Where is the logic in leaving the U.K. to then be run by Brussels ? (If they will have us which is very unlikely)	This is a complete waste of public money -the independence referendum has been settled.Why can this government not go with the will of the people?	Who cares -I do not want my taxes being used in the manner
2154	269711183	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy for a future referendum to be managed using the same processeses as in the last referendum.	Happy with this, although concerned that checking 100% of postal votes will incur high costs.	Fine, all seems ok.
2155	696443011	Allan Murray Hodgson	Individual	Individual	The last referendum was hugely divisive and led to a lot of abuse being thrown about, by both sides, but particularly by yes supporters I noticed. It was considered to be un Scottish to vote no?\r This one will be no different.\rI appreciate that as a majority government the SNP had to to go to the people to full fill their(the SNP dream) and see if the majority of Scotlands people agreed with that dream.\r They didn't and as was stated at the time it was (and should remain) a one off process.\r No one has yet stated what the last referendum cost Scotland in lost investment, yet here we go again, just to give MSP's with an inferiority complex more power,in my opinion.\r The first minister and her party had their chance in 2014, They should accept the will of the people and move on to keep relations with the country that we really need to trade with, ie GB, and get on side with Westminster and get us on track to leave the EU AS WAS VOTED FOR BY A GB MAJORITY.\r As a measure of things to come, My house hold voted in 2014, 3 no 1 yes, this time it will be 4 no	A waste of time and my money	A waste of time and my money
2156	891635518	Ian Riches	Individual	Individual	There is no requirement for wasting further resources on a 2nd referendum. A democratic process was undertaken in 2014. The result is undisputed and nothing has changed. Just because it wasn't the result that the SNP wanted does not give any right for a rerun. BREXIT was a vote by the whole of the UK - another democratic decision. It does not provide an excuse for the Nets to stir up anti British sentiments.	NA	NA
2157	24102443	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Waste of time and money Scotland can't usurp the vote by the United Kingdom government residents to leave the E U we have enough government without being ruled by a foreign government, whose position operates under Roman Law, in direct opposition to our legal system of government, the E U is operating a kind of ethnic cleansing of independent sovereign countries. With regard to so called single market, the World is a larger market, with more than 500million. Remember it takes a willing buyer and a willing seller to generate Trade, keep so called politicians out of it. Stop prevaricating and hit the button article 50. Just walk away nothing to negotiate, stop the flow of cash to that illegal EU.
2158	557425945	Mike	Individual	Individual	This seems to be a waste of time and resource just 2 years after the last vote and while Scotland's public services are struggling to cope. The government needs to focus on improving these services to prove it has the capacity before contemplating a second referendum. It also needs to show that it can use its new powers effectively to make Scotland a distinctive nation within the U.K. - I have not seen this being done except from some tinkering round the edges to entertain the media. Please concentrate on Scotland's current problems rather than exacerbate them with a further period of insecurity and fake predictions of doom and/or nirvana.	No issues	No issues
2159	789928793	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It's rubbish.	It's rubbish.	It's rubbish.
2160	170919087	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no case for another referendum.	There is no case for another referendum and outlining these approaches does not legitimise it.	There is no case for another referendum.
2161	708964412	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think permission will be obtained from Westminster and that this exercise is a waste of tax payer's money.	None	None
2162	442394170	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Notwithstanding the fact that a second independence referendum within 30 years of the last one is totally unnecessary, the Electoral Commission should report to UK government.	Notwithstanding the fact that a second independence referendum within 30 years of the last one is totally unnecessary, what about the many people born in Scotland and living in RUK? Would they be eligible for a Scottish Passport by birth right as alternative to UK? If so, surely they must be given a say in independence referendum.	Notwithstanding the fact that a second independence referendum within 30 years of the last one is totally unnecessary, changes to rules on paticipants are are unlikely to prevent the nastiness and general anti-English racism that was prevalent in the last Independence Referendum.
2163	806805030	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a second referendum.	The referendum was a once in a lifetime vote and should not be repeated again the money should be spent on education.	The Scottish government should concentrate on delivering decent services for the Scottish people and stop wasting time and money on another referendum
2164	924458690	Brian Pyne	Individual	Individual	We should not even consider having one.	OK	OK
2165	746385664	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't have the referendum.\r If the plan is to gain Scottish Independence to then leave the UK and remain in Europe I don't want it.\r I voted for Scottish Independence in 2014 however would now vote to remain in the UK. I view myself as a proud Scotsman first, British second, and I have no European allegiance in the slightest. \r This is a big waste of tax payers money, driven by a government whose single agenda seems to be independence. Stop trying to write your name into the history books and instead work with our counterparts across the UK to mange our exit from the EU in a way that most suits the needs of our great country.\r After Brexit, life will go on as it has for hundreds of years and Scotland will flourish, by the sweat of our labour, the strength of our will and the force of our minds.	As a proud Scot who was living abroad before returning to vote in 2014, there should be arrangements made so that Scots living abroad can vote.	As a proud Scot who was living abroad before returning to vote in 2014, there should be arrangements made so that Scots living abroad can vote.
2166	1055717062	Duncan Ferguson	Individual	Individual	In the event of a second Scottish independence referendum this proposal would be satisfactory;\rHowever as a remain voter in the EU referendum I would stress that a second independence referendum would not be in the best interests of the people of Scotland, nor would leaving the UK.	In the event of a second Scottish independence referendum this proposal would be satisfactory;\rHowever it has become increasingly clear that the current Scottish government will push for independence irrespective of the harm it will inflict on the people of Scotland. It is illogical that one referendum should follow another.	In the event of a second Scottish independence referendum this proposal would be satisfactory \rHowever much as I would not want to see a second decisive referendum if it was to take place I would want it proposed that the Yes/No question was replaced with something less polar such as in the EU referendum \rRemain/leave
2167	427448107	Keith reeves	Individual	Individual	No objection as it stands, but hypothetical as there should be no referendum. The Scottish people have previously voted resoundingly to remain a part of the uk.\r The fact that the uk referendum on membership of the EU was nor reflected in all regions, does not give anyone the right to question the result of a "once in a generation " 2014 referendum.	No objection as it stands, but hypothetical as there should be no referendum. The Scottish people have previously voted resoundingly to remain a part of the uk.\r The fact that the uk referendum on membership of the EU was nor reflected in all regions, does not give anyone the right to question the result of a "once in a generation " 2014 referendum.	No objection as it stands, but hypothetical as there should be no referendum. The Scottish people have previously voted resoundingly to remain a part of the uk.\r The fact that the uk referendum on membership of the EU was nor reflected in all regions, does not give anyone the right to question the result of a "once in a generation " 2014 referendum.
2168	132317905	John Higgins	Individual	Individual	Following the clear decision of the Scottish people to reject independence when the question was put to them there should be no second referendum. Ipso facto issues about managing it are not relevant.	Eligibility to vote should not be changed until after the next election s in Scotland and be entirely dependent on the manifesto commitment of the party winning the election.	See above
2169	865740403	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe there is any need for another referendum	Please see above with the additional comment that I believe that e-polling is too open to abuse to be considered	Please see answer 1
2170	746446471	Donald MacKenzie	Individual	Individual	I do not want another divisive referendum on the position of Scotland in the UK. We did this in 2014 and rejected break up of the UK.	Not relevant as I oppose rerunning the 2014 referendum	Not relevant as I oppose rerunning the 2014 referendum
2171	949322992	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A referendum is clear madness - The Scottish economy cannot sustain itself, now that oil prices have plummeted	No comment	No comment
2172	872056859	Tom McBain	Individual	Individual	The results of the 2014 referendum should be respected. \rThere is absolutely no need for a second referendum, as the results of the previous one in 2014 were absolutely clear.\rThe majority of those who voted wished to remain part of the UK. That has not changed.	N/A. There should not be a second refererendum as the Government must respect the outcome of the previous one in 2014.	All Scots, born and bred, should be allowed to vote as long as they comply with the statutory age requirements. It is disgraceful and underhand to deny Scots a vote if they are not currently resident in Scotland.
2173	621330884	Janis Reeves	Individual	Individual	No objection as it stands, but hypothetical as there should be no referendum. The Scottish people have previously voted resoundingly to remain a part of the uk.\r The fact that the uk referendum on membership of the EU was nor reflected in all regions, does not give anyone the right to question the result of a "once in a generation " 2014 referendum.	No objection as it stands, but hypothetical as there should be no referendum. The Scottish people have previously voted resoundingly to remain a part of the uk.\r The fact that the uk referendum on membership of the EU was nor reflected in all regions, does not give anyone the right to question the result of a "once in a generation " 2014 referendum.	No objection as it stands, but hypothetical as there should be no referendum. The Scottish people have previously voted resoundingly to remain a part of the uk.\r The fact that the uk referendum on membership of the EU was nor reflected in all regions, does not give anyone the right to question the result of a "once in a generation " 2014 referendum.
2174	6942286	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Assuming a referendum goes ahead, the system proposed is a legitimate instrument.	This is satisfactory.	This is acceptable
2175	454966059	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Acceptable	Acceptable	Acceptable
2176	424371135	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Get on with governing Scotland. \rMajority voted to stay part of uk, for god sake respect that.	No opinion	No opinion
2177	107829238	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no second independence referendum. The people of Scotland voted decisively to stay as part of the United Kingdom and that decision should be respected. Another referendum smacks of "keeping asking until you get the right answer".	N/a there should be no second independence referendum. The people of Scotland voted decisively to stay as part of the United Kingdom and that decision should be respected. Another referendum smacks of "keeping asking until you get the right answer".	N/a there should be no second independence referendum. The people of Scotland voted decisively to stay as part of the United Kingdom and that decision should be respected. Another referendum smacks of "keeping asking until you get the right answer".
2178	556662202	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	shouldn't be a second referendum	no strong views	no strong views
2179	1065342212	Robin Lawrenson	Individual	Individual	Unfair. They ignore the agreed result of recent, democratic votes. They are therefore undemocratic. The Scottish Government has no mandate to disregard the views of Uk people.	Rules of residency need to be clarified, in terms of permanency. If a Scot works mainly in another country, does that make them less-Scottish?	Reasonable
2180	682801422	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Management of the review may be appropriate if a second referendum was required but the referendum gave a clear picture on the majority of Scotland's peoples' views so is unnecessary.	I think it is unfair that Scots who have no option but to live elsewhere due to their job would be unable to vote if this un-necessary referendum was to take place.	This seems appropriate.
2181	406270246	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel strongly against another referendum. The Scottish Parliament allowed the Scottish people the opportunity to vote for/against independence as a once in a lifetime vote. Simply because the vote did not turn out the way the SNP had hoped does not mean you should have a second vote. Accept the views of the people and move on with sorting the county out!	All fine. Feel there should be a form of sanction for people who fail to vote.	All fine.
2182	822773477	Dr Hugh B. Blair	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
2183	550578319	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need, in my mind, to propose any new arrangements for the management of the referendum; the existing system is perfectly fair.	No Answered	Agree
2184	657374926	Brian Lawson	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements, would like independant arrangements so as to avoid "sample counts" of the postal votes	agree with residency being the best way of engaging	agreed
2185	849202054	Keith reeves	Individual	Individual	No objection as it stands, but hypothetical as there should be no referendum. The Scottish people have previously voted resoundingly to remain a part of the uk.\r The fact that the uk referendum on membership of the EU was nor reflected in all regions, does not give anyone the right to question the result of a "once in a generation " 2014 referendum.	No objection as it stands, but hypothetical as there should be no referendum. The Scottish people have previously voted resoundingly to remain a part of the uk.\r The fact that the uk referendum on membership of the EU was nor reflected in all regions, does not give anyone the right to question the result of a "once in a generation " 2014 referendum.	No objection as it stands, but hypothetical as there should be no referendum. The Scottish people have previously voted resoundingly to remain a part of the uk.\r The fact that the uk referendum on membership of the EU was nor reflected in all regions, does not give anyone the right to question the result of a "once in a generation " 2014 referendum.
2186	960632603	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements seem reasonable	Voters should be aged 18 years and over as I believe the majority of 16/17 year olds are not in a position to fully consider the implications of the referendum due to them having insufficient life and employment experience.	See above.
2187	725381835	Peter Martin	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements	I agree with the proposed polling and account arrangements	I agree with the proposed technica changes to the referendum procedures
2188	50273404	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A waste of taxpayers money though if IndyRef2 results in another No I anticipate IndyRef3 will be appearing some time in the future. 55% of voters last time said they did not support\rwish to be outside the UK. As long as the SNP hold sway we will revisit this forever.	Of marginal concern to the principle of a referendum at all.	As above.
2189	123560881	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements are satisfactory.	The proposed technical changes are acceptable.	The proposed changes to rules on permissible participants are acceptable.
2190	771756265	Suzanne Kirkwood	Individual	Individual	I propose that ID is requested to ensure no electoral fraud.	No concerns	Disagree with parties treasurer taking on role of responsible person. Should be someone whose only role is that one.
2191	717209401	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the arrangement	I am happy with the proposed arrangements	Happy with proposed changes
2192	554477123	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Close attention should be paid to the timing of votes cast.	I agree with these proposals and hope that the verification procedures are adhered to.	Agreed.
2193	243301736	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The process is fine, but another referendum is far too soon to be contemplated as there was a resounding No Vote in 2014. It is time that the Scottish Government stopped being obsessed by independence and started to do the "day job" properly e.g. do something about Education, the Police, proper funding for Local Authorities and the NHS. I cannot understand why the present Scottish Government is so obsessed with leaving the Union with the UK and yet wish to remain in the EU which if taken to its logical conclusion means that an Independent Scotland would become a small region of the United States of Europe	Those entitled to vote should be kept simple and only be British Citizens living in Scotland	Seems sensible
2194	790592385	Andrea Thomson	Individual	Individual	We were told it would be a "once in a generation referendum". We don't need a second one.	Changes as to who are eligible to vote. Obviously EU citizens living here are now being allowed to vote. Would this be to make Scotland's independence more likely?	No comment
2195	910781962	Marnie Crawford	Individual	Individual	No referendum for a generation (that means 30 years).	No referendum for a generation	No referendum for a generation (30 years)
2196	296893835	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	How much money are you going to waste again?	No Answered	That seems sensible
2197	158361719	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
2198	712145819	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In my opinion I do not think we should be having a second referendum. \rPerhaps in the future but we have just had one. There should be a period of 5 to 10 years at least between them . If not then a government can continually have one until it gets the result that it wants.	No comment	No comment
2199	394758403	William Samson	Individual	Individual	No view - I see no need for another referendum so soon after the previous one. I note that there appears to be no consultation on the NEED for such a referendum. I would have thought that that should have been the first question asked. This is being presented as a done deal with consultation only on the format and technical aspects of another referendum.	No views.	No views.
2200	388173783	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am strongly opposed to another referendum. This is a waste of time, effort and money. \r I am hugely disappointed that we are leaving the EU but the additional disruption caused by another independence referendum is the last thing we now need.\r The 'Yes' answer is advantageous to the independence argument and shouldn't be allowed in the future. 'Leave ' / 'Remain' is a better example of how the question should be answered.	No view on this	No view on this
2201	358405402	Stephen Sparrow	Individual	Individual	The exercise is not worthwhile because there should not be another referendum.	See above	See above
2202	220592827	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another independence referendum	This is irrelevant.\rThere should not be another independence referendum	This is irrelevant.\rThere should not be another independence referendum
2203	355558109	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No issues with regulation.	Those born in Scotland and currently residing elsewhere in the UK should get a vote.	No issue.
2204	192840631	Tony Fenlon	Individual	Individual	This question presupposes I agree with another referendum in the first place....why start in the middle????\r It means that it could be used, a little mischieviously, to interpret that I want another refendum.	No problem	Responsible people should have no other Party political office.
2205	76502060	Dave Wallace	Individual	Individual	Happy with everything	Happy with changes	Happy with changes
2206	821538402	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't agree another referendum is needed.	Don't agree another referendum is needed.	Don't agree another referendum is needed.
2207	650761397	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No need for a referendum. The majority of Scots don't want one and that should be respected	No changes required as another referendum isn't required	No change required as another referendum isn't required
2208	66057286	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No referendum required\rThis is ridiculous grandstanding on part of SNP\rand a complete waste of money	See above\r You state and I quote\r We asked you said we did\r This is the most ridiculous statement	See above
2209	644884343	Ian Lambie	Individual	Individual	Not relevant as there should not be another referendum as our politicians should respect the result of the 2014 referendum.	Happy with them.	Only people living in Scotland should have a say.
2210	231095203	Gordon smith	Individual	Individual	There is no need to manage a referendum because the Scottish people made their opinion clear in the 2014 "once in a generation" referendum	No major issue with these	Fine
2211	822387638	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I support the proposed arrangements, though believe the eligibility to vote should be expanded, as detailed below.	In order to truly reach everyone who has chosen to make Scotland their home, I believe that the franchise should be expanded to non-UK non-EU citizens who are present in the country on settlement visas, including the spouses and family of British citizens.	I support the proposed changes.
2212	545645308	mr roy mc donald	Individual	Individual	the above seems in order .	get children pff the register .	o k .
2213	406473795	Eoin Murray	Individual	Individual	The proposal makes complete sense and broadly worked extremely well in 2014	As a Scot resident outside of Scotland, I wish that I could cast my vote, but I fully understand and support the proposed arrangements	These technical changes make sense
2214	754293398	John malone	Individual	Individual	We had a referendum. The Scottish government does not have the power to waste taxpayers money posturing about another. \r Accept democracy like you did when you accepted Government.\r You signed the Edinburgh agreement to honour and respect the outcome of the 2014 referendum, you repeatedly stated that there would be only one referendum.\r Now do your duty, respect the vote and stop wasting our budget on seperatist rebellion.	I do not agree with EU citizens or citizens of the Irish republic having a vote.\r We held a referendum, it was a Scottish matter, and we clearly voted to stay in the UK.\r I call upon you to honour your pledge to respect that vote given in the Edinburgh agreement you signed.	I do not support any changes to the voting system other than proof of identity being mandatory.\r I do not support a second referendum.
2215	874629258	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine. \r However, the Scottish Government was given a clear message in 2014 when only 36% of the population, having been given the option to do so, actually voted for independence. There are far more important issues for the Scottish Government to be dealing with at present, than pedaling another referendum. If for no other reason, the huge expense involved in carrying out such a referendum should be spent on other far more pressing issues. Additionally, it takes the eyes of all those who should be trying to make Scotland a better place for Scots to live in off the ball and wastefully redirects their energies for the duration of the debate and referendum.	Fine.	Fine.
2216	15269449	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I do not think there should be a vote again on independence - if the result had been the other way around there would definitely not been a second referendum
2217	653956058	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	For the purpose of this referendum it would only right that the management and process for this vote mirrors exactly the original 2014 'indyref'.\r Notwithstanding the above I do not think there is a need nor significant enough demand for a further independence referendum.\r If a referendum is proposed i think the bill should include some reference to timescale of further referendums on the exact matter.	For the purpose of this referendum it would only right that the voting eligibility for this vote mirrors exactly the original 'indyref'.	I think the proposed changes are sensible, it is good to see recommendations being taken forward from the electoral commissions report on the 2014 referendum.
2218	941777739	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	As I am oposed to the concept of a second referendum, it follows I am apposed to all its technical detail.
2219	362678954	Gordon McCulloch	Individual	Individual	Agree with arrangements for ref.vote.	Agree with current proposals,but maybe ex pat.voters should also be incl.eg those living in other EU countries on a temp.seasonal basis.	Agree with these proposals.
2220	257786413	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I do not agree that holding a second referendum is in Scotland's best interests. It would be better to spend efforts on other matters ( health, education etc. ). \rIf there is a referendum, there should be a requirement for a minimum turnout and a significantly higher percentage voting for independence before a change is invoked.
2221	255485331	Thomas Gates	Individual	Individual	Happy with these.	Seems sensible	Not sure though if the eligibility criteria are too wide and also not sure if there could be more scope for something like they did in he Irish marriage equality referendum - getting people to come home to vote if they're working away, living away.
2222	621434574	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	NO indyref 2	no indyref2	no indy ref2
2223	997861749	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be NO referendum	There should be NO refendum	There should be NO referendum
2224	330850271	Ewen stewart	Individual	Individual	If the SNP really believe that Brexit changes the future to the extent that the Scottish people are entitled to another independence referendum, why are you wasting public money on a consultation instead of getting on with it immediately? This is nothing more than another cynical attempt to drag Scotland out of the Union despite the Scottish public clearly indicating a wish to remain united. \r GET On with running the country Nicola, education, transport and health need attention, not your ego!\r And you might also want to look at your remuneration which makes you the highest paid U.K. Polictician - really?	We do not require another referendum and the expense associated with it.	We do not require another referendum and the expense associated with it.
2225	715217958	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
2226	924278384	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Appalling - no referendum please, the entire exercise has already wasted so much money that could be better used elsewhere - on governing Scotland for instance.	N/A	N/A
2227	968020540	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Ok	Ok	Ok
2228	585859795	William Robert Anderson	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum held.	No changes are necessary.	No one under the age of 18 should be able to vote.
2229	569455065	Sarah Cameron	Individual	Individual	I do NOT want another referendum. It is a complete waste of taxpayers' money, and the public have spoken "NO" in 2014.	No Answered	EU nationals living in Scotland should not be eligible to vote, as Britain is leaving the EU whether we like it or not. EU nationals living here are only economic migrants, and couldn't care less about the future of Scotland.
2230	397573633	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't hold one.\r You already had one, and we said no. You can't keep asking till you get the answer you want - that's not how democracy works. \rshut up about independence and get on with running the country	Don't hold one.\r You already had one, and we said no. You can't keep asking till you get the answer you want - that's not how democracy works. \rshut up about independence and get on with running the country	Don't hold one.\r You already had one, and we said no. You can't keep asking till you get the answer you want - that's not how democracy works. \rshut up about independence and get on with running the country
2231	52843496	Alan Stuart	Individual	Individual	The proposal is irrelevant. Scotland did not have a vote in the EU referendum.\rThe voters of the UK took part and chose to leave,\rYour attempts to split the vote is a clear attempt to foment discontent in order to resurrect your independence dream.	Not relevant.	Irrelevant.
2232	825232411	John crichton	Individual	Individual	Same routine as before. Cut down in costs to those who confirm the results.	Fine	No views.
2233	86484761	Alexander aitchison	Individual	Individual	I believe there should be no referendum	I believe there should be no referendum I believe that Scot'	I believe that Scots born in a Scotland but living elsewhere should be allowed to vote
2234	704965594	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	People do not want another referendum so irrelevant to waste time on this at present.	No better than the last time.\r Instant vote on do you want detailed terms followed 2 years later by on these therms do you want independence. We all suffered horribly the last time as it was far too long a process and impacted business badly.	Those who make their home in Scotland should vote not students etc.
2235	658312017	john Hall	Individual	Individual	The referendum should be given with the implications for a YES vote - intention to regain European membership should Scotland vote in this direction. \r A second vote is required in view of the English and Welsh intentions to take Britian out of the EU which goes against the wishes of the Scots people. We are no longer voting for the same thing as 2014. Back then it was stay in Britain as the staus quo; now the status quo is a Yes vote.	No Answered	This vote should extend to those Scots living in the EU. Other countries allow overseas voters to participate so why shouldn't we.
2236	760884337	Howard Russell	Individual	Individual	Shouldn't the first question be if I agree there should be another Referendum at all?\rMy view is that there shouldn't be a Referendum. A proper consultation would allow for such discussion to take place unless this is a fait accompli?	I disagree with this consultation but seeing as you'd like my views I reoeat I dusagree with holding anotger Referendum after all The White Papwr stated that the 2014 one was 'a once in a generation opportunity'	I disagree with holding another Referendum. The assumption of these questions is that I agree that it's ok with you. It's certainly not ok!
2237	910526094	John Forret	Individual	Individual	No Comment	Resident EU citizens should be allowed a vote.	This should be better controlled after the lies and false accounting in the 2014 referendum. The technicalities outlined are meaningless tinkering.
2238	407893801	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Same voting system is ok	I have not and still do not agree with vote for under 18 year old	No thoughts
2239	448235722	Annette Drylie	Individual	Individual	Unnecessary	Should only apply to those who home address is in Scotland	No comment
2240	385885143	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There are no arrangements. The Scottish Government does not have a legal right to hold another referendum.	Irrelevant as the process is flawed to start with.	Irrelevant as the process is flawed to start with.
2241	746884380	Laura Kempton-Smith	Individual	Individual	I believe that the proposed arrangements are valid and correct. However I believe that the referendum should not happen.	They are as I thought they would be.	I have no objections to the proposed change.
2242	1022427000	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I have no problem with the process used last time so don't have any concer if that where repeated.\r My concern is that I don't believe we should be doing this again now and I voted yes last time. I voted to exit Europe so I am conflicted by the proposal to remain in Europe. As surely independent means independent.\r This consultation does not seek views on the need or otherwise for such a referendum.
2243	732198520	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Like all things the current Scottish 'government' undertakes the consultation document is naive and badly thought through. It is strongly biased in my view in favour of a yes outcome.	No Answered	As with the first (and last in a generation?) independence referendum it precludes Scots i.e. those persons born in Scotland but living elsewhere no voting rights on the future of this/their country whereas it does give voting rights to those who were not born here, some of whom have no real long term interest of this part of the UK.
2244	497793616	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Quite simple\rI do NOT want another referendum	No to ndyref2	No to indyref 2
2245	580119568	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree as it is far too soon.\r I also feel that there should be an overhaul of how council employees are paid for this on top of their normal salary. There should not be additional payments.	I do not see it as. Major change	They are fine
2246	484318277	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Needs to be agreed with UK government. \r As a doctor I wish that the Scottish government elected to serve the needs of the people of Scotland would focus more on the massive problems the NHS in Scotland is currently facing rather than waste time and public money on yet another independence referendum. The government needs to be more honest about the challenges fa Ingram the NHS and the difficult rationing choices that may need to be made during the next 10-20 years.	Another referendum is not required.	This consultation is a waste of public money.
2247	1061176606	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I totally disagree with the SNP government's plans for another referendum on independence. They do not speak for the majority of Scots and show a total disregard for the wishes of anyone who doesn't agree with their opinions and policies. \rWhy can't there just be a simple Yes/ No to the question "Do you want another referendum?" More smoke and mirrors from a government that just doesn't listen!	I find it unacceptable that Scottish people who, for whatever reason ( education, employees on overseas contracts with Scottish companies or temporarily working in other areas of the UK, to name but a few) can't vote in any referendum whilst people from overseas who have no intention of staying in Scotland ( and paying tax etc.) are eligible.	No views on this topic. I don't want another referendum!
2248	865490628	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	dont have a vote,you lost get used to it	No Answered	scottish votes for scottish people only
2249	975717076	Nigel Clark	Individual	Individual	I do not support a second referendum on independence. This is a complete waste of taxpayers contributions.	Citizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland should not be allowed to vote.	No comment.
2250	254102373	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Voting age should be from 18 years old and not 16 years old.\rPeople born in Scotland but not currently living there should be allowed a vote.	No Answered	Residents from Commonwealth , Republic of Ireland and other EU countries should have a minimum residency period in Scotland prior to being eligible to vote. I suggest a minimum period of 10 years.
2251	496522709	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	This is fair.	This is fair.
2252	650739571	Alexander Wilkie	Individual	Individual	Process seems fair, but referendum is an unnecessary waste of money at a time when the Scottish Govt should be focusing on key issues such as health, education & transport.	Acceptable, but referendum is not required at this time.	Acceptable, but referendum is not required.
2253	1027727599	Pam Armstrong	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	It is frankly ridiculous that, as a Scottish citizen living in France, I could vote on whether the UK should remain within in the EU (naturally like most Scots, I voted remain), but I have no say whatsoever on whether my country remains within the UK. Quite possibly my best chance, and that of my Geordie husband, of remaining EU citizens is to support an independent Scotland should Brexit be enacted. Just what is it that the Scottish government fears about allowing the participation of Scottish citizens overseas? This is perhaps not the time or the place but the whole issue of which polls and referenda overseas citizens can and should participate in, needs a comprehensive overhaul. The fifteen year rule - not applicable in my case - is complete nonsense. For myself I was born Scottish and I fully intend dying Scottish and I should have a say in my country's future.
2254	407578518	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree with the premise that the result of the UK EU membership referendum gives Scotland a mandate to remain. The result was a democratic vote for the UK as a whole and not for its individual constituents. Although I voted to remain, I believe the result should be respected as should the result of the 2014 Scottish referendum. I fundamentally do jot support a second vote.	I disagree with the bill in its entirety	I disagree with the bill in its entirety
2255	149306207	Nic Archer	Individual	Individual	Please stop obsessing over neverendums and start focusing on the true work of the Scottish Government - health, welfare and transportation. Stop talking about divisive, damaging polls that you want to re-run until you get your own way.	Please stop obsessing over neverendums and start focusing on the true work of the Scottish Government - health, welfare and transportation. Stop talking about divisive, damaging polls that you want to re-run until you get your own way.	Please stop obsessing over neverendums and start focusing on the true work of the Scottish Government - health, welfare and transportation. Stop talking about divisive, damaging polls that you want to re-run until you get your own way.
2256	586271556	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel democracy has no real meaning to this govt . I voted to remain in the U.K and to remain in Europe . I'm accepting that result . \rThis is a waste of precious resources . A waste of time . It was promised not to be revisited in my lifetime . That promise was not to be renegotiated on other terms and conditions .\rThis is not fair or transparent.\rWe need to move forward .	May be difficult to recruit polling and count staff . Most people I know care passionately about their country . A lot of people use social media to express their views and are therefore to my mind involved in campaigning .	No opinion .
2257	852190273	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No comments see no issue with the process, however I do not believe that a second referendum is of any use.	No comments	What are the controls to prevent any public money going to either cause, can't see anything specific here.
2258	421616683	James Armstrong	Individual	Individual	I am against another vote but if one is to be held then it should be run the same way as the original referendum	I agree with the suggested voting procedures	No view
2259	587069262	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements	I am happy with the proposed changes.	I am happy with the updated procedures.
2260	1022906375	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Rather than ask open questions about the need or appetite for a referendum, the questionnaire bypasses this fundamental question and jumps straight into how it should be arranged. I believe such a referendum is an unnecessary expense. I have not read about or personally encountered any appetite for another referendum even after the UK EU referendum result. Such a referendum will be divisive in the extreme amongst family, colleagues and communities. The lack of certainty will also have a seriously negative effect on inward investment to the country. Capital expenditure will, at best, stall, or more likely flow out of Scotland. Economic growth is an absolute must. You cannot keep increasing taxes on a small minority of higher earners to fund a bloated and wasteful social programme.	No comment.	No comment.
2261	361860688	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine but don't want a referendum at all	Fine	Fine
2262	747318004	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It shouldn't be held. The EU referendum was a UK vote and the result should be respected as such.	This is simply a divisive Scottish government trying to engineer a referendum result that suits them.	As per my previous answer.
2263	365680193	andrew fell	Individual	Individual	Representation of our youth and of those working and therefore allowing scotland to thrive should have there views sought	Both suggestion seem to push democracy, which can only be good	The definition of "managing" funds next to be expanded as vague.\r 10000, seems a lot of money for someone to spend without being regestered.\r Registration needs to be simpler and come with "compulsory to be displyed" number
2264	810116092	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel they are straight forward and clear.	I feel they are good.	I feel it completely fair that only people living and working in Scotland get a say.
2265	868627519	Colin Davidson	Individual	Individual	The Scottish people voted by a clear majority to remain part of the United Kingdom in the independence referendum. Much is now being made of the suggestion that the Scottish people have voted to remain in the EU; this is not true as the vote was one by the people of the U.K.. The people of Scotland voted to remain in the the U.K. and the people of the U.K. voted to leave the E.U.. \rIt is nonsense to suggest that Scotland could play a different part in Europe from the other U.K. countries. \rIt would be extremely unfortunate to mount another independence referendun at a time of uncertainly surrounding the negotiations to leave the E.U., not least because most the Scotland's trade is not with the E.U. but with our U.K. partner England!	No views on this	No views on this
2266	372793825	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no second referendum. The people of Scotland have already given you an absolutely clear and unequivocal response to the question of independence. That answer was NO and it is time that Nicola Sturgeon and the Scottish Government respected that clear and unequivocal response. The people of Scotland overwhelmingly voted to remain part of the UK and Nicola Sturgeon's continued refusal to accept that vote is totally unacceptable.\rThe fact that we also voted to remain in Europe is not argument to hold a second referendum on independence.	There should be no second referendum and therefore these changes are totally unnnecessary.	See previous responses
2267	749723431	craig lapsley	Individual	Individual	Fully opposed to a new referendum	Fully opposed to a new referendum	No problem with this
2268	975931434	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe that there should be no vote. The country has already voted and we cannot afford to go through this process again.	These rules are fine but I still think there should be no referendum	This is fine
2269	671199324	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are fine.	Agree with stricter checking of the validity of postal votes.	Agree with this.
2270	964483530	Shirley Drummond	Individual	Individual	I don't agree with a referendum under any circumstances.	There should not be another vote. There was a perfectly held election just over two years ago and the result was clear.	There is no reason to hold another vote
2271	465468018	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We only found this consultation this morning after reading an article on the BBC news website. This consultation has not been well enough publicised - we did not receive any letter or flyer in the post and considering it closes on 11th January and apparently opened in October, I think all residents in Scotland should have been formally notified. Can you confirm how the public was informed about the consultation? We have no wish for a second referendum to take place, we should stay part of the U.K. Given that this consultation has not been advertised well enough, I would question the results and intend to do so. All members of the public should have been given the opportunity to take part in this, there should have been a flyer sent to all households but this did not happen.	As above, we have no wish for a referendum.	As above, we have no wish for a second referendum.
2272	973986934	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If the Returning officer is the chief executive of the Council, they should not receive extra renumeration.\rThe use of electronic voting should be explored.	No voting for Eu citizens resident here, which includes the EU country , Republic of Ireland, until after 5/10 years, are we allowed to vote in other elections?\rVoting for 16 year old good idea,.	No view
2273	604829718	JUDE SCOTT	Individual	Individual	I believe That as the UK voted to leave the EU but Scotland as a whole voted to stay in the EU that there should be a vote but with a clause that enables Scotland to stay in the EU	it seems fine	it seems fine
2274	232210748	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Scotland is far too small to be independent \r I want to remain part of a UK.\r Please don't waste any more scarce resources on this, instead concentrate on getting on with managing public services etc.	No view on this	No view
2275	654432235	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am totally against a second referendum - what part of 'NO' does Nicola not understand.	A waste of public money	Irrelevant question
2276	289718277	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Another referendum is neither required nor desired by the majority.	Not required	Not required
2277	905858270	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is supposed to be a consultation on a proposed referendum, but this is a consultation on the technical procedures for holding a referendum. It pre-supposes that a referendum will take place.\rThe Scottish Government would do better to concentrate on governing the country rather than plunging us all back into the division and uncertainty that gripped this country for two years around the last referendum.	Eligibility to vote should be limited to :-\rBritish citizens resident in Scotland\rMembers of the House of Lords resident in Scotland\rService/Crown personnel serving in the UK or overseas in the Armed Forces or with Her Majesty’s Government who are registered to vote in Scotland\rCitizens of other countries should not have the right to determine the future of this country	No comment
2278	428871593	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for another referendum so your proposed arrangements are irrelevant.	I do not have a problem with the voting procedures or eligibility. I could not vote in the last elections due to the lack of time allowed for postal vote applications.	No problem with this section.
2279	117901559	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This process is fine. I am concerned that the government should be focus in on issues other than another referendum.	I believe that Scots who do not currently reside in Scotland should be eligible to vote. For many they will return to love and work here and Scotland's future is important to them and to their families.	This is fine
2280	114869905	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The management of the 2014 referendum was fairly successful so it would be best to do the same for any upcoming referendum.	I would agree that these changes should be implemented. On the issue of polling staff though, they should give a signed statement that they have not been involved in campaigning during the referendum.	I would agree that these changes should be implemented.
2281	395645981	Joanne Georgeson	Individual	Individual	Managing the proposed referendum appears fair.	Fair	No opinion
2282	227163755	Ruth Innes	Individual	Individual	No issues	No issues	No issues
2283	799390707	Carol Riley	Individual	Individual	The British people,and the people of Scotland, made their decision to remain in the U.K. \rThere is absolutely no requirement for a second referendum on independence. \rThe First Minister must start to listen to the people who voted for her - we voted No and we mean NO!	No issues	No issues
2284	1006467531	Stephen Wiltshire	Individual	Individual	We dont need another indy referendum.	We dont need another indy referendum	We do not need another indy referendum
2285	677420601	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As the UK government has not approved another independence referendum there is nothing to manage at this time	As above there is no approval for another independence referendum	As above there is no approval for another independence referendum
2286	902479742	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposal for managing the referendum seems to be in line with previous ones and so is acceptable. However I would raise the point that the allocation of Yes and No are , contrary to popular belief, in itself biased. Allocating YES to a leave campaign is itself biased allowing that side an advantage in positive campaigning. Any referendum question should be worded in such a way so as to allow both sides to campaign positively. The No campaign was seriously disadvantaged in 2014 by having to campaign for NO - essentially a negative campaign before it even started.	If the UK has left the EU by the date of any referendum then Eire and EU resident voters who are not UK citizens should not be allowed to vote.	no view
2287	253145443	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no second referendum. The last one was conclusive, please get on with running the country.	There should be no second referendum. The last one was conclusive, please get on with running the country.	There should be no second referendum. The last one was conclusive, please get on with running the country.
2288	919202507	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This consultation is on technical points only and doesn't ask the fundamental question, do you think we should be holding a referendum. This is removing the sovereign will of the Scottish people as it pretends to consult but in fact only allows for debate around how the referendum is to be undertaken. This process is not flawed, it is undemocratic and is merely a ruse that the people of Scotland have been consulted.	This consultation is on technical points only and doesn't ask the fundamental question, do you think we should be holding a referendum. This is removing the sovereign will of the Scottish people as it pretends to consult but in fact only allows for debate around how the referendum is to be undertaken. This process is not flawed, it is undemocratic and is merely a ruse that the people of Scotland have been consulted.	This consultation is on technical points only and doesn't ask the fundamental question, do you think we should be holding a referendum. This is removing the sovereign will of the Scottish people as it pretends to consult but in fact only allows for debate around how the referendum is to be undertaken. This process is not flawed, it is undemocratic and is merely a ruse that the people of Scotland have been consulted.
2289	135385502	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't believe that another referendum should be considered at least "for a generation "	No Answered	Accept the outcome of the 2014 referendum and move on.
2290	253963986	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Why are you asking us about this again we have voted and said no. Accept it.	Why are you wasting tax payers money on this that you could be investing in the NHS and getting rid of CfE and actually allowing teachers to enjoy their job again. 16 + 17 year olds shouldn't be allowed to vote. They need to ask to go to the toilet in school, they shouldn't have the right to vote. They don't pay tax.	Why are you asking us about this again we have voted and said no. Accept it.
2291	308889045	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Proposed arrangements for managing referendum are in order. However we should not even be proposing this, we voted no in 2014, by a majority. That should stand for at least a decade (SNP words not mine)	Satisfactory	Satisfactory
2292	146608024	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No major change in the structure.	Voters must present identification at the polling station.NI number,utility bill,tenenency agreement,bank statement.\rVoting should decome either compulsory or mandatory following the pattern of several European countries.	All donations over £25 should be disclosed and its source whether private or trade union clearly identified.
2293	536504184	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a further referendum on Scottish independence the question was answered in 2014. The Scottish executive does not hold a clear mandate to try for another referendum.	it is a bit irrelevant as there is no mandate for a further referendum however, if there were it should only be people entitled to vote in national elections that should be allowed to partake.	Again there should be no further referendums on this matter as it was settled for a "generation" in 2014
2294	803700262	Stuart Morrison	Individual	Individual	A waste of time and money as a vote was held and a clear decision given by a majority of the electorate. Please concentrate on the economy and fiscal black hole instead of this stupid, pointless obsession.	No concerns	No issues
2295	1033246826	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am comfortable with the way in which the arrangements will be managed. However I believe the age limits for voting should be reviewed. I would rather the government focused on governing rather than spending time, money and energy on asking the public to make any other decision in the hope it will be a different answer. In legislation it should state 'once in a generation' timeline which is surely more than 3 years.	I do not believe 16/17 should be given right to vote. Also there should be an older limit as we have seen in brexit many older generation are voting on what will happen in years to come when it has no impact on their life. This may be seen as undemocratic however choices have to be made and a line is always drawn at one point. I believe ID should be asked for however this has to be made clear to voters before going to the polling station. Those who haven't paid council tax/ poll tax should be followed up upon this time once they register to vote - no exemptions should be given.	No comments
2296	507988603	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the current arrangements . \rBut i don't think there should be another independence referendum again.	I believe only people who where born in scotland should have the right to a vote.\rBut I don't think there should be another independence referendum.	I am happy with this arrangement \rBut I don't think there should be another independence referendum
2297	960306576	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	a waste of time . SNP has not taken the opportunity to use all the devolved powers. only takes me 5 weeks to see my doctor under snp	disagree that non uk citizens should vote.	complicated
2298	427188078	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't think that a 2nd referendum should take place. The public voted to remain as part of the uk . Give it rest and get on with the job in hand.	No comment	No comment
2299	675406762	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements for managing ANOTHER referendum are a complete waste of time, the Scottish people have already voted to remain in the UK, this is another attempt by Nicola Sturgeon to gain her PERSONAL agenda, another waste of public money and a complete disregard for the things wrong in Scotland that need governing. When the European referendum was held, Ms Sturgeon made it quite clear that should the UK leave the EU she would push for another Scottish Independence referendum, by doing this she effectively influenced the way Scottish people voted, staying in the EU would mean that she wouldn't push for "indyref2" therefore the Scottish voters voted to stay in the EU, that's the only reason I voted to stay in the EU because I am sick of hearing about her agenda when I already voted NO to Scottish Independence and I don't feel I need to repeat myself. And as a result she is now using this EU vote as leverage for another Scottish referendum, when in reality, the vote was clearly cast because the Scottish people want their NO vote acknowledged and accepted by Ms Sturgeon and her party. Had the 2014 Scottish Independence vote been a YES vote there would have been no more consultations of any kind, no chance to rethink or challenge the way the public voted. Any clear or sustained evidence that the public were having a rethink on their YES vote (given the failings of the present government) and were leaning towards wishing they'd stayed in the UK would not even be considered. Ms Sturgeon's hypocrisy during the EU vote when she declared that the will of the Scottish voters to remain in the EU has to be acknowledged is laughable, she should apply that same principle to the 2014 Independence vote, accept the will of the people, stop this personal crusade, stop flinging her rattle out of her pram and accept defeat! Get on with running the country Ms Sturgeon and drop this second independence referendum, we already said NO!	All Scottish people should have a vote regardless of where they live.	No views
2300	42849913	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe that there should be no repeat of the last referendum for the foreseeable future, however if the SNP insist against the sovereign will of the people to stage another one that eligibility to vote should be extended to a Scottish born individuals living outside of Scotland at the time of the referendum	I believe that eligibility to vote should be extended to a Scottish born individuals living outside of Scotland at the time of the referendum	No comment
2301	1072350384	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe there should be a 2nd Independence referendum, since the country voted decisively against independence in the September referendum.	See response above -	See responses above - I do not support allowing children < 18 year old a vote in any election.
2302	8873555	None	Individual	Individual	There should be a change to the eligibility to vote to allow Scottish citizens living abroad to vote under the same terms as apply to British citizens living abroad for voting in Parliamentary elections.\rRequirements for disabled access should be better addressed. In my own area the polling location selected (Back Community Hut) was not properly disabled access friendly.	I believe Scottish citizens living abroad should be eligible to vote in the same way that British citizens are for Parliamentary elections.	No comment
2303	229277621	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a second Independence Referendum. The Scottish Nationalist Party do NOT have a mandate to hold one despite their own opinion. The Independence Referendum of 2014 clearly showed that Scotland did not want independence. To hold another one would be even more divisive than before and the result will be the same. No doubt if the SNP lost an IndyRef2 they would find a way of holding an IndyRef3 and IndyRef4. It is a waste of time, money and resources at a time when the Scottish Government should be putting all of it's efforts into sorting out the mess it has created over the past eight years.	As above.	As above.
2304	974303710	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	When the Brexit vote took place a smaller majority than that delivered against independence was described by Nicola Sturgeon as the will of the people and that it must be respected. The will of the people in Scotland was clear - no to independence - and it is time the government accepted that and stopped trying to engineer further referenda. As Brexit has shown a referendum is always stacked against the status quo; if the challenger wins there is no scope to reverse the decision, if the challenger loses keep having referendums until you win. The government was mandated to ensure Scotland had quality healthcare and education - both of which it is failing on - not to waste time and resources on political folly.	No opinion	No opinion
2305	768451329	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The problem is the Question. The 2014 question contains bias.\r The correct question should reflect the EU referendum question.\r 'Should Scotland remain a member of the United Kingdom, or leave the United Kingdom.'\r Anything else is an attempt to skew the result.	Since the process of leaving the EU will have started it seems strange to give EU citizens a vote - should stipulate they have lived in Scotland for at least 2 years.\r Why are Scottish born citizens that maybe temporarily abroad (or elsewhere in the UK) for work or study be denied a say?	OK
2306	611349212	John Wilson	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	This "consultation" is a sham. I'm sure I'm not the only person who thought it was about whether there was a desire to hold a referendum, not about the mechanics of holding one.
2307	914272655	Alan Buchan	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	How many times do the people of Scotland have to tell the SNP - NO MORE REFERENDUMS . Please try running the country as a government should. which you are up to now, failing to do.
2308	49925244	John Vickers	Individual	Individual	In agreement	In agreement	In agreement
2309	347054067	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum.	I do not want another referendum.	I do not want another referendum.
2310	242665686	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The current arrangements used in the original referendedum were satisfactory and there fore no further referendum is required.	No Answered	Voters who are on holiday abroad, for perhaps a month, should be able to ,are a postal vote therefore the posting of ballot papers should be done earlier.
2311	763155027	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I accept these arrangements	No strong view on technical changes	No view
2312	186976964	Stan Alexander	Individual	Individual	The Scottish Parliament do not have a mandate to conduct a further referendum and waste public money in their political ambition. The will of the Scottish people as clearly shown in 2014 should be respected.	No comment	No comment
2313	364465872	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	This is a colossal waste of time. This government is in the process of destroying the NHS with unprecedented budget cuts and has reduced our education system to an international joke. Any plans for a further referendum should be withdrawn.\rThis 'consultation ' which limits itself to asking pretty loaded questions on technical details seems to be a cynical attempt to claim Scots are engaging with the issues.\rIf the SNP is actually interested in providing the best future for Scotland then please drop all talk of referenda and actually get on with running the country.
2314	230385466	HUGH CAMPBELL	Individual	Individual	We have already voted NO NO NO.\rThis is undemocratic as it was never on the agenda at the last general election.	So just to be clear the UK voted for Brexit from the EU yet EU country residents in Scotland can vote for EXIT (Exit from England)!\rYou cannot be serious.	Who actually benefits from these changes?
2315	406142857	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum, the results were clear last time round.	there should be no polling or counting as there is no basis for another referendum	There should be no rule changes as there should not be another vote
2316	41884060	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They are not necessary as we do not need a second referendum , the sooner the SNP accept the outcome of the last independence referendum the better.	When we might require them in future they make sense	They make sense
2317	756022662	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements in the last referendum were fair. If these are closely aligned to those then they are also fair.	My view on these are also that they are fair.	Also fine.
2318	662335617	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Anger, the vote should NOT be going ahead. This is not once in a lifetime and as usual the SNP are strong arming the nation somewhere they should not be. The EU vote was a vote for a Britain to decide, it was not a regional vote. One vote per person in the UK, my vote was representative of MY Views not Scotlands and should not be seen differently to a vote in London or Manchester or anywhere else in the UK.	None	None
2319	1055245238	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not in favour of under-18s voting. The intimidation of candidates and voters during the last campaign was not dealt with properly or indeed legally. My daughter was verbally abused with foul language by campaigners when she expressed an opposing view. People should be able to speak without harassment, whoever they are.	Rules on postal voting need greater tightening - personation is on the increase, and there is evidence of postal vote harvesting in some communities.	No objections
2320	681808799	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They seem OK	They seem OK	They seem OK
2321	34224127	Andy macdonald	Individual	Individual	Agree and think it's fairest way	Happy. Don't think that people who only live full time in Scotland should be allowed to vote	Fair
2322	33369328	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They are satisfactory	They are acceptable	Satisfactory
2323	312083612	Julie Jackson	Individual	Individual	I do not believe it is justified to have another referendum. The country voted clearly few years ago to remain within the UK.	Since I don't agree with another referendum I have no opinion on the proposed changes.	See above response.
2324	484598372	Peter Boyle	Individual	Individual	no comment	Voter registration irregularities were reported in the 2014 election. This should\rbe carefully audited by cross reference to the Register of Births for UK nationals.\r Cross reference to Visa's via UKBA should applied to non-EU foreign nationals.\r I do not see what will prevent large scale voter fraud through the false registration of spurious EU nationals since there is no requirement of registration with either the Register of Births or UKBA. \r How can spurious EU nationals be cross checked, verified or detected in the way that registration of underage UK nationals was detected in the last referendum?	no comment
2325	83053389	Ashley Nicholls	Individual	Individual	As an Englishman I would appreciate the opportunity to cast a vote upon Scottish Independence.	no specific view	no specific view
2326	131194613	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposal is totally unnecessary. We already decided this issue. It is a waste of money and valuable government time. Please move on to important domestic issues.	Unnecessary	Unnecessary
2327	222477963	Ross Hall	Individual	Individual	Given the EU vote it is more then ever Scotland becomes independant	All current citizen inc EU nations resident should should have a say	This is important and everybody should have a say
2328	874230214	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I consider this proposal as fit for purpose	I agree with the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements	I agree with the procedures proposed
2329	737368242	Ian Balfour	Individual	Individual	No problem with technicalities of a referendum.	No problem.	No problem
2330	948267412	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no more referendums	Commonwealth citizens should not be allowed to vote and they clearly want to remain in EU	No views
2331	222443633	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The result of the original referendum should be respected. The Scottish government should concentrate its efforts of governing the country NOT pursuing a minority nationalist agenda.	See above	Changing the voter basis in an attempt to maximise the chance of a favourable result is pathetic.
2332	401966969	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with them. \rOfficers managing the referendum should be living in Scotland for a minimum of 5 years before the referendum	The voting right for people who have a permanent address in Scotland should be living in Scotland for a minimum of 5 years before the referendum and it is fundamental and needs to be monitored on the polling day at the polling station and endorsed by Council Tax or Electoral register data.\r Members of the House of Lords (England) should not have the right to vote just by owning a property in Scotland: they should be living in Scotland for a minimum of 5 years before the referendum	Agree
2333	698088995	Jim Waugh	Individual	Individual	The Proposals are clear, concise and to the point.	I have no constructive comments to add to this section.	No constructive comments to add.
2334	55292377	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't want another referendum	I don't want another referendum	I don't want another referendum
2335	510110023	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't need another referendum so no need to worry about managing another one.	No need to change current system	No need to change current system
2336	798698434	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This seems right and proper. The electoral commission gives status to the referendum.	No Answered	Agreed. I do not see how else this could be done. This is about those who live in Scotland, not those with romantic or nostalgic heritage.
2337	341230293	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	NA	Such an important matter which is not purely party politics should be open to all Scots around the world. It directly impacts us, our families and our ties to our birthplace.\rAny result is completely valueless without taking our opinion into account.	NA
2338	261410034	David Gordon	Individual	Individual	There were a great deal of suggestion that the last referendum's counting was fraudulent in one way or another; the Scottish Government needs to do more to ensure that this is not the case this time.\r The police need to have a bigger presence in elections to reduce fraud of any kind. G4S, the Police or both should be escorting all boxes from polling stations to their central counting locations to ensure no mishaps occur on route.\r In this way transparency, and security will have been improved thus reducing the possibility of backlash after the new referendum.	Both ideas are appropriate and reasonable.	There were suggestions that in the last referendum rules were broken such as changes of "offers and promises" made in the last few days before voting. Again the Scottish Government did not address this.
2339	446236479	Alexander Chisholm	Individual	Individual	Agree with all of the above.	Agree.	Agree.
2340	35329758	Eddie McGlone	Individual	Individual	Happy with the arrangements as proposed.	Generally happy with the proposals. \r Absolutely in favour of tightening up the rules around absentee voting and the use of the emergency proxy vote. Agree that all postal votes should be checked rigorously.\r Have concerns about the proposal that Counting Officers should not "knowingly" employ anyone who has been a campaigner in the referendum. This is too vague to be of any practical use. By the very nature of politics, it is likely that the people engaged and interested in spending an albeit paid, night at the count of an election or referendum, will be those most engaged and interested in the campaign and outcome. These are also more likely to be activists and campaigners themselves. \r If this proposal is intended to avoid any instances of counting fraud or error perpetrated by unscrupulous activists present at the count, it would better be countered by more robust systems of checking and verification and by finding some means of creating count teams broadly balanced between supporters of either side of the campaign. Unlike a multi party election, almost every person in the country, whether they vote or not, is likely to have a real preference for a particular outcome so to attempt to avoid bias at the count requires positive, definable and measurable steps to be taken, not vague statements.	Agree fully with the proposals.
2341	451075827	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no problems for the management of the referendum other than the fact that there is potentially another referendum.	I have no problems for the technical changes to polling of the referendum other than the fact that there is potentially another referendum.	I have no problems on participant rules for the referendum other than the fact that there is potentially another referendum.
2342	77565060	Richard Cockbain	Individual	Individual	I do not support a further referendum nor want Scottish independence, however the above arrangements appear reasonable on the information provided.	As per above, while unnecessary after the 2014 'once in a lifetime' referendum, nothing of apparent concern in this.	As per above.
2343	159028979	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree that this is the correct way to manage polling. It works for local elections and Scottish Parliament elections so this should not change.	Agree with this process.	Agree with this process.
2344	988827714	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Yes campaigners all over the place were intimidating	I agree with this.....I think in some households undue influence may be exerted	I agree
2345	801245472	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As similar to last time there should ne no referendum as no new factual information has or will be presented to allow people to make an informed decision.\r The question needs to be asked "how can you have a vote on independence but still want to be dictated to by an unelected European union" . It is a contradiction and makes no sense and strikes at the very heart of what this, Scottish nationalism and the SNP using any route possible to get what they want and at any cost.	No view as little material change	No view as little change
2346	800820509	Steven mcgeown	Individual	Individual	I dont believe there should be a referendum to manage in the first place but the last one was managed fine.	I think 16 -17 year olds are too young to vote as thay are more likely to vote in a way that is seen as popular than in a way that is thought out and far more easily manipulated.	Sounds like a waste of time, words and paper.
2347	686014228	Craig Watson	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum	There should be no referendum	There should be no referendum
2348	368480608	Mr	Individual	Individual	We do not wish another referendum on any account\rMs Sturgeon and cronies should get on with governing Scotland for the people who put them there.\rNot attending to her dream and the notion of brainwashing the rest of us!\rGet her /them out of there if she /won't do work for the majority who have already stated in last vote. We need a Leader not a dream maker.	No Answered	If you are not here you don't vote e except postal voting.
2349	882781877	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no second referendum	There should be no second referendum	There should be no second referendum
2350	613007858	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Strongly agreeable	In agreement.	In agreement
2351	354415125	Rosemary Bullock	Individual	Individual	This all sounds fine	No Answered	I believe that the. Voting age should be lowered further. During the previous referendum I was unable to vote despite the fact that I was well educated about both sides of the argument and having strong opinions on the matter. It is easy for young people to get information and keep them self informed about matters involving politics due to the internet and interest in politics has grown hugely in younger people. Therefore why should they not be allowed to vote? It is after all their country too, they will be growing up in it and therefore will view matters differently than an older generation ( for example, views on education and funding for university) . Although I am now able to vote, I still believe it is unfair that say 14 and 15 year olds can't. I know that a line must be drawn somewhere but if these age groups are old enough to make decisions regarding there future in school then why can't they have a voice in their countries future
2352	844266144	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is not required. The people voted to remain part of the UK. This is a distraction and the Government should get on with improving the lot of the people of Scotland using the powers which it already has.	No change is required	No change is required
2353	579530759	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed framework.	Members of the House of Lords are accountable to no one and represent an outdated undemocratic system. Accordingly, they should be denied the ability to participate in the referendum.	No comment.
2354	907801124	Fiona MacDonald	Individual	Individual	I don't believe there should be another referendum. I voted and was re-assured that this would be a "once in a lifetime" vote. I view this referendum as a fundamental undermining of democracy.	I assume these changes would also apply to all future elections.... other than the provisions for young people, which were already in place for The Referendum, I do not think the proposed changes would make any difference to the result. 55% of Scots voted to remain part of the UK their views should count.	I have no objections to this proposal.
2355	612375885	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposals are acceptable.	With the exception of allowing Lords to be included in the Referendum, I am happy with the proposals.	No views
2356	656575621	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have very little idea what this means. I can understand my fuel bill easier than this question.	Are you trying to make this survey as difficult as possible?	I am starting to glaze over.
2357	39733381	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	respect the will of the Scottish people. You are causing more harm to this country with this nonsense.	Dont care. Get on with your day job.	Not reading any of this rubbish.
2358	197906225	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This consultation is a farce - through the whole process, detailed questions are asked about the minutae of electoral process, but at no point are the public ever given the opportunity to offer their opinion on whether they support a second referendum or not. \r I cannot see it as anything other than a procedural figure leaf, designed to allow the claim that the public were consulted, but having no danger of providing an adverse result. \r If not in this process, when would the public be given their opportunity to comment on their views about a second referendum? \r Holding of a second referendum would be a massive waste of tax payers money and effort. A huge amount of media time and attention was consumed by the first referendum, and it had significant negative effect on Scottish businesses. It would not be a positive step forward for a prosperous future. Scotland will remain stuck in the past unless it accepts the clear result of the last referendum and begins to move on with the massive political autonomy it already has.	I think 16 is too young to be able to fully understand the issues in an election of this kind. I feel the voting age should remain at 18, which would allow young people to continue to develop their education without having to worry about politics, before they can then make better informed decisions at 18. If we don't trust people to drink at 16, why do we trust them to vote?	No comments on this issue.
2359	192687025	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There should be no second referendum
2360	128260675	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum in these uncertain times. Remember the 'milk and honey' promises built on oil money!	Eire and E.U. citizens should not be permitted to vote as it is an Scottish matter.	None.
2361	395111065	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This consultation is only about how we organise a referendum. Whereas the publicity issued by the Government infers that the public are being consulted about the whole issue of the referendum. The consultation should include the question why we need a referendum.\rWe are supposed to be having a Conversation and I see no evidence of this.	Agree	Agree
2362	916709073	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Biggest waste of money so soon after we already voted NO. Stop wanting to be an independent country and sort out the issues on NHS, education and health inequality with the money needed to run a referendum campaign. Europe has nothing to do with this and after Brexit an independent Scotland would be the biggest disaster ever for our country.	No Answered	16-18 year old should NOT be able to vote
2363	819281398	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We already had one. We should not be having another.	We already had one. We should not be having another.	We already had one . We should not be having another.
2364	919983277	Kevin Reilly	Individual	Individual	There shouldn't be another referendum. Scotland had a referendum 2014. The matter of whether Scotland should or should not become an independent country was settled in a democratic vote. The answer was no. No means no.	There shouldn't be another referendum. Scotland had a referendum 2014. The matter of whether Scotland should or should not become an independent country was settled in a democratic vote. The answer was no. No means no.	There shouldn't be another referendum. Scotland had a referendum 2014. The matter of whether Scotland should or should not become an independent country was settled in a democratic vote. The answer was no. No means no.
2365	836008942	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would like to see Scottish people living abroad having a vote. Perhaps in a similar way to people who were able to vote in the EU referendum. It doesn't seem fair that someone with no real long term interest in the country but just happens to be living here has a vote but someone with lifelong interest in the country who happens to be living away doesn't.	As mentioned above I would like Scotts living abroad to be able to be able to vote. \r I think it is good that 16 and 17 year old can vote.	No particular view.
2366	946834303	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't have any issue around the managing side of a referendum however don't agree with a second referendum, we've been here before & the country chose to remain	I don't have any issue around any technical changes however don't want a second referendum	I don't have any issue with the above however don't want a second referendum
2367	973647724	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum so I would hope the monies set aside for that could be used for the good of the country	As above	Again an irrelevant question as there should be no further referendum.
2368	305149980	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The mechanics of holding a referendum are of no consequence when there is no reason or mandate to hold a referendum. Provided the procedures follow internationally accepted principles of fairness and the questions are not "slanted" then I have nothing to add on this section	Despite the fact that it is now law, I still don't believe that 16 and 17 year olds have sufficient life experience to make such a monumental decision: they are also more susceptible to propaganda and other information they receive from their schools, so none should be permitted in any context.	This is all window dressing for an event that should never happen. I have no problems with the suggested changes though.
2369	449641629	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum. For Scotland to remain a member of the EU would not be independence. The EU would impose financial and judiciary controls and would restrict control of borders. This is not independence. It is also doubtful if Scotland would meet the financial requirements for independence.	Any British citizen born in Scotland and over 16 should be allowed to vote regardless of where they live.	No comment
2370	93011565	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with the current arrangement.	Happy with this arrangement.	Happy with this arrangement.
2371	530929390	William. Skinner	Individual	Individual	The Electoral Commission must have complete oversight of of any unwanted referendum, during the last referendum a number of organizations who claimed to be independent were actually SNP funded.	Needs to be scrutinized carefully.	Are these changes really necessary .
2372	106789649	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I clearly think that this issue is a waste of money and does not reflect the majority of the people of Scotland. The money could be put to better use for our children and grandchildren.	I clearly think that this issue is a waste of money and does not reflect the majority of the people of Scotland. The money and the time would be better used to educate the children of this nation to be citizens of the world and not an insecure nation that takes steps back instead of forward.	I clearly think that this issue is a waste of money and does not reflect the majority of the people of Scotland. The money and the time would be better used to educate the children of this nation to be citizens of the world and not an insecure nation that takes steps back instead of forward.
2373	150182642	PAUL MCALLISTER	Individual	Individual	A POINTLESS WASTE OF RESOURCES	FINE, NOTHING OF SIGNIFICANCE	FINE, OF LITTLE PUBLIC INTEREST
2374	317064389	Alan Parker	Individual	Individual	Should not be any , we already decided !	Should not be any changes , get on with the day job	Whole UK should get any future vote as it would be unfair to remove Wales , England and Northern Ireland from Union against there will !
2375	863111416	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I am not in favour of a second indyref. I am disappointed and disillusioned with the SNP government. The Named Person Bill is a good example of the inability to think through the implications of legislation. There is an adherence to dogma without a full understanding of the implications. This of course is not confined to the SNP. We see in society at large the loud voice of a vocal few dominating the scene and advocating a move away from structures which have stood the test of time right from the start of primitive culture. The core of human life is relationship and community and the start of that is in the nuclear family unit. In our current age everything is thrown out in the name of being progressive. We live in the big iWorld and it is not a recipe for success. There is more anxiety and distress amongst young people than ever before and evidence of insecurity at all levels of society. There is so much unrest in Britain due to a separation of people from governance. We have sold our assets abroad to the highest bidder and in that respect Mr Trump is correct. We need to look at what made our country great and start rebuilding it, not to conform necessarily to what Europe or the rest of the World thinks important but what will make us self reliant as a nation where individuals regain their self respect. That may indeed mean that we accept a simpler life style which will be good for the environment.\r Finally, a simple yes/no vote means different things to different people as we have seen in the last two referenda. It's bad practice
2376	604195921	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Don't hold a referendum. The majority of people have shown in poll after poll they do not want another referendum.\rIf I have to make a choice between being a part of the EU or a part of the UK the UK wins my vote every time.\rTo break away from Scotland's major trading partner is completely stupid.\rAll the questions asked in this document are therefore irrelevant.\rDO you actually think the majority of people are going to bother reading this document, what a waste of time. Box ticking exercise, nothing more. Totally out of touch.
2377	743611135	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No problems	As fair as they can be	No view
2378	462890231	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not feel there is any need for a further referendum. Why would we wish to be independent from the UK to be run by the E U.Just because people voted to leave the EU should not be assumed by the SNP Government to be a signal for independence. Also if we believe in the democratic process, then we should abide by the outcome of both the earlier referendum on independence and also the EU Exit result.	Content if this has to go ahead at all.	As above.
2379	303152585	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the whole idea is a joke.	I think the whole idea is a joke.	I think the whole idea is a joke.
2380	75996658	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No particular view on this as is the current Normal Procedure.	I feel only British citizens resident in Scotland should be allowed to Cote on this Issue I do not agree that citisens of other EU countries resident in Scotland should be allowed to particiapte.	No Particular views on this.
2381	886933282	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	That no referendum is required nor should be proposed.	No comment. Question assumes I'm supportive of a proposed referendum.	No comment. Question assumes I'm supportive of a proposed referendum.
2382	527737809	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We do not need or want a referendum. This was decided at a previous "once in a generation" referendum on independence. The majority voted against the idea - please have the courtesy to accept that result. The decision to leave the EU does NOT change this in any way!	A complete waste of time and energy	Please see above and respect the previous referendum result
2383	956698538	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No referendum should take place	No referendum should take place	No referendum should take place
2384	825051246	Iain McArthur	Individual	Individual	I have no issue with this.	I have no issue with this, with the exception that I think 16 and 17 year olds should not be allowed to vote.	I have no issue with this.
2385	275484954	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If there is to be one which is think there should not it should be the same rules a the UK General election	UK General election rules only	No view on this
2386	872389353	Peter Parker	Individual	Individual	Should not be any should not be any	Should not be any should not be any	Whole UK should get a vote as it would be unfair to remove Wales , England and Northern Ireland from Union with Scotland against there will !
2387	712538636	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No more referendums. We said No and that opinion hasnt changed.
2388	105390022	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel that the counts should be done as a country as a whole, rather than declaring constituencies. I think this could help relieve division post-vote.	I agree	I agree
2389	664000596	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe the proposed arrangements should not be required as there should not be another independence referendum. We are a united country and we should live by the democratic decision of our country whether we like it or not. The money used for such a venture would be better utilised to assist families out of poverty and provide better public services to the people of Scotland.	My view is that there should not be another referendum and the government should continue to govern the country without an added distraction of another referendum. Therefore in my opinion these questions are irrelevant.	As above.
2390	564276985	Ian McNeil	Individual	Individual	My view is that it is a complete waste of time, money and effort to initiate a referendum on an issue that was dealt with only a couple of years ago. Surely our go rent has ,ore important things to do.	No view	No views
2391	437207248	Douglas Stoneman	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum	There should be no referendum	I n any future referendum expats and Scots living in other parrs of UK should vote.
2392	504028732	Peter Mackin	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are fine. However, the people of Scotland voted No in 2014. There should NOT be a second referendum.	Non-British citizens should NOT be allowed to vote. There should not be a second referendum.	There should not be a second referendum.
2393	336463433	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Individual	Sixteen and seventeen year old children should not be permitted to vote
2394	514967933	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Have no objection to proposed arrangements.	my only objection is that I strongly feel Scottish born residents in U.K. , EU and Commonwealth also be given the opportunity to vote.	Agree with proposals
2395	148357868	Jonathan O'Reilly	Individual	Individual	The process for managing the proposed vote is within current regulations and therefore appropriate.	The changes seem non controversial.	Fine.
2396	416526360	Colin Mackay	Individual	Individual	Agree with proposals.	Agree and welcome new changes.	Unsure.
2397	990717739	Charles Henderson	Individual	Individual	Seems fair	Seems fine	British Citizens only should be allowed to vote.
2398	362527407	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	We don't need another referendum only 3 years after the last one.
2399	585021148	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Complete waste of time & money	No thoughts either way	So previously people were unaware that they'd been appointed??
2400	68062547	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have logged on to this site to object to any second Scottish Independence Refurendum. \r I object to the opening sentence that the SNP were elected on a clear mandate to hold a second referendum should there be a significant change within the UK affecting Scotland interests. \r Two Points. \r1. SNP have no clear mandate for anything. They are in the minority by a small margin. \r2. To suggest that they have a mandate on this particular issue is entirely subjective. Although many people voted for SNP, it does not mean they are voting for independence. Many like myself are voting SNP because of the ineptitude of Labour. Although seeing a number of under-performances by the SNP when in charge in Education, Transport and Police Scotland, I am now seriously considering a voting switch from previously Labour, to currently SNP, to probably in the future, Conservative. The vote for Conservative will be crystallised if the SNP push for another destructive referendum. Economic suicide and Independence at all costs.	No Views.	No views, other than I object to 16 and 17 year old being able to vote. I have children in this age bracket with a good education. However, I don't think they generally have the maturity or knowledge to make an informed vote. \r Incidentally, nor should they be able to join the armed forces until 18.
2401	228948312	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	All sounds good.	I think it's unfair not to let Scottish people living elsewhere have a vote. My husband and I have recently moved back up after a move to Carlisle. We both were unable to vote in the last referendum, which we both would have voted yes for.	No view on this
2402	182360725	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The 2014 'campaign' went on for far too long. Officially it was about 6 months but in reality, it was 32 months with all the hubris produced by politicians, especially those supporting the notion.\rAs a consequence, the public were wearied of the process before the official campaign began.
2403	805405912	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No problems witht the 2014 management. keep as is.	totally agree with the extra checking of postal votes. I would like to see the introduction of verification of voters ie ID required at polling stations. dont see how in 2017 everyone (however poor) doesnt at least have something with their name/address on (even if bills).\r I do think that British Nationals or EU nationals should have lived in our country for at least 5 years before allowed to vote in Scottish related votes (not automatically)	Agree with all changes
2404	841811376	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum.	I do not want another referendum. \rI do not trust your arrangements.	I do not want another referendum.
2405	281151390	Brian Fisher	Individual	Individual	Acceptable	Agreed	in addition to the rules specified only people who pay tax in the UK should be allowed to vote.
2406	276803931	Roger Hughes	Individual	Individual	I am absolutely opposed to a new referendum on independence. A few years ago we voted on a 'once in a lifetime' issue. Those opposed to the outcome cannot accept this and wish to continually re-visit the matter, until a result is eventually obtained , which meets their wishes. This smacks of a dictatorship, disguised as a democracy - 'You will continue to vote, until you agree with me!'\rThe last referendum, brought out the worst in the Scottish character and was characterised by divisive and aggressive behaviour that would have disgraced an 'old firm' match. To this day, some of the wounds are still raw.\rIt's about time this government started to deal effectively with issues that matter and stopped wasting tax-payer's money on tribal politics.	I am suspicious of anything the Scottish Government proposes on this issue and fear they would pockle the polling and count arrangements, to suit their wishes.	If, as I wish, there is no referendum, these are irrelevant
2407	830364427	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposal	I agree with the proposal	Agree
2408	572333485	John Johnston	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	It should be a UK wide referendum as this would allow the majority outside Scotland who are in favour of Scottish independence to exercise their democratic right.
2409	686509065	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No opinion. A second referendum coming so soon after Scotland comprehensively rejected independence is an unnecessary distraction from the government who should focus on doing their job rather than forcing their agenda on an unwilling electorate.	No opinion. A second referendum coming so soon after Scotland comprehensively rejected independence is an unnecessary distraction from the government who should focus on doing their job rather than forcing their agenda on an unwilling electorate.	No opinion. A second referendum coming so soon after Scotland comprehensively rejected independence is an unnecessary distraction from the government who should focus on doing their job rather than forcing their agenda on an unwilling electorate.
2410	687013909	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a second referendum. The SCottish Government must honour the promise given to the electors that the 2014 referendum was a once in a generation, if not once in a lifetime, event. We voted to stay in the UK and that is it. You cannot keep dragging up the subject of a new referendum every time the UK does something the SNP doeas not like. Collective responsibility applies.	There should not be a second referendum. The SCottish Government must honour the promise given to the electors that the 2014 referendum was a once in a generation, if not once in a lifetime, event. We voted to stay in the UK and that is it. You cannot keep dragging up the subject of a new referendum every time the UK does something the SNP doeas not like. Collective responsibility applies.\r 16 and 17 year olds should not be eligible to vote as they do not have sufficient maturity to contribute to such a fundamental decision. Let's face it, they are only likely to be included because the SNP believe it enhances their chances of a yes vote.	There should not be a second referendum. The SCottish Government must honour the promise given to the electors that the 2014 referendum was a once in a generation, if not once in a lifetime, event. We voted to stay in the UK and that is it. You cannot keep dragging up the subject of a new referendum every time the UK does something the SNP doeas not like. Collective responsibility applies.
2411	61391489	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think it's right to have the campaign and process overseen by the Electoral Commission.	I don't think it's right for foreign nationals to participate in this vote, resident or not. This is about our Country's/citizens identity for ever. A normal vote only lasts for 4yrs, whereas this is a lifetime vote. It is for the Scottish people to decide and no one else.	Acceptable.
2412	654506787	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Without approval from Westminster, you can't have a referendum.\rI have no problems with the way such things are organised.	I object to anyone who are not citizens in the UK from voting.	No opinion
2413	834994553	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No need for second independent referendum o nee	No need for this	No need
2414	930462585	George Crocket	Individual	Individual	The 2014 referendum was a very successful exercise in democracy. To model any future constitutional referendum on that is entirely rational.	The proposed changes seem in line with current or recommended practice, and are therefore acceptable.	Insofar as these changes may assist enforcement, they are commendable.
2415	106604793	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	You should respect the democratic result of the 2014 referendum.	You should respect the democratic result of the 2014 referendum.	You should respect the democratic result of the 2014 referendum.
2416	82442636	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Firstly, there should be no referendum - it would be unnecessary and divisive.\r If a referendum were to happen then there should be an independent fact-checker to ensure voters are not misled by either side.\r There should also be a review of the referendum question as Yes/No was considered biased	No Answered	There are many ex-pat Scots currently living and working elsewhere in the U.K., but with a view to returning to Scotland in the future. There should be a mechanism to allow them to vote in any referendum.
2417	581573214	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The way the previous referendum was run was fine. It was fair. My only concern was the wording of the question. In my view this was bias towards the Independence campaign. The wording of the question should be neutral like with the EU referendum held in 2016. \r My view is that there should be no referendum. We had a fair "once in a generation" vote less than 2 years ago. The Scottish Government should respect that result and get on with running the country. In their 10 years in office, education standards have fallen, the nations health has not improved, councils have been strapped for cash and have had to cut vital services to vulnerable people, yet the government still offer subsidised prescriptions, university education and baby boxes to those that can afford it.	Why not have all people resident in Scotland being eligible to vote? Why limit it to EU and commonwealth citizens? What happens if the UK leaves the EU before a vote, are EU citizens still allowed to vote?	Fine
2418	1069426717	Alan G Taylor	Individual	Individual	I am in agreement with these proposals.	I agree that the inclusion of the additional voting groups, in particular EU citizens living in Scotland.	I am in agreement with these proposed changes.
2419	542035138	David Hunter	Individual	Individual	I do not believe there should be a second referendum. The Scottish Government should, instead, concentrate on their 'day job', in other words govern Scotland for the benefit of the people of Scotland as a whole. While they have been concentrating almost solely on a 2nd referendum, Education, Health, Police Scotland, to name but three, have all suffered.	I have no problem with the above, other than as stated in my response to question 1.	Agreed.
2420	594847354	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with this arrangement.	This appears satisfactory.	As above.
2421	928311952	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Any referendum should just use the Electoral Commission, not the Electoral Mannagement Board. Using both just creates jobs and increases costs unnecessarily.	ID (drving license, credit/debit card etc.) should be shown at the polling station	OK
2422	54626777	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	You should respect the democratic result of the 2014 referendum.	You should respect the democratic result of the 2014 referendum.	You should respect the democratic result of the 2014 referendum.
2423	422059991	RONALD MCGILL	Individual	Individual	Apart from the amendments presented, all seems fine.	The residency qualification is the central one; good.	No comment.
2424	457391019	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is my opinion that there should not be another Scottish independence referendum in the next 20 to 30 years. The Scottish independence referendum of 2014 had a clear question and a clear decision from the public in Scotland which was a No to independence. The question in the 2014 Scottish Independence referendum did not have any caveats with regards to future votes or the direction that the UK may go in. \r It is therefore un-democratic to ignore the 2014 vote and push for a further vote on Scottish Independence.\r I also believe that the previous vote has had a negative impact on our society and economy. Until the Scottish Government moves past this issue I believe our society and economy will continue to worsen. \r I have see friends and families divided. Investment in our country stutter. Areas such as education, transport and health have been ignored by the Scottish Government. \r Scotland is currently struggling to compete and a further referendum would worsen the outlook for this country.\r I say No to any further Scottish Independence Referendum.	It is my opinion that there should not be another Scottish independence referendum in the next 20 to 30 years. The Scottish independence referendum of 2014 had a clear question and a clear decision from the public in Scotland which was a No to independence. The question in the 2014 Scottish Independence referendum did not have any caveats with regards to future votes or the direction that the UK may go in. \r It is therefore un-democratic to ignore the 2014 vote and push for a further vote on Scottish Independence.\r I also believe that the previous vote has had a negative impact on our society and economy. Until the Scottish Government moves past this issue I believe our society and economy will continue to worsen. \r I have see friends and families divided. Investment in our country stutter. Areas such as education, transport and health have been ignored by the Scottish Government. \r Scotland is currently struggling to compete and a further referendum would worsen the outlook for this country.\r I say No to any further Scottish Independence Referendum.	It is my opinion that there should not be another Scottish independence referendum in the next 20 to 30 years. The Scottish independence referendum of 2014 had a clear question and a clear decision from the public in Scotland which was a No to independence. The question in the 2014 Scottish Independence referendum did not have any caveats with regards to future votes or the direction that the UK may go in. \r It is therefore un-democratic to ignore the 2014 vote and push for a further vote on Scottish Independence.\r I also believe that the previous vote has had a negative impact on our society and economy. Until the Scottish Government moves past this issue I believe our society and economy will continue to worsen. \r I have see friends and families divided. Investment in our country stutter. Areas such as education, transport and health have been ignored by the Scottish Government. \r Scotland is currently struggling to compete and a further referendum would worsen the outlook for this country.\r I say No to any further Scottish Independence Referendum.
2425	330637288	Stuart Divers	Individual	Individual	I do to consider it necessary to hold another referendum as the people of Scotland have already made their views clear, they rejected an independent Scotland. Therefore the proposed arrangements are unnecessary.\r This question and the following questions are bias as they are based on the presumption that there will be a second referendum. There is no great desire for another divisive referendum.	I do to consider it necessary to hold another referendum as the people of Scotland have already made their views clear, they rejected an independent Scotland. Therefore the proposed changes are unnecessary.	I do to consider it necessary to hold another referendum as the people of Scotland have already made their views clear, they rejected an independent Scotland. Therefore the proposed changes are unnecessary.
2426	269376651	francis mackay	Individual	Individual	Acceptable.	Acceptable.	Acceptable.
2427	551835244	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements seem sensible - tried and tested.	No concerns, everything sounds fair and in line with current practice elsewhere.	Fine with me.
2428	1053239676	Gillian Motion	Individual	Individual	I am in support of the proposed arrangements	I support the proposed changes	I support the proposed changes
2429	757647248	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not wish another referendum on Scottish independence.	Irrelevant, as I do not wish for another referendum.	Irrelevant, as I do not wish for another referendum.
2430	763124290	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't feel there should be another referendum.	I feel these are ok	I feel this is ok
2431	916284943	Karolyn Clark	Individual	Individual	I would call for even stricter methods when counting votes - I firmly believe the votes were miscounted and falsehoods were a massive part in the first referendum.	I agree but I also think there should be a way to include voters who miss out voting because they are unwell in hospital and can't get to voting hall ( temporarily) rather than predicted as a postal voter would be. e.g. As a district nurse ,many of my patients missed out on the chance to vote because they were unexpectantly unwell or made very quickly housebound by illness. (There is a lot who fell into this category and therefore a lost vote )	It's about time .
2432	550806445	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe there should be a referendum	Not applicable due to not believing in the need for a referendum	There should not be a referendum
2433	309872362	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No need for a referendum	Leave well alone	Leave alone
2434	566285207	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Do not wish another referendum	Scottish people living elsewhere in the United Kingdom should also be eligible to vote.	No views.
2435	24140697	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Given that this is an entirely different situation to the previous referendum, I believe that the entitlement to vote should be open only to citizens of the United Kingdom.	No comment	No Comment
2436	837043962	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think another referendum would be a waste of time and money - consultations like this are a far better idea. I do not believe Scotland is a financially strong enough country to be independent from the rest of the UK. I voted firmly against the UK leaving the EU, and have been bitterly disappointed since the result. However, I think the UK's exit from the EU will probably result in a domino effect of other departures and the ultimate break-down of the EU. I do not want Scotland to be a part of that.	This all sounds great, and would have made more sense the first time round, but I do not think we should have another referendum on this matter.	I don't have a view on this.
2437	922974561	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am against a second referendum and so this is not applicable.	I am against a second referendum and so this is not applicable.	I am against a second referendum and so this is not applicable.
2438	961558674	Ian Moyes	Individual	No Answered	Individual	Let me say at the outset that I do not care what the arrangements are for a new referendum as I do not want one. I do not wish Scotland to be an independent country whatsoever so any arrangements for one are irrelevant to me.	No views
2439	1070210514	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree.	I agree.	I agree.
2440	140836816	Guy Cartwright	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I think it is completely wrong. I voted to remain in the EU but am completely opposed to dividing the UK. I think for the SNP government to assume that all voters who wished to remain in the EU are in support of their agenda for independence is wrong and based on a convenience for them not to accept the result of the 2014 referendum.\r It is time they accepted that result and got on with work.
2441	10056143	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Exit polls and recounts should be allowed to increase confidence. No sampling and postal votes to remain in Scotland.	Independent observers from other countries should be considered.	No comment
2442	300031255	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Don't agree with under 18s being able to vote.
2443	77073394	Graeme Fox	Individual	Individual	No view other than that there shouldn't be any more referenda for at least 10 years.\rOnly 2 years ago Scotland decided by a majority of over 400,000 to remain as part of the UK with all that entailed. Ever since then this current Scottish government has agitated for any excuse for a re-run. It's childish, unnecessary and has caused enough division, bitterness and lack of investment. Enough already!\rPlease get on with the day job and stop acting like spoilt children.	Citizens of the Rep of Ireland or other EU countries resident in Scotland should not have a vote. This vote would determine Scotland's position within the UK and, therefore, it is inappropriate to allow non UK citizens to decide that fate.	I dislike any tampering with these rules. They would be likely to be misused by the pro Independence lobbyists and poor financial controls would take over even worse than in 2014 when Natalie McGarry and Chris Law have both been suspected to have misused funds raised.
2444	12602495	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These arrangements seem entirely appropriate.	Proposed changes seem proportionate. Eligibility to vote appears to cover all those living in Scotland who should have a say on Scotland's future.	Technical changes seem appropriate.
2445	950783866	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The only thing that should be changed is the eligibility age level it should be raised to 18.	The eligibility age range should be raised to 18 and expat Scots born in Scotland but who have lived outwith Scotland, but within the UK for less than 10 years should be eligible to register to vote.	In principle i agree but would require more information in one place instead of referring to other documents to make a fully informed decision.
2446	569677910	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a second referendum	No comment. There should not be a second referendum.	No comment. There should not be a second referendum.
2447	876325665	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A shambles like the Police Scotland re organisation implemented by the SNP Government.	Leave well alone.	Leave well alone or let our armed services vote who defend our country!
2448	443053437	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The last management of the referendum was fair and if a new referendum goes ahead I expect it to be fair.	Prisoners should be allowed to vote as part of their rehabilitation into society.	No view given
2449	1001767404	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think there is a requirement for another referendum. The result in 2014 was quite clear and was a mandate from the Scottish people that they wish to remain part of the UK with a 84.6% turnout. The country needs a government to focus on issues such as Health and Policing - please stop wasting money on needless campaigns Only 67.2% voted in the EU referendum and we voted as part of the UK so should respect that bote also even though I do not agree with it.	No issues	No issues
2450	952772432	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is a fairly normal way for it to be run. However, given the Brexit result I do not think EU nationals should be allowed to vote, since the majority are likely to vote for independence if it means Scotland remains part of the EU. we should be voting without European influence.	I completely agree with these changes.	I have no view on this.
2451	698090628	Tom Minto	Individual	Individual	This question is phrased as if it is a given that there will be a referendum. This is not the case and our once in a generation vote, I have already voted in 2, should not keep going until the SNP get what they want. We only need to vote out once, I don't think there would be the option of another vote, no matter what the change in circumstances were. We have had our vote to remain part of the UK, who have voted to leave Europe, I am more interested in getting this decision voted on again at a UK level, than I am in pursuing another independence referendum. I think in the cold light of day that this decision could be turned around.	Only British citizens should be allowed to vote in UK matters.\rUnder 18s should not be allowed to vote, there was no outcry about this for the EU referendum, why have it now. A few under 18s have political views, the majority have not had the chance or inclination to get involved.	Don't know what this is about, but if it is an SNP attempt to get an edge, forget it.
2452	567183185	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We do not want, nor require a second referendum.	We do not want nor require a second referendum.	We do not want, nor require a second referendum.
2453	597026585	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As demonstrated during the EU ref the Electoral Commission cannot effectively manage the process that ensures transparency and truth throughout campaigning. \rThis referendum should not be counted the same as previous ones in that there should be a mandated % that needs to be reached by either side to win (e.g. 5%-10%) to demonstrate that this is a clear victory.	Given that UK's status of EU citizenship looks set to change with leaving the EU. EU citizens should only be allowed to vote if they have been resident of Scotland for a significant time (e.g. 4+ yrs). Otherwise this could result in a bias within EU citizens voting purely on the issue where one side may promise ongoing citizen status within Scotland if they vote a certain way.	No opinion
2454	865501802	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the system needs to be more robust so that people can be confident that the result is a true reflection of the votes cast. This does not seem to have been the case last time.	I welcome the eligibility of 16&17 year olds and the more inclusive rules for residents originating overseas compared to UK rules . \rI would like to see a more robust system for identification (e. g. requirement to bring photo ID and proof of address) and I think the use of postal votes should be limited to those who need them. I know of one farming family where one family member fills them all in and there is no option for grown up children to vote differently from that person.	Sounds fine.
2455	415097182	Sir Gavin Gilbey,Bt	Individual	Individual	There is no need for another referendum.\rThe people have already spoken.\rAny further action is purely a waste of public money and a desperate wasted effort by Ms Sturgeon to manipulate the public's point of view.	Irrelevant	the only necessary change would be to allow ALL SCOTS residing in the UK to vote.\rTo deny them to vote is unacceptable and merely a manipulative tool to attempt to swing the vote.
2456	60427441	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe the proposals for management and regulation of a second referendum to be fair and just.	I believe that the proposed changes to referendum procedures are needed to provide for more trust and scrutiny in any referendum result.	I support the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
2457	391533952	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This consultation process is a waste of taxpayer money. The Scottish government should be doing a better job of improving the living standards of Scotlands people rather than the idealogical pursuit of independence at all costs.	This consultation process is a waste of taxpayer money. The Scottish government should be doing a better job of improving the living standards of Scotlands people rather than the idealogical pursuit of independence at all costs.	This consultation process is a waste of taxpayer money. The Scottish government should be doing a better job of improving the living standards of Scotlands people rather than the idealogical pursuit of independence at all costs.
2458	117714424	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am not in favour of a second referendum so this question is irrelevant. The Scottish Government should focus on the key challenges in Health, Education, Housing and Welfare which face the country. As in question 2 given the importance of the consultation Scots resident elswhere in the UK should be allowed to vote.	I am in favour of Scots resident in the rest of UK having the right to vote. They should not be excluded and clearly feel very strongly they should be allowed to vote in the hopefully very unlikely situation arise.	No comment
2459	924768251	Colin Campbell	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I do not think there should be another referendum . The people of Scotland have voted already on this and it must be respected. I did not vote to leave the single market and I do not think this is an excuse for having another referendum .The UK is more beneficial to us in trade than the single market.Also the single market will impose more legislation and rules that we can do nothing about far more than the Uk ever would.
2460	546533605	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no second referendum on Scottish independence. The Scottish people clearly said NO on 18th September 2014!	Not applicable.	Not applicable.
2461	605305436	James Pirie	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Scots born people living in En gland should be included in the referendum as they are deeply affected by the outcome.
2462	807504551	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Why waste time and money.	No issues	No issues.
2463	205551710	Paul Gregory	Individual	Individual	We have already had a referendum, and decided to stay within the UK. When we voted, we already knew that there was a strong chance that the UK would vote to leave the EU, after all it is the most unaccountable and corrupt political entity in the world - after all, their accounts have not been signed off for over 30 years. \rAll that is intended by the SNP in pushing for a second referendum, is to push Scotland into a world of further period of doubt which can only harm the Scottish Economy further. The loss of, or imposition of tariffs on Scottish products and services into the English Economy far outweigh any gains from exports to the EU countries. \rIt is time that the SNP stopped their blatant hatred of anything south of Hadrian's Wall and started, for the first time, to get on with the day job, such as making our education system the best in the world once again, for instance.	Irrelevant as these plans should be dumped and the taxpayer's money should be saved.	Irrelevant as these plans should be dumped and the taxpayer's money should be saved.
2464	896917122	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We already voted so no further referendum is needed.	Should be left as for normal voting	Leave alone
2465	615566431	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Unacceptable. You do not have a mandate with no majority in parliament. The last vote was a clear loss and only a little over 2 years ago. SNP is in danger of consigning itself to history here by not governing effectively and seemingly pursuing independence at any cost	No issue	No issue
2466	935988082	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think this is fair	I think this is fair	I have no view
2467	1069268393	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Waste of time. Scotland doesn't want another referendum. Get on with sorting other issues in the county. This already tore families and mates apart, don't do it again!	As response to question 1	As response to question 1
2468	778029446	Redacted text	Individual	Individual	There should be no such vote	There should be no such vote	None as there should be no such vote
2469	349841929	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think there should not be a second referendum. I though in a democracy a vote was taken and the decision taken by voters stood. So was there not a fair and transparent referendum in 2014?	Anyone resident here from other EU countries should not be eligible to vote. Citizens of this country only should be eligible.	No opinion.
2470	244360548	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It's a waste of time and money	I do not want another divisive referendum	please stop this obsession and get on with the day job
2471	61308023	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum. If there is then min age 18 and SNP/current Scottish 'government' doesn't get to choose question etc.	British and BFPO only.\r But there should be no referendum for at least a lifetime (80 years or so)	No referendum
2472	438119968	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum. The people of Scotland voted NO. The SNP cannot keep repeating the exercise until they get the result they want.	There should not be another referendum. The people of Scotland voted NO. The SNP cannot keep repeating the exercise until they get the result they want.	There should not be another referendum. The people of Scotland voted NO. The SNP cannot keep repeating the exercise until they get the result they want.
2473	501971810	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Eligibility to vote should include citizens living abroad, or at the very least those living with the EU/ EEA. Ref EU Referendum that allowed UK nationals who lived overseas for less than 15 years to vote. I live in Norway and the result of the Scottish referendum will be crucial to my status as an EU citizen.
2474	124207612	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have been a SNP supporter since my teens and mother was an SNP town councillor for Tillicoultry in Clacks so have worked hard during elections etc. I will not vote for Independence this time around, I did in the last vote. I think we should now forget this and concentrate on being part of the UK, I feel safer being part of the UK and after being an ardent admirer of Nicola Sturgeon I now question her politics and her search for self glory	I have stated my views against Independence so am not interested in technical changes	n/a
2475	86715910	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no mandate from the public for another referendum and so is not needed.\r Until the Scottish Government come up with fully costed budgets on how Scotland is supposed to fund itself, then there should be no move to instigate another referendum. If this is not done, then the Scottish people will not be able to judge properly whether the proposal would bankrupt the nation.\r It's no good being independent if there are not funds to survive.\r Please be honest with the population. That's all that one can ask.\r I don't fancy living in what will become a third world nation just to be a third world independent nation.	i'm happy with these proposals but would like to see some form of identity being produced in order to vote. Polling cards alone are not sufficient.	I happy with these proposals.
2476	833789300	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements seem acceptable. But social media has greatly enhanced hate on both sides.\rHowever I don't agree with holding another referendum because I consider it to be a waste of Parliaments efforts, and therefore tax payers money.	Acceptable	Acceptable
2477	361412462	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Reasonable way to manage the process but hugely costly to the nation. Hugely disruptive to the community (schools being closed for another day, businesses affected).	No views.	No views
2478	536390674	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There shouldn't be a 2nd independence referendum for a number of years this country has many more issues the Scottish Government has the power to address and should be doing this as a priority.
2479	630930604	David Mitchell	Individual	Individual	They are unnecessary, there is no requirement to hold a second referendum, the first was decisive.	See above	See above
2480	434302949	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a referendum. The country voted to remain in the UK	The fact we have already voted not to be independent	N/a
2481	445849866	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The management of this process should be under the British electoral commission.\r Should also be noted that the SNP does not have the democratic mandate suggested as did not included anything about further referendum in its election manifesto. This is utterly contrived!	People born in Scotland should be allowed to vote. They went to other parts of their country (U.K.) not knowing they would give up the right to decide the fate of the union.\r Also scots living abroad for a period of time should also have right to representation\r This is a blatant attempt to rig the referendum in favour of snp and again shows why process should not be run by Scottish body which has been appointed by them\r Should also be noted that the SNP does not have the democratic mandate suggested as did not included anything about further referendum in its election manifesto. This is utterly contrived	These will have no impact in an internet age\r Should also be noted that the SNP does not have the democratic mandate suggested as did not included anything about further referendum in its election manifesto. This is utterly contrived
2482	328910977	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	For me this point is not applicable as I am against a second referendum for independence. The people of Scotland have already spoken and have voted against independence. If the SNP believe that they are a party for the people of Scotland they will respect the view of the Scottish people during the initial vote and leave Scotland as it is.	For me this point is not applicable as I am against a second referendum for independence. The people of Scotland have already spoken and have voted against independence. If the SNP believe that they are a party for the people of Scotland they will respect the view of the Scottish people during the initial vote and leave Scotland as it is.	For me this point is not applicable as I am against a second referendum for independence. The people of Scotland have already spoken and have voted against independence. If the SNP believe that they are a party for the people of Scotland they will respect the view of the Scottish people during the initial vote and leave Scotland as it is.
2483	1029833441	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is too soon for another referendum. The last one was supposed to be a "once in a generation" event.	Irrelevant. Tinkering at the periphery.	Trying to load the dice.
2484	730182118	John Middlemist	Individual	Individual	The proposals look to be well defined to manage the process. However as we live in a UK democracy I find it very difficult to understand why it is unacceptable to accept the vote of the majority of the UK voting.\rPerhaps more time should be spent on creating an acceptable process that takes forward a process that enables a more realistic acceptance of voting percentages.\rE.g. any vote that does not provide a majority of 10% is not taken forward.	Given the current voting eligibilities this appears to be politically covered. I have some discomfort that 16 year olds can vote on such important matters when their age is a barrier to carrying out other activities.	I have no realistic input to these rules.\rHowever I would hope that there are no loopholes that allows, whatever party is represented, to manipulate outcomes.
2485	510901771	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In fact, I do not believe that the Scottish Government has the authority to call another referendum. That lies with the UK Government.	Please see point 1. If the UK Government does not agree to the referendum then technical changes are moot.	Please see point 1. If the UK Government does not agree to the referendum then the rules on permissible particpants are moot.
2486	404958075	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with the system	Happy with the system	Happy with the system
2487	161212463	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no desire in Scotland for another divisive referendum on Scottish independence. Scotland voted NO on 18th September 2014. Polls show that opposition to independence is now even greater.	Not applicable.	Not applicable.
2488	1012528215	Dr Malcolm Newbould	Individual	Individual	I do not wish Indy 2	I do not wish Indy 2	I do not wish Indy 2
2489	381052861	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	This is a paper exercise to obfuscate the main purpose which is to gain momentum for another referendum. The last thing Scotland needs now or any time soon is another independence referendum.\rPlease focus on running the country with the very adequate powers you currently have rather than pushing for something the majority do not want.\rAs Ms Sturgeon said when Mr Trump won, ' we may not like the result but we must respect the voters!' Let's try that here too.
2490	1008202241	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	An independent organisation which is not affiliated with the Scottish Government is definitely needed to ensure impartiality.	The polling staff need to remain impartial and if they have been involved in local campaigning this would not be the case. \rI believe that identification should be needed to ensure that the people voting are actually the people named on the polling cards.\rThe way that any referendum vote operates should be in line with any other elections.	People who live and/or work in Scotland should be entitled to vote. 16 and 17 year olds should be entitled to vote but this should also be the case in all other elections.
2491	700169584	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not applicable. \rIndy2 referendum not required. \rDemocracy means democracy. You can't pick and choose. Scotland said NO to leaving the U.K. and must therefore abide with UK Brexit result.	Not applicable. \rIndy2 referendum not required. \rDemocracy means democracy. You can't pick and choose. Scotland said NO to leaving the U.K. and must therefore abide with UK Brexit result.	Not applicable. \rIndy2 referendum not required. \rDemocracy means democracy. You can't pick and choose. Scotland said NO to leaving the U.K. and must therefore abide with UK Brexit result.
2492	516812046	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	OK	OK	OK
2493	66613506	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Please concentrate on running the country with the powers you currently have and leave the independence issue behind. There was a democratic decision to remain a part of the UK in the first referendum, something which the SNP seem to have ignored and are now claiming that there was a democratic decision to remain part of the EU you cannot have it both ways.
2494	413464564	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe that the result should be decided by 50% + 1 of those who actually voted. I believe that it should be 50%+1 of the entire electorate.	I would like to see ID being required at polling stations for all voters. \r I am uneasy at the increase in postal votes, and feel this is open to abuse. I would like to see some form of checking to see that there is no selling of votes.	I have no view on this section.
2495	196105156	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is regrettable that the Holyrood Government are pushing for a second independence referendum and I consider it to be against the best interests of this country.\r There is no evidence that a majority of residents of Scotland want a second referendum.\r It was agreed during the 2014 referendum that this was a "once in a generation" event and the decisive result should be respected.\r It is contradictory to seek independence from the UK and submit to the current situation where the majority of our legislation is dictated by Brussels. Further, the argument that this constitutes a material change which warrants a second referendum is disingenuous. The UK voted to leave the EU. It does not hold that all SNP supporters are wildly enthusiastic about the EU or supra-national agencies interefering in national or regional matters.	I disagree that citizens of other EU countries living in Scotland should be entitled to vote in this internal matter. Further, persons Scottish by birth but resident elsewhere in the UK appear to be disenfranchised.	No comment.
2496	429483817	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	That the Scottish "government" has no right to bring forward this proposal as referendum powers are reserved to the UK government	I have no view on this	No opinion
2497	669127588	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree with a 2nd Independance Referendum in any format, as I have already voted on this issue September 2014.	I do not have problem with who is eligable to vote.	I think there needs to be clear accountablility.
2498	263699095	Maurice Jordan	Individual	Individual	Against this proposal - there is no need for yet another referendum	Against this proposal - there is no need for yet another referendum	Against this proposal as there is no need for yet another referendum
2499	722103183	John Irvine Blair	Individual	Individual	appropriate don't change what isn't broken	ok	ok
2500	232675718	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Lets just NOT have another referendum	Lets just NOT have another referendum	Lets just NOT have another referendum
2501	128597278	Angus Anderson	Individual	Individual	I am content with the proposal.	I am content with the proposal.	I am content with the proposal.
2502	34721098	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no such referendum	None as I think there should be no referendum	None as I think there should be no referendum
2503	1019007631	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Seems reasonable	I don't believe allowing 16/17 year olds a vote is a good thing. It's should be put back to 18. Children shouldn't be roped into the murky world of politics.	No view
2504	498693175	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need to waste money on this . You've had your vote - now abide by the electorate's wishes and stay in the union.	None	None
2505	125257584	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My response to these questions will be the same throughout. \r I have no intention of reading the consultation document. I do not want the Scottish Government under any circumstances to waste any more of my tax pounds on another divisive referendum. It is an outrage that we are having to deal with this issue again. It was settled decisively in 2014.	I have no intention of reading the consultation document. I do not want the Scottish Government under any circumstances to waste any more of my tax pounds on another divisive referendum. It is an outrage that we are having to deal with this issue again. It was settled decisively in 2014.	I have no intention of reading the consultation document. I do not want the Scottish Government under any circumstances to waste any more of my tax pounds on another divisive referendum. It is an outrage that we are having to deal with this issue again. It was settled decisively in 2014.
2506	518499838	Brian Kelly	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposal	I agree	I agree
2507	856505572	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel this is the standard approach to a referendum like this, no change is necessary. However, I feel it is unfair that eligibility does not include those born in Scotland but currently living in the rest of the UK - this is their homeland and they aren't getting a say in a major decision.	Seems fair.	Seems fair.
2508	1051449599	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would support these arrangements	I would support these	I would support these
2509	784039774	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Generally happy with the plans although I'm in favour of modernising the voting process and including a greater amount of digital technology to explore new ways of voting and counting. In this case I think a conservative, traditional approach is the right one.	Agree with the changes, in particular the checking of postal votes - I'm surprised only 20% needed checking previously	no objections
2510	673654763	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These are fair and make perfect sense	Postal voting needs to be 100% accurate. As does proxy voting as both methods are open to abuse.	The corruption carried out by No in 2014 needs to be prevented.
2511	451773001	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm fully happy with the proposed arrangements.	Happy with proposed arrangements.	Happy with proposed changes.
2512	1039123603	William Reith	Individual	Individual	I totally disagree with the need for another (3rd referendum). The SNP Party seem to be ignoring the result of the previous vote and creating a divisive stance.\r The vote on European Uniion exit was a UK vote.\r The wording of this document seems totally related to the mechanism of preparing a referendum. I hope the SNP party do not try and use the data to give the impression of support.	Not applicable as their is no need to another vote	not applicable, as there is no need for another referendum
2513	218204060	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The same as previous referendum. Inducements, such as the late intervention on the first Independence referendum with an offer of federalism, should not be allowed. It is against the rules of referenda but nothing was done to prevent it happening and nothing was done since it happened. The rules were breached but no consequences arose as a result.	No Answered	The count, as in previous referendum, was compromised when Ruth Davidson revealed sampling took place in England where she was present, which is obviously against the rules. Such breaches leave the electorate with less faith that the voting is secure.
2514	717376705	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Managing a referendum is fine and well. The views being sought to give backing to the independence referendum are about how it will be run . Not in fact if it should be run. This is why it is a waste of time. It is a joke, Independence would have been a wonderful idea but the way my country is being governed is a joke. If you are going to continue to harp on about being an independent country then please stop making it a miserable place to live. If this was any other country there would have been riots instigated by the incompetence of the ruling political party. If Scotland is going to be independent under the current political situation then I am going to emigrate to a country where I feel safe. I might also add that it is not the pubic that make me feel unsafe its criminally corrupt justice system , police force and government.
2515	855801594	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree. It's also important to increase the number of eligible voters, or at least maintain the high number of votes from previous elections/referendum.	Agree: it makes sense to increase checking on postal votes.	This will increase transparency.
2516	89555849	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have complete confidence that any referendum would be run in a fair manner by the Electoral Commission. I have no concerns about fraudulent voting.	I do not believe that people who are not UK citizens should have the right to vote on Scotland's future as part of the UK.\r I am also against holding a referendum for the foreseeable future. This should be at most a once in a generation activity (as stated by Alex Salmond). The current Scottish government should focus on using the powers they already have to effectively govern the country.\r The Scottish economy is under performing and I would give the current government a "Need to Improve" grade.	ok
2517	615514343	John Dooley	Individual	Individual	No to independence. No to any further referenda. Drop the whole independence idea and get on with governing(while you are still in power)	Leave things as they are, You are only trying to change things to attempt to enhance your cause.	As above
2518	910780123	Robert Kenny	Individual	Individual	I do not agree with the proposal to have a referendum. I feel pushing for a new referendum is ill-advised. This is mainly due to the uncertainties surrounding the economic situation associated with the negotiations to leave the EU. We need to wait to see the outcome of the Brexit process.\r I have broadly accepted that the proposals outlined. These are mainly procedural issues. I would not wish my acceptance of procedures to be conflated in any way with acceptance of the need for a referendum.	These proposals are acceptable.	These proposals are acceptable.
2519	188310951	Donald I Beattie	Individual	Individual	Nothing wrong with existing rules	No problem	No problem with changes
2520	820742531	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements are fine - simply disagree that a referendum should be held at all	Changes are sensible	Changes are OK
2521	277725797	Andrew McDowell	Individual	Individual	The independence referendum in 2014 was a clearly articulated and resounding refusal of independence from the United Kingdom. Therefore, there is no requirement for a second referendum, the democratic will of the Scottish electorate is to be respected. Thus, there are no requirements for a further waste of taxpayers' monies in proposing arrangements for a second referendum.	The independence referendum in 2014 was a clearly articulated and resounding refusal of independence from the United Kingdom. Therefore, there is no requirement for a second referendum, the democratic will of the Scottish electorate is to be respected. Thus, there are no requirements for a further waste of taxpayers' monies in proposing technical changes to polling and count arrangements for a second referendum.	The independence referendum in 2014 was a clearly articulated and resounding refusal of independence from the United Kingdom. Therefore, there is no requirement for a second referendum, the democratic will of the Scottish electorate is to be respected. Thus, there are no requirements for a further waste of taxpayers' monies in proposing changes to rules on permissible participants for a second referendum.
2522	726014348	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The first referendum was one of the most divisive things I have ever witnessed which still leaves family,friends and neighbours still suffering. I would not wish to experience this ever again. I watched no banners pulled down or burned, no voters screamed at with a megaphone in their faces in Buchanan Street and being accosted and berated with the SNP leaders encouraging this with their silence. This country of ours no longer feels like a democracy. Watch the scene in the country from the film "Cabaret" with the song 'Tomorrow belongs to me" that's what the last referendum felt like , a country of which I was proud of turning into something that felt ugly and intimidating. When will the First Minister actually fulfil her promise of speaking for ALL Scotland. I think it was summed up at the service of reconciliation at St Giles following the vote...........where was Alex Salmond or Nicola Sturgeon then. Says it all.	did not agree with them then or now. Family born and bred in Scotland but working temporarily abroad or even in England not eligible but foreign nationals temporarily here were. This is blatant cheating as foreign nationals had their own agenda and not the benefit of Scotland.	See above response.
2523	841474244	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	We've had one.\rThe public have spoken.	Ex pats must be allowed to vote. Those Scots born and now residing in ruk must be allowed to vote\rThose residing temporarily must not be allowed to vote.\rVote must be 18+
2524	180364155	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not see the need for a second Referendum.	I do not see the need for a second Referendum	I do not see the need for a second referendum
2525	559775838	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is a fair way to do it	This also seems fine	Ok
2526	496334656	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It's OK but there's no need for a referendum it was decided 2 years ago.	Fine	Fine
2527	887944761	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We have already given a response in 2014 and there is absolutely no appetite for another one.	We have already given a response in 2014 and there is absolutely no appetite for another one	We have already given a response in 2014 and there is absolutely no appetite for another one
2528	36119144	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't want another referendum. SNP sound like my 9 year old - going on and on until they get their own way. We said no, leave it at that and get on with running the country.	None	None
2529	37066491	Michael Clarke	Individual	Individual	In addition to the proposed arrangements, there needs to be a complete review of the wording of the referendum question as Yes/No is a biased position, an immediate perceived positive versus and immediate perceived negative. Wording along the lines of the EU referendum should be considered "Leave/Remain" as people will not simply be drawn to the "happiest" answer.\r There needs also to be an independent fact checker, as both Scottish independence and EU referendums were awash with crazy claims and counter claims that have in both instances transpired to be untrue.\r The consultation paper fails to mention that 55% of the Scottish electorate voted to remain in the UK and therefore the consequence was that the UK would sometimes take decisions that were against a majority of Scots as likewise it would take decisions that were with the majority of Scots.\r This consultation is biased and skewed to achieve one outcome in itself.	I am satisfied with the proposed technical changes.	In the main I am satisfied with the changes however it is still all too easy for campaign bodies to fail to submit proper expense returns/receipts and walk away with a paltry fine and no other form of punishment.\r I think there should be more transparency with campaigners and campaign bodies by providing clear and unambiguous information on who they are (in terms of organisation, list directors or equivalent) and their stated aims. This should be daily and available on electoral commission website etc.
2530	921388742	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Stupidity.	Agree	Don't agree
2531	362663614	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum!	I do not want another referendum!	I do not want another referendum!
2532	942399565	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I think this is pretty fair and manageable. If possible, extend the voting to Scottish domiciles who are living abroad and in rUK via an application to to vote and then a postal vote.
2533	1044942567	Thomas Widmann	Individual	Individual	That's fine.	Sounds good. Have you considered what will happen to EU citizens' right to vote if Brexit happens sooner than expected and in particular before the new referendum?	OK.
2534	453854901	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm of the opinion that another referendum is not required or justified and I do not support the Scottish governments efforts to separate from the UK whether linked to, or otherwise, the vote to leave the EU.	No issues.	No issues.
2535	845612487	David Craig	Individual	Individual	Any further referendum is a joke. Get on with the job you lot were elected to do. Or stand down.	Any further referendum is a joke. Get on with the job you lot were elected to do. Or stand down.	Any further referendum is a joke. Get on with the job you lot were elected to do. Or stand down.
2536	491672634	https://vine.co/v/5OwKrXuPw0v	Individual	Individual	This question is irrelevant to me as the people of Scotland delivered, in 2014, to the Scottish Government a clear mandate that they wished to remain part of the UK.	As per Q1.	As per Q1
2537	174675034	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Good	good	good
2538	742224823	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not necessary as a new referendum is not necessary.	Who can vote is always open to dispute so any rules must be clear and unambiguous.	Seems overcomplicated. Why can't we just have the Electoral Commission applying common sense and decency with its decision being final
2539	141164728	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	[Apologies if this is in the wrong box!]\r 1. The biggest issue I have is with there being no minimum turnout or majority figure required. We are in real danger of referendum fatigue in Scotland. If only 50% turn out to vote and only 51% vote either for or against independence, is this a genuine case for either maintaining the Union or becoming Independent? That would be one of the most significant political decisions in our lifetimes based on a quarter of our population. I propose that consideration be given to a minimum threshold for turnout and a higher than 50% vote for either decision to be set in order to consider the matter closed. This could appeal to both pro and anti independence camps, as a 51% against independence could be a clear statement that the matter is not closed and to be reviewed, say in 5 years. Scotland has always been innovative. We do not need to do the same as we have always done. Had this been the arrangement for the Brexit vote, we would still be in the EU and still exploring options.\r 2. My second issue is with the binary option of Independence vs Status Quo. I think there could be a real appetite for a Federal Solution to the UK, with some shared UK arrangements but 4 politically equal nations. This would then allow veto arrangements to be made on big decisions (like leaving the EU, or unilateral military action abroad).\r There are many voters who would support this option but if faced with a Yes No vote would vote No without a federal option on the table. This includes the large number of SNP voters who are anxious that a Yes vote means immediate reapplication to the EU, if reports are correct that 1 in 3 SNP voters voted Leave.\r If Scotland voted for the Federal model and the UK government refused to engage with this, then a stronger appetite for Independence will grow, keeping it firmly on the table.\r For information, I voted No to Independence and Remain for EU.
2540	1006383596	John Mullen	Individual	Individual	Fine.	Fine	Fine
2541	244609389	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no issues	I have no issues	I have no issues
2542	950496783	Ross Davidson	Individual	Individual	I thing that it should stop and not have another referendum which will spill and divide the country like the last one did they should just be happy with the result that they got last time which I was very pleased about so I will again say no to another referendum	No Answered	Great because they are less likely to get a yes vote with all the groups they have added to be able to vote
2543	202723228	David Barclay	Individual	Individual	Agree with this. And proposals in general.\rHowever no free text to indicate thoughts on the necessity, as the country needs some stability, not the continual referendum process lingering. As a business owner we need stability not uncertainty. Being non politically biased I just feel this is the last thing the general population of Scotland need.	Changes in general appear fine with exception of no time caveat for residency for people from Ireland or EU states. A particular party may appeal or campaign to attract foreign nationals votes and unless resident for a significant time should not be allowed to vote on Scotlands future. 5 years perhaps	No issues
2544	54555860	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Early and often communication. A grassroots campaign that ensures that there's a groundswell. Also there needs to be an honest discussion about the actual downside of independence.	External independent monitoring from another country i.e Japan, Finland or Iceland is an absolute necessity to deal with the perceived fear of a "rigged" vote. It's not but independent overview will help with the process.	No issue
2545	136620791	Paul Derbyshire	Individual	Individual	I am pleased that the voice of the younger generation will continue to be heard as it was in 2014. The enfranchisement of those who will have most of their future ahead of them is critical to ensuring all voices are counted.	I support the changes to reflect current best practice.	I support the changes.\r It is necessary to have a further referendum to identify if the will of the people of Scotland has changed significantly from that in September 2014. The mechanism for Brexit - whatever that actually means - has yet to be defined and the uncertainty and lack of clarity is disturbing. The people in Scotland deserve to have their voice heard in light of the potential changes to the political and economic landscape since IndyRef in 2014.\r The once in a lifetime choice that was made in 2014 should be repeated. Why? Because the UK Government chose to follow a route in which we in Scotland do not believe fair.
2546	654178846	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Apart from my belief that it is completely unacceptable to hold another referendum, I have no issues with this section apart from the eligibility criteria (see response below).	I strongly oppose the eligibility proposal. My brother and his wife were born and bred in Scotland. And moved to London 3 years ago. They currently live and work in London as that's where they secured stable and aspirational jobs. They fully intend to return to Scotland to start a family in the next 5 years. It is unacceptable that they are not entitled to a vote in the referendum as it will directly impact their lives. I believe that if you lived in Scotland for over 10 years you should be entitled to a vote. Afterall - this is not a vote for a parliament that can be changed in 4/5 years time.	No comment
2547	264616415	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No postal votes except in exceptional circumstances
2548	25858134	Stephen Smith	Individual	Individual	I think the arrangements for managing this vote are ok but is there no way we could make law that you have to vote as this would give a true picture of what people felt and wanted for Scotland	Yes I agree.with the changes to the count and who can vote, is there any way we can make sure of getting everyone to vote as I said before, maybe using more postal votes, internet ??.	These changes seem ok to me
2549	264319841	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not accept that we should be having another referendum so soon after the previous one. This is a denial of the will of the Scottish people, properly expressed through the polls , on the understanding that the initial referendum would be a 'once in a generation' exercise.	Please refer to answer to question 1.	Please refer to answer to Q1.
2550	451146239	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel the voting was managed effectively in 2014 and have no reason why the management of this needs changed	Following the recommendations of the Electoral Commission ID should be required at polling stations \r To prevent the unsettled result a narrow win/loss causes a super majority should be used with a turn out threshold. This is based on comparison from the 2014 vote and EU referendum where in Scotland the results were 44.7% and 62% respectively with only an improvement of 43,202 votes showing how the outcome can be massively changed due to reduced turnout	Given the cases of fraud from campaign groups, having a more reliable system of making sure they understand the responsibility they are undertaking seems like a productive change
2551	598230592	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Although I have little appetite for another referendum within the next two years, I believe the draft bill to be fair. Within 2.9 I think there ought to be some discussion of upholding responsible campaigning. Where campaign promises are not based on facts (e.g. Brexit's £350 million for the NHS) or where media is manipulated with libelous/slanderous news (e.g. Carmichael memo leak) there ought to be provision in the bill for prevention or at the very least greater discouragement. The electoral commission should not just be responsible for guidance of campaign and vote conduct, but campaigner conduct as well.	I think these are fair	I think these are fair
2552	61675832	Allan Smith	Individual	Individual	I do not believe there is any justification whatsoever for another divisive referendum.\r The vote in 2014 was clear and the current Scottish Government has no mandate to re-write history by re-running said vote.	As things stand I see no issue with our current system which has with the exception of 2007 worked well.	It is my opinion that Scots living abroad should also have a say in any second referendum.\r Additionally there is justification for voters in other parts of the UK having a vote in case the U.K. is broken up "against the will of those members of the union."
2553	69889477	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	For the stability of Scotland and its business/financial interests we should remove the threat of another referendum from the table for at least 16 years. Scotland as a nation voted to remain part of UK in 2014 and that was a once in a generation vote. We cannot simply have repeat votes until leave get lucky once and then have no recourse for another vote. This is undemocratic. Polls show nothing has changed in last 2 years. The argument of brexit result being a game changer is a mute point on 3 scores.\r 1. When we voted to remain in UK in 2014 we all knew there would likely be a Brexit vote in near future and that it would be governed by result at UK level. If anyone did not want to take that risk they could have voted to leave UK in 2014.\r 2. There is non guaranteee that an independent scotland would be admitted into Europe or if we would meet the entry criteria. This was also true in 2014 as it is now.\r 3. Why would we want to leave our biggest trading partner England for the sake of remaining in the smaller European market.\r All these uncertainties should be removed by only holding the referendum once we know the terms of the split. Afterall this is the issue we are seeing with the aftermath of Brexit vote.	No Answered	Results should not be published on a contingency or ward basis as this leads to a divided country. If we had not given results for the Brexit vote at a country or constigency level we would not have this debate we are having now about it being undemocratic for part of country. It is one vote as was Brexit, we just need to know total votes for and against at national level.\r As leave only have to get lucky once we should aggregate the results of any future referendum with the last set of results. That is is only way to be fair to both sides.
2554	390726292	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The postal vote is easily corrupted since the rules were made unfit for purpose by Jack Straw\rThe old postal voting rules should be reinstated for this and all other other voting exercises	100% checking of ID is always essential - anything less undermines the importance of a vote\rProxy voting seems adequately protected by postal voting has been open to sorruption since Jack Straw amended the rules - it has been rightly described as a system that would 'disgrace a banana republic':\rhttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/11560017/Postal-voting-fraud-is-easy-electoral-commissioner-says.html	I think these are correct\rThe Scottish tax rate is a defining difference: the principle of no taxation without representation applies
2555	916317968	Andrew smith	Individual	Individual	My view is that the SNP should direct all their energies to fix the nhs police education\rfailures instead of banging on about another ref\rWhy would scotland want to leave the uk and wait years to get into the disintegrating EU? \rWe do 4 times the amount of trade with ruk - why risk this\rWe would be out of gb - not in the eu and cut off from the barnet funds\rRECIPE FOR DISASTER	No ref	No ref
2556	912426345	Niall MacKenzie	Individual	Individual	They are fair and reasonable.	I find these arrangements mostly reasonable, but I think that those that meet the requirements to vote but can't with indefinite leave to remain should be afforded a vote as well. They live and work here, pay taxes and contribute to society in the same way as EU citizens for example but are excluded from voting.	These are reasonable.
2557	143818935	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I would not support any new referendum as we need to work through the issues but need to take the opinions of the public and honour these to the full we should limit any discussions on this to every 20-50 years. We can't keep holding them every time something happens which doesn't suit.
2558	21839052	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My view is that this consultation is an unnecessary farce designed to give the illusion of engagement and therefore support. The assertion that this admin was elected with a mandate for indyref2 is incorrect. Public voted NO and SO did not achieve majority of seats nor a majority of eligible voters. Stop wasting time and money and get on with your job.	Disagree....this does not require public consultation. This is why we have civil servants...get on with your job.	Disagree..does not need public consultation.
2559	559447555	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The issue is about constitutional status. So called 'independence' is not the only alternative to the current arrangement. Therefore, the question should allow for soundings on other options, e.g. devolution max, less devolution. To push us into YES and NO camps is divisive and risks cultivating intolerance. It could reduce the debate to entrenched positions rather than further the vision, which we all share (I hope!), of a healthy and dynamic society.	Ok	Ok
2560	893980967	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Why do we need another one?\rWaste of time and money\rA decision was made in 2014\rThe EU issue is a red herring - Scotland alone is not fit to enter the EU under the entry qualifications so it is a waste of time trying. Spend the money on fixing the roads etc. etc.	Should be a clearly defined majority, e.g. percentage of vote / electorate and minimum turnout before independence could go ahead\rsuch as Turnout > 75%, Votes in favour > 66%	no views
2561	548539250	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My view is that the people of Scotland do not wish a further referendum to take place.	My view is that this question is redundant if the people of Scotland do not wish a further referendum to take place. Roads, education and health are much more pressing practical matters that are failing under the present prioritisation being given by the SG.	My view is that this question is redundant if the people of Scotland do not wish a further referendum to take place. Roads, education and health are much more pressing practical matters that are failing under the present prioritisation being given by the SG.
2562	287117925	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't think there should be another referendum. Try managing the country to an extent where Scotland could survive and thrive in independence before we have another referendum.	What was wrong the first time apart from not getting the result you wanted?	Don't agree with the last point about campaigns officer being allowed to take on the treasurer's role of responsible person.
2563	257228416	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am against another referendum. The people spoke in 2014.	There should be no referendum so these changes are unnecessary.	There should be no referendum so these changes are unnecessary.
2564	129261988	Bill Megarry	Individual	Individual	There should NOT be a 2 no referendum, as The Nation gave its decision in 2014.... in that " once in a generation opportunity ". The First Minister should put her efforts into endeavouring to get Scotland out of the mess The SNP has dragged it into.	If it provides a more efficient system....YES.... if not....leave it alone ..if it works.	Having a vote should be for 18s and over....reducing the age to 16 was merely a ploy by The SNP to capture an age group who sympathies with their agenda. Prisoners should NOT have a vote....you lose the right to vote when you cannot abide by society's rules.
2565	66508839	Brian fairley	Individual	Individual	I believe there should not be another referendum\rThis question implies the decision to hold one has been made	As above I do not want another referendum	As above
2566	320754481	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think they are suitable. The last thing we need is another independence referendum.	I do not think they are suitable. The last thing we need is another independence referendum.	I do not think they are suitable. The last thing we need is another independence referendum.
2567	704185355	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	We have already been through an Independence Referendum and the answer was loud & clear - NO. We are the United Kingdom. SNP should pull their socks up and get on with the day job instead of threatening another very divisive & unsettling referendum. It seems as if the FM will not accept the will of the Scottish people by ignoring the results of 2014. Brexit is not a mandate for FM to put us all through the mill again just so she can feed her ego. We have been through a very unsettling time these past couple of years so SNP please get on with serving the whole of Scotland, not just the central belt. Forget Independence because I can't see that SNP are making a very good job of managing Scotland as it is let alone if we were independent. Stop whining & take NO for an answer.
2568	782805348	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with this	I support the revised checking plan. I agree that way emergency proxy votes are dealt with needs changing.\rHowever, I would like absent voting simplified further, perhaps to see Scots born people who retain Scots nationality but live abroad for a work or study period of up to five years from the date of leaving Scotland having automatic eligibility to vote.	I support these updates
2569	904644489	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No issue for me on the proposals.	No issue for me on the proposals.	No issue for me on the proposals.
2570	279197859	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Satisfactory	SAtisfactory	Satisfactory
2571	3943047	Catherine Moorehead	Individual	Individual	I do not wish to have another referendum.	I do not wish to have another referendum.	I do not wish to have another referendum.
2572	85068270	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These arrangements are suitable	Proxy and postal votes are open to abuse, more checking is appropriate	Again appropriate
2573	945661208	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Do not want another referendum. Its a waste of public money. The vote was decided last time and should not be revisited.	Not applicable	N/a
2574	539270529	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These arrangements seem fair and reasonable.	The changes are also reasonable.	No particular view on these proposed changes. They appear to be necessary to reflect current legislation.
2575	298676025	Lorna scott	Individual	Individual	Should not be a referendum	Should not be a referendum	Should not be a referendum
2576	777521536	Christine Duncan	Individual	Individual	They seem sensible and independent from the government	they seem sensible	I agree with them
2577	133110424	Alexander Sinclair	Individual	Individual	No need for referendum as we have already decided	No views	No views
2578	34484639	Bryony Dick	Individual	Individual	I think this is a fair and democratic means to manage a referendum	This is a fair and democratic means to vote in this referendum. I especially like that Scotland will allow people of 16 and upwards to vote for their own future, as opposed to it being chosen for them by older generations.	I think this is a fair and democratic means to manage a referendum
2579	253196141	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	waste of time and public money . the democratic will was made clear in 2014. if the result had been ' yes' it would be inconceivable for the SNP to consider a second ref if there were an upturn in 'no' support.	waste of time and public money . the democratic will was made clear in 2014. if the result had been ' yes' it would be inconceivable for the SNP to consider a second ref if there were an upturn in 'no' support.	waste of time and public money . the democratic will was made clear in 2014. if the result had been ' yes' it would be inconceivable for the SNP to consider a second ref if there were an upturn in 'no' support.
2580	584509803	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe those under 18 should vote. The only reason to allow this that I can see is so that you get the response you want. Where does this end? Will you next want 14-year-olds to vote? 12? What are your reasons for wanting 16-year-olds to vote?	Fine.	Fine.
2581	67635059	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposals as drafted should be dropped, Scotland does not require a further referendum.	No views offered.	No views offered.
2582	214108039	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The vote was no. We do not want or need another referendum.	Technical changes are irrelevant. No referendum should happen.	As above.
2583	188082394	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There should not be a referendum. It is divisive and the answer will be the same as in 2014
2584	605252215	Robert Mccleneghen	Individual	Individual	Much more scrutiny regarding postal ballots.	Again postal ballot fraud must be eliminated	Fine
2585	454248512	Alastair Orr Ewing	Individual	Individual	No comment	No comments	No comment
2586	145856691	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	do not believe that this should be voted on again. Stay part of the union in or out of EU	I actually dont believe that the majority of 16 and 17 year olds have any real idea of what is going on within politics or the larger community	I agree with this change
2587	227703594	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The voting system appeared to be a robust vehicle. Last time it clearly registered the wishes of the people of Scotland. \r Below is a personal opinion and I would welcome clarification on points raised:\r Please explain why the majority of Scots' opinions are now being ignored when we clearly voted to stay in the union?\r To this Scot it appears our First Minister will do anything to impose her wish. Mr Cameron had the strength of character to step down on losing his EU referendum but our First Minister continues on, contrary to the people's vote. To me this indicates the moral fibre of the lady as being questionable and is an insight to an ego that is out of control.\r The current Scottish government style has many similarities to the political situation in Germany in the 1930's. Are we to constantly keep voting until we get the answer correct, that being at the discretion of the First Minister?	Sound	Sound
2588	33785577	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Content with process	Content with the proposals	I agree with the proposals
2589	886807906	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	no issues	no issues	no issues
2590	846449521	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum following the people's decision in 2014.	No referendum so any changes are unnecessary.	No referendum so any changes are unnecessary.
2591	264072933	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am fine with this	I am fine with this	I am fine with this
2592	48442779	Craig Taylor	Individual	Individual	I believe it would be beneficial to have an independent impartial country run the #IndyRef2 in order to prevent corruption from Westminster!	I feel that those who are 15, but will be 16 by the end of the calendar year (31st December) the #IndyRef2 is run, should be considered to allow voting - but I.D. must be shown when collecting Ballot Paper!	Paragraph 3A should have been automatically assumed anyway!
2593	863669147	Lisa McMahon	Individual	Individual	We need to ensure that confidence in the processes is high and allow for scrutiny at all levels.	I agree with these changes. There were ongoing concerns around postal votes in the previous referendum and this needs tightened up to ensure full confidence in the result.	I agree with the changes.
2594	824252329	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposals but am concerned that security is tightened as I am aware from conversations overheard on a train that quite a substantial number of people found a way to vote more than once. The discussion I overheard related to No voters who had second homes and had managed to vote at both addresses. I have no idea how wide a problem this is.	I am happy with the tightening of requirements. As stated above relating to the conversation I overheard but also to comments made by a large number of people after the Referendum, there were grave concerns that proper checks were not in place to insure integrity of postal and proxy votes.	In both the Scottish and European referendum campaigns vast amounts of unsubstantiated comments were made. Some of these came very late in the campaign and undoubtedly scared people from voting. There has to be clarity as to who should be allowed to make statements. There is also a problem with the Westminster parliament and political activities continuing in the run up to the Scottish referendum as "News" reports were not balanced with equal time being given to each side of the debate. All News channels and not just the Scottish News output should be required to comply.
2595	146950000	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No ref2 wanted.	No ref2 wanted.	No ref2 wanted.
2596	342490005	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These seem fair enough. There was little argument about the running of the last referendum	In 2017 I see no reason why Irish citizens should not be treated like any EU citizen and not have any special (historic) treatment	No view
2597	1068266955	Sushee Dunn	Individual	Individual	An absolute waste of finite resources. The proposal to hold another referendum is causing unnecessary uncertainty in the lives of 'the people of Scotland' and we are being dragged once again by a socialist high tax high benefit mentality government towards their own agenda. Frankly we need the protection and balance of the UK government policy making.\r 16/17 year olds should not have vote	Do not support another referendum but only those with British residency and should exclude 16/17 year olds	Do not support another referendum
2598	375478254	John Jones	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the government's proposals.	I agree with these arrangements.	I agree with these rule changes.
2599	1005709086	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	System sounds fine but before this,\r Vote should not be done unless there is a 'clear majority' in favour not just because it suits. Nothing to do with leaving europe if part of UK and voted on previously.	I disagree strongly that 16-17yr olds should vote. They are not judged adult enough to drink alcohol responsibly but can deside a countries future. 18 should be voting age.	18 and older
2600	737342768	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Strongly against referendum and will no longer vote SNP if you keep pushing for this.	Strongly agree	Agree
2601	716265547	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We had a referendum on this subject in 2014. The SNP lost. It was a once in a lifetime vote...whats changed? I regard a second referendum as completely disingenuous and question its validity and the validity of the Scottish 'Government' to call such. I further regard the expenditure of taxpayers money on this matter as a gross breach of trust. As to arrangements....I am perplexed as to why we are being asked about such. Any expenditure on 'arrangements' is a gross abuse of public funds and I sincerely hope the SNP are personally surcharged for such abuse.	Irrelevant. Complete twaddle I'm afraid. Get on with doing a proper job of running Scotland as part of the UK.	Irrelevant. Complete twaddle I'm afraid. Get on with doing a proper job of running Scotland as part of the UK.
2602	1051281456	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	That seems satisfactory	None	None
2603	460638313	Dave Horrocks	Individual	Individual	I agree that the same simple question should be asked again as that from 2014. I am in broad agreement with the other proposals too.	II agree	agree
2604	743822229	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Eligibility to vote should be extended to Scottish people residing outside Scotland.	No Answered	Eligibility to vote should be extended to Scottish people residing outside Scotland.
2605	662225543	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A referendum has already been held and the result was clearly to remain part of the UK so it is unfair to hold another. Democratic arrangements do not make it right.	No Answered	In the event of another referendum all those resident in Scotland plus all those born in the country but living elsewhere should have a vote.
2606	706881683	Derek Gilchrist	Individual	Individual	Fair and transparent with greater evidence of control and audit in relation to the postal vote and count.	Agree with changes	Agree
2607	786666092	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	arrangements as before will suffice, but the normal voting age of 18 should be adopted	no change	no change
2608	567163904	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	NO TO INDEPENDENCE!	NO NO NO	NO NO NO
2609	526163157	Andy martin	Individual	Individual	Really think that the Scottish government should fully get back to running the country and not focus on any referendums no matter what your leader says it was a united kingdom vote not individual votes from Scotland, Wales or northern Ireland, that is not how votes work. We should be looking at getting the basics right such as care for the elderly, roads,police, transport and school's and only when we get all of these to a higher level then maybe 10 to 20 years then we look at another referendum, its far too soon to be looking at it now .	As long as all is legal and honest	Again as long it is done fairly and legally but again dont think we should be going down that road.
2610	388217845	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A bill should be on the table. However I would like to see any Referendum Held within the 2 Years after Article 50 has been initalised by the Westminster Government.\r Lets not do the same mistakes and issues that led to a non-informed and non-full-thruthfull led UK Referendum in the summer of 2016. I would hope that the SNP would develop a Roadmap to a successfull Scotland in the Event of a Hard Brexit. Such Roadmap would install a Level of trust and give assurances to the scottish People.	no other views, the same process should be applied as in 2014	none
2611	755970858	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No second referendum	Polls show the public dont want another referendum	No interest
2612	621526736	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I make it clear that I would prefer not to have another referendum. I voted to stay in the UK in the Scottish referendum. I voted to remain in the UK in the belief that was best for the younger generation and to prevent another Scottish referendum albeit my preference was to LEAVE as I have lost faith in the EU and perceive the UK is a cash cow for mainlamnd Europe and has has no teeth in Europe. \rIf we are forced to have another referendum then I have no concerns about it being organised as other elections.	I have a concern about identity theft and also about coercion of voters. I believe that anyone voting by post should have their form co-signed by another registered voter who must identify themselves and that an individual cannot co-sign for more than one absent voter. I also consider that parties must identify all individuals who are actively and officially campaigning for them - even by unofficial groups and named individuals in these groups cannot co-sign or be involved in any way in collecting or assisting anyone voting in absence. \rIf it currently not so, I also consider that it should be a criminal offence to interfere in a vote or to threaten or coerce in any way an individual to vote in a particular way.	No views
2613	25521752	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no mandate for the Scottish Government to hold another referendum.	No Answered	Eligibility based on Residency; Residency must be clearly defined. Commonwealth citizens who are in Scotland on a short term Work Visa should NOT be considered as Resident eg Indian IT contractors on a 1 year work visa who are only here as a consequence of work being offshored by UK companies (RBS is a prime example of this practice).
2614	105891622	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is a scandal that our money is being wasted on this matter rather than spending it on something worthwhile i.e. Education, Health, the Police, Fire Brigade, Transport, Public Services, care for our elderly, etc etc.	I am not interested. The democratic outcome of the recent Independence Referendum has not been respected so its pointless bothering about technical changes.	It doesn't matter who participates as the democratic result has not been respected.
2615	566228688	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Issue	On British citizens should be eligible to vote. EU & Commonwealth citizens should not have to have a say in the future of Scotland	No issue
2616	10666197	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There will not be a referendum. That was decided in 2014.	Not applicable. We had a referendum in 2014.	Not applicable. See above.
2617	139877601	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As stated, it's essential that Scotland has access to the Single Market, but that looks increasingly unlikely, in which case we have to become independent and thereby remain in Europe. Before that we have to sort out our currency and persuade everyone that we can exist viably with out the rUK.	Agreed.	Agreed.
2618	62258736	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As long as 16 yr olds get the vote again after all it is their future.	This all sounds fair to me	As long as this is done transparently and fairly
2619	691375270	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The turnout level should be a minimum of 50 % of the electorate otherwise the result does not represent the majority of the people available to vote.	no comment	no comment
2620	530083438	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am opposed to another wasteful independence referendum. If the Scottish Government insists in forcing one on us again, I agree that organisationally the proposed arrangements above are suitable, but the question must not be a Yes/No answer as this creates bias.	None. I do not support another independent referendum. The Scottish Government needs to focus on proper policies that improve the economic prospects for, and performance of policing, transport, health and education in Scotland, not create further needlesss division and uncertainty through obsessing about constitutional restructuring.	None. I do not support another independent referendum. This "consultation" seems merely to be geared towards getting respondents to agree to process. I fear that this will be conflated with approval for another referendum.
2621	310241160	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I do not want there to be a second referendum. We have voted to remain part of the UK.
2622	113407814	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree with arrangements which were used in 2014 referendum. 2014 was supposed to be once in a lifetime vote, didn't go SNP's way so pushing for another referendum. The Scottish people are sick of hearing about independence, sick of hearing about stupid proposal's for staying in Europe, SNP are making Scotland a laughing stock. Why wait till 2020 we need an election now , another 3 years of SNP is scary, they've made a complete hash of everything.	Don't agree with 16 year old's being allowed to vote. Far too young in my opinion.	Won't make much difference to the outcome
2623	673060821	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Together with 55% of the Scottish people, I gave my views on Scottish independence on 18 September 2014. That result must be respected and this continual push towards independence must end. You are a minority government and there is no mandate for a second independence referendum; you lost seats at the last election!\r I have voted SNP twice (but never supported independence) but that support will now end. We voted to remain a United Kingdom but still you have been granted far greater devolution than ever thought possible. It's time to use that power and focus on that you have let slide - education, transport, our NHS and devise new and clever ways to approach taxation now you have the economic levers to do so.\r If you don't take heed - expect swathes of NO voters who are also SNP voters to turn against you in even greater numbers.
2624	496186230	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Accepted	Accepted	Accepted
2625	694625492	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No opinion, there shouldn't be another one	Only people living and registered for tax in Scotland should be eligible	See above
2626	584396753	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No referendum should be held. Decision was made in 2014.
2627	504271853	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I do not want another referendum on independence. It has caused so much trouble and division.
2628	385808573	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Excellent	Excellent	Excellent
2629	34025309	Jurgen Daly	Individual	Individual	No comment	No comment	No comment
2630	968115655	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a referendum	Should not be changed but would not matter as the people of Scotland will still vote NO	No comment
2631	925710	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Totally opposed to another referendum.	Totally opposed to another referendum.	Totally opposed to another referendum.
2632	204742912	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with what is shown	Proposed changes are acceptable	Again acceptable
2633	992054940	Martin McLeary	Individual	Individual	To be blunt, I do not see the requirement for a further referendum, but the proposals put forward for managing this do seem to be acceptable.	Again, I do not see the requirement for a further referendum, but the proposed technical changes do seem to be acceptable.	Again, I do not see the requirement for a further referendum, but the proposed technical changes do seem to be acceptable.
2634	383033211	Andrew Martin Fraser	Individual	Individual	I am broadly supportive of these proposals	I welcome the tighter controls and checks on proxy and postal voting	I should like to see organisations claiming to represent the views of members(e.g. the CBI and Trade Unions) be obliged to produce evidence that a) they have genuinely consulted their members to get their views and b) that the representations then put forward accurately reflect what all their members have said including the percentage who did not respond to the consultation.
2635	600718005	William Kevin Harkness	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There should be no second referendum. Ms Sturgeon uses the EU referendum result as a reason for proposing this second Independence referendum. Nowhere in the EU vote was there a question about Scotland remaining in the EU. I voted for the UK to remain and by a democratic vote the UK decided to leave, that is a vote that as a citizen of the UK I accept. It does not give the SNP the mandate to call an Independence referendum, she cites that the SNP included a "material change" clause in their 2016 election campaign and that this represents such a material change. Given Ms Sturgeons stated view that the cause of Independence transcends "oil, the economy and anything else " I suspect that a bad episode of "Coronation Street" would justify another referendum in her eyes and far from accepting the stated will of the Scottish people in the referendum of 2014 she is using this latest event as an excuse to push her Independence agenda. I noticed that nowhere in this so called consultation document is there an opportunity for the public to state whether they actually want another referendum - so much for wanting the views of "all" of the people, it would seem you only want the views of those already committed to a second referendum and I wonder how many of those people would be NO voters. The Scottish Governments ideas on "Democracy" and "Consultation" would be funny if it wasn't so serious.
2636	807589316	Stephen Shilton	Individual	Individual	I think these arrangements are fair as proposed. I think it is right that all those who live in Scotland should be eligible to vote.	I think these changes are required. As many as possible should be eligible to vote. However, postal votes and proxy voting need to be kept to reasonable levels and need to be seen to be reliable, with 100% monitoring.	Happy with these changes.
2637	337577105	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Sensible and appears sound.	Takes account of identified issues; remedial action proposed appears appropriate.	Takes account of potential areas of difficulty/confusion and establishes process to minimise/correct.
2638	134647015	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We do not need a referendum. The majority of Scots wish to stay in UK and we voted as such.	We do not need another referendum, we already said no. Changing procedures will not alter this already democratic vote.	We do not require another referendum. The people of Scotland have already spoken and do not wish to leave UK. We also returned SNP to Government but now as a Minority Government, I suggest there is a strong message here from the people of Scotland.
2639	446327205	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	1. The referendum question should be framed in such a way that the answer is 'Remain' or 'Leave' as in the EU referendum, not the more emotive 'Yes' or 'No' as in the last independence referendum.\r 2. Such a fundamental constitutional issue should not be decided on a simple majority of votes cast. The change should only be implemented if the 'Leave' vote is at least two thirds of the votes cast.	No comment	No comment
2640	322402861	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	All suggestions seem reasonable and I have answered subsequent questions as appropriate. However I fundamentally disagree with running a second referendum. It is time for the Scottish Government to respect the vote of 2014- the once in a generation vote - and concentrate on the issues that affect Scotland. Government is responsible for education, health, Police - all in total disarray- so stop banging the independence drum which interestingly has turned to Tory bashing in recent times instead of Westminster bashing, and get on with the real job in hand. Scotland is stronger with the rest of the UK and a separate EU deal is pie in the sky. I didn't vote for Brexit but it is the democratic vote of the people of the U.K. of which we are a part.	Changes seem reasonable but I had no issues before.	All fine
2641	1042242958	Jeanette Young	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Stop wasting my time and money and devote the same energies you are wasting in flogging the dead independence referendum horse to making a better job of governing Scotland within your remit. Foreign Policy is NOT within your remit. A majority of Scots voted to stay in the U.K. and a majority of UK citizens voted to leave the EU. As it happens I voted to remain in the EU, but as in all democracies I will abide by the outcome.
2642	723927811	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree with proposed arrangements	No Answered	Citizens of other EU countries should not be entitled to vote as this may unfairly impact on the results due to Brexit.\rThose previously convicted of electoral fraud especially at last referendum should be barred from voting
2643	847834580	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The outcome of the last referendum (Indy1) should be respected in the same way as the UK EU outcome should. I don't like it, but the people have spoken and it is first past the post! I'll vote no again, if we have indy2. \r Proposing Indy2 is a waste of taxpayers' money.	No Answered	OK
2644	78130382	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with this, everyone living in Scotland should have a say in our future. In the last referendum I read that there was no possibility of a recount, I think this should be allowed.	In the last referendum I read that there was no possibility of a recount, I think this should be allowed.	I agree, no strong views.
2645	753369238	Patricia Hughes	Individual	Individual	I do not want a new referendum at all, so the arrangements are immaterial to me except that in the last referendum the question was chosen by the SNP and was loaded against remaining in the UK. The majority vote should now be respected.	I think it is very unfair that my colleague who is working abroad but plans to return here to retire will not be eligible. She has such a long term personal investment in Scotland, her family come from Skye and she is a MacDonald.	Dont care I am very opposed to this whole. Idea of a new referendum
2646	693391972	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
2647	19260997	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Voting age should be 18 minimum\rThere should be no further independence referendum for the balance of the "generation" (normally 30 years) commencing September 2014.	Voting age should be a minimum of 18.\rAs with the EU referendum Scots living abroad for up to 15 years should be allowed to vote,\rThere should be no further independence referendum for the balance of the "generation" (normally 30 years) commencing September 2014.	I agree.
2648	899798687	Archie Lacey	Individual	Individual	I am in full agreement with this.	I am in full agreement with these arrangements.	I am in full agreement with these changes.
2649	320973188	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Perhaps eligibility to vote needs to be reviewed, bearing in mind the demographics of the previous referendum and impact on the outcome. Should a person who has other UK nationality also have a say in this? Although very controversial, it does mean that they have more rights and choices than Scots and our welcome European residents.	As above	Fine
2650	50418755	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	At no point in this consultation are you asking of i consider the need for a referendum to be present or justifiable - as such there is nothing more to say as the current government is obviously spinning for the consultation response they wish to have
2651	180374909	Peter McDade	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum. Independence was a bad idea before Brexit and is an even worse idea now. The last thing we need is yet another layer of uncertainty. The economic case is weak. The (rest of the) UK is a far bigger market for us than the EU, so it makes no sense to jeopardise access to the former in order to secure access to the latter.	There should not be another referendum.	There should not be another referendum.
2652	1028335316	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum to be held, therefore no need for any management.	I do not want another referendum to be held, therefore no need for any changes.	I do not want another referendum to be held, therefore no need for any rule changes.
2653	38738563	Robert Richardson	Individual	Individual	Acceptable	More observers watching the count. Tamper proof ballot box seals and exit polls if possible.	Acceptable
2654	174643543	Karen MacLean	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed split of responsibilities and the criteria for the eligibility to vote.	I agree with most of the proposals except I think that people who are born in Scotland, have lived in Scotland for most of their lives and are travelling abroad should be entitled to vote. Increasingly, young people are taking several gap years to experience the world thus being out of the country for 2 years and more. My daughter lived in Brisbane for 6 years; she was bitterly disappointed that she couldn't vote in the Scottish Independence referendum. Her intention was to return to Scotland.	I agree with the proposals.
2655	870171725	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is a complete and utter waste of taxpayers money. We had a once in a lifetime referendum in 2014 according to Alex Salmond. What is the point of wasting more money when the democratic result is not respected. Are there not better things to spend money on ? Our failing education system perhaps ?	Waste of taxpayers money.	Waste of taxpayers money.
2656	1051594643	Gina Livingstone	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Previous referndum was administered at UK parliment. Postal votes where returned to westminster which left them the opportuity to 'manipulate' the votes which I feel happened big time. If the next vote could be overseen at Holyrood that would make such a difference. My personal vote was a postal one next time around I would go to a polling station. I still have no confidence in Westminster's involvement. Im am a very trusting honest person but dont feel that this exists in Westminster.
2657	1070297394	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The referendum was managed as a once in a lifetime opportunity, I disagree with any plans to propose a referendum on independence at this point.	The technical changes should include a requirement for a proportion of the electorate to turn out. There should also be details about the change to the constitution should be per the parliaments laws and UK law, only the UK government can determine the details of the referendum.	No comment
2658	867744049	MACD Electrical Ltd	Individual	Individual	No need for one as last one was once in a lifetime? Get on with governing Scotland or the people will remove u.	No need a waste of money	No need waste of time
2659	456301114	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think that the Scottish people, of whom I am one, should be subjected by The Scottish Government to another referendum. We have already voted to remain in the UK and that the UK should leave the EU.	Anybody who is resident in Scotland should be allowed to vote irrespective of their nationality.	No views
2660	863510773	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for it, We have already voted on the matter and gave the government its "clear mandate" as is quoted. Just as Brexit means Brexit so too does a No to independence.	There is no need for such changes	There is no need nor justification for such changes
2661	592912783	Robert Gardner	Individual	Individual	My view is this consultation paper is a complete and utter waste of time. There should be no second referendum on Scotlands place within the UK.	My view is this consultation paper is a complete and utter waste of time. There should be no second referendum on Scotlands place within the UK.	My view is this consultation paper is a complete and utter waste of time. There should be no second referendum on Scotlands place within the UK.
2662	458711240	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I voted in favour of the UK to remain a member of the EU - not for Scotland to remain a member of the EU as a single country. I feel strongly that my vote and my view is currently being misrepresented by the current Scottish Government. I believe that we need to understand so much more about the exit arrangements for the UK from the EU before we consider how Scotland fits into any future plans and whether an independence vote is necessary. In addition, there was no clarity about how Scotland could remain a member of the EU with the 2014 Independence vote - this information needs to be available before another vote takes place.\r I believe there are other, more pressing issues for the Scottish Government to be dealing with. Any arrangements for another independence votewill divert attention away from serious economic pressures that require to be addressed and also the implementation of the 2016 Scotland Act which is extremely complex and potentially detrimental to the prosperity of Scotland.	supportive	supportive
2663	698649437	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If the referendum goes ahead then everyone should have the chance to vote on line as with the census each given a one-off code to identify the person voting	No comments	No comments
2664	800705873	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not support the inclusion of 16 and 17 year-olds in the electorate. They lack life experience and are too easily influenced by others.	No Answered	Persons of Scottish birth not currently resident in Scotland should have the right to vote.
2665	388772837	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no issues around actual management of a referendum but challenge the mandate for one to be called at all, and the margin of acceptability of one were to be called. This is because the Scottish Government are seeking to hold it on one of two flawed premise - either\r- when there is sustained evidence of public support for a vote - which enables the government to "cherry pick" a particular time when public opinion may have been swayed by a particular event or circumstance which may be only temporary in nature and where the timing of a vote may therefore be advantageous to one side of the argument\ror\rwhere there has been a significant change of circumstance - in this case the outcome of the EU referendum, On this issue every Scottish voter who cast a vote knew that they were casting their vote as a UK citizen and that the result would affect the UK as a whole. To afterwards sub divide the vote into regions is an invalid an approach as it would have been if (say) in the earlier Scottish Independence referendum Fife hade voted as a region to remain within the UK whilst the rest of Scotland voted for separation. If, in that circumstance the Scottish Government would have insisted that Fife had to accept the democratic majority - as it surely would have - then is it not right the Scotland must also accept the democratic majority of the UK wide referrendum regarding the EU? \r Finally, if a referendum was to be held then I feel that a result based upon a simple majority is inappropriate. Experience from the last referendum showed that views for and against were tightly split and it has proved a divisive issue in Scotland ever since. If the result was in favour of one side or the other by only a narrow margin the division would persist and there would be added injustice to "no" voters rhat whereas a no vote would be open to yet further future challenge by nationalist supporters a £yes" vote would be absolute and irreversible. Given that in any voting process there will be some who abstain or fail to vote and others who spoil their papers and given that the outcome would affect Scotland's future in he most fundamental way it seems right that success should be measured by more that a simple majority where a victory on either side could be achieved by a single vote. I would suggest that if held at all a referendum should require the winning side to achieve at least a 60% majority of votes cast measureiyre	No comment to make on this section	No comment
2666	602621176	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I have no problem with above other than I do not wish to have another referendum.
2667	903037976	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I voted by post in the last referendum so I cannot comment on how smoothly the day went.	I thought all Scottish people should have a say on this decision though, whether they live in the country or not. There is a strong argument for this not to be the case since they might have been living abroad for years now, however Scotland is still their country of birth and they might wish to return someday, therefore would like to have a say on such relevant decision. I guess there is a difference between senior citizens who have retired to live to another country for health/weather reasons; and age working people searching for job opportunities that might just be developing their professional careers but intending to return one day. It is a complex issue and the way voting eligibility is proposed is quite balance and fair despite of my objection.	I think transparency in government is very important and anything that helps making the process easier to understand and clearer to the wide public is a great initiative.
2668	343599014	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No issues.	I think there should be an upper age limit, to omit people above that age from voting . It's not their future that is being decided.	No issues.
2669	104169326	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No second referendum. The verdict of the people in 2014 should be respected.	No second referendum. The verdict of the people in 2014 should be respected.	No second referendum. The verdict of the people in 2014 should be respected.
2670	78857200	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I DO NOT THINK THERE SHOULD BE A SECOND ONE - WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY	IF YOU PERSIST IN GOING AGAINST THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE WHO VOTED - THEN YOU SHOULD NOT CHANGE ANYTHING.	IF YOU PERSIST IN GOING AGAINST THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE WHO VOTED - THEN YOU SHOULD NOT CHANGE ANYTHING.
2671	458054397	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am in agreement with the proposals set out.	In agreement with proposals.	I am in favour of robust transparency & disclosure of all those who would be engaged in the campaign on either side. I would, in particular, want to see This prominently mentioned in any promotional literature and media coverage.
2672	378965124	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There is no need for a further referrendum
2673	939524069	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No issues on this point.\r Having read all the questions I think this consultation exercise on another independence vote is misleading. At no point here is the question asked whether we should be having another independence vote at all. That is the key question and not technical points about how a referendum will be administered. \rFor the record, I believe a further independence vote is a truly terrible idea. The vote to leave the EU did not go the way most people in Scotland voted but that is the result we have to live with. Fragmenting the UK with Scottish independence would not be in anyone's interests and would cause massive damage to Scotland and the rest of Britain. Scotland is not economically strong enough to go it alone and even remaining part of the EU in that event wouldn't help. It's certainly not helped Greece.\rI fear that more SNP hand wringing about another independence vote is going to be an excuse for stalling and doing nothing for the next few years other than raising taxes on the middle class.	I do not agree on the point of allowing citizens of Northern Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland to vote. This looks to be an attempt to bolster pro independence by playing on these individuals other vested interests in staying in the EU. Any independence vote should be for Scottish citizens only.	No issues
2674	987768048	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for a referendum at this moment in time, so I believe we shouldn't be worrying about arranging one.	No view.	No view.
2675	1004030624	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	My comments in this box are about the referendum in general. There are two issues within the consultation document that I would like to comment on:\r 1. The wording of the question. I think the wording needs to be such that it does not produce a positive or negative connotation to either of the options - which voting YES or NO does. \r 2. The result of the EU referendum illustrates the risks associated with a simple majority result. Technically this means that one more vote in either direction decides the future of the country. The unhappiness with the EU result evidences the upset that is generated by results that are close. It would be sensible to set a 10% difference as the minimum required to instigate a change to independence. \r My other concern is around the timing and context of any such referendum. What has been the problem with both the previous independence referendum, and also with the EU referendum is that one option remains an unknown quantity. People have voted for/against something that has not be possible to detail (or where misinformation has been provided). If people are to be given the responsibility of voting then it is beholden on those who give this responsibility to them to make sure that there is utmost clarity about both the options available. People need to be presented with accurate and factual information. In the case of independence this means knowing what this would mean - what Scotland's continued status with Europe would be, what the arrangements with the rest of the UK would be etc. Without this knowledge people are voting for an idea rather than a reality. This again has been very evident within the EU referendum process, with many who voted OUT not getting what they bargained for.\r Please learn these lessons and don't make the same mistakes again!
2676	952051341	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't understand the need for all this again. The country said NO in 2014. A complete waste of time and tax payers money.	Again, more time and money wasted that could be put to better use i.e. council services, NHS, police etc....thought this was what SNP were elected to do.	Again, more time and money wasted that could be put to better use i.e. council services, NHS, police etc....thought this was what SNP were elected to do.
2677	635570669	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We dont need one.	We don't need or want another referendum.	We don't need or want another referendum. Get on with your jobs.
2678	1041773200	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with existing arrangements.	Happy with arrangements as long as the counting process is strictly monitored.	Happy with this.
2679	159029910	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No problem	No Answered	No problem
2680	694168413	Dave Dempsey	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are fine apart from one point. The question should not call for a Yes/No answer as this automatically introduces positive/negative connotations. Instead it should be of the form\r Scotland should be an independent country\r Scotland should remain part of the United Kingdom\r with a box after each for the voter to enter a his/her choice	Fine	Fine
2681	59204625	Rebecca Kerr	Individual	Individual	To not have another referendum.	To not have another referendum.	To not have another referendum.
2682	282152306	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no views on the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum because I don't believe that there should be another referendum.	I have no views on the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements because I don't believe that there should be another referendum.	I have no views on the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants because I don't believe that there should be another referendum.
2683	508559084	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with this	I'm happy with this	I'm happy with this
2684	590451213	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have limited confidence of the integrity of the process. The Electorial body may be independent of Government, but not of Scotland, and staff will have opertunites to interfere without much being done about it. You could say that it's the same on both sides; cancelling each other out, but that isn't a clever argument and the process should be tendered out to a scandanavian contry or a contry that can be seen to be neutral with limited risk of corruption to do that part.	I agree that polling staff should not be "political activists". \r Furthermore, I would like to see better training and intervention from Police Scotland, with spot checks on what polling staff are doing at any given time, with regards to bundling votes into certain piles etc. They should be spot audited to deter people from corruption. \r I also think that instances where sample votes are opened in the presence of party representatives, recording equipment, pens/ paper or any attempt at counting or taking a tally of the sample vote should be restriced and acted soon by police Scotland if Discovered; this is in direct reference to Ruth Davidsons comments on television during the original refferendum that the numbers from sample openings were looking favourable, or words to that effect. \r Rules should be enforced, and breaches should be dealt with severely, however lax they have become over the course of normal parliamentary procedure over the years. \r A back to basics refresher on the rules of play should be given a priority for all people involved in the counting process.	I agree everyone who lives and works here should have a say, although last time did the numbers not show that the majority of scots born citizens voted yes and those not native voted no? \r I guess they would now be more inclined to vote yes if it assured their EU citizenship. Hindsight.
2685	403582682	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We shouldn't be having one. The decision was made. We said no.	No Answered	16 and 17 year olds shouldn't be voting. Totally disagreed with the change last time. SNP just did it to try and get more votes. Disgusting.
2686	976356387	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Eligibility to vote should not be the same as local government or Scottish parliament elections. Only British born citizens should be allowed to vote on a referendum that effects the status of Scotland within the United Kindlgdom.	My view on this is the same as Question 1. Only British born citizens should have a right to vote.	My view is still that a vast amount of tax payers money is being spend on this when the Scottish Govetnment have already had the question answered that we do not want independence nor do we desire a further referendum on it. It's time to concentrate on running Scotland and not into the ground as seems to be the current method.
2687	711467052	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for a second referendum. If one is held the arrangements need to be approved by the U.K. Government.	Passport or driving licence identification should be expected to verify the identity of each voter in addition to the above.	Ok
2688	97547966	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Seams reasonable in part. \r I do not however agree that the Scottish Government can lean on its parliamentary victory to claim that it can call a referendum at any time of its choosing. The social and economic costs of a referendum are significant and to be avoided unless there is sound and overwhelming reason (such as public opinion). The issue of leaving the EU does not of itself allow the government to claim a mandate to call a referendum.\r Seeing the effects of the Scottish referendum and the EU referendum I do not consider that a simple majority is helpful and would prefer a 60% majority to make such constitutional changes. In addition, the turnout must by high (60% at least) to effect such changes.\r Finally, in the event of a positive interdependent vote a second referendum should be held following the agreement reached to ratify the proposed Independence vote.	Seams reasonable in the most part	Seams reasonable in the most part
2689	470115106	Donald E.G Anderson	Individual	Individual	I am satisfied with these proposals and see no reason for being concerned at their introduction.	I am a British citizen resident in Scotland married to a non British spouse who is neither a Commonwealth or EU citizen. Under the proposals my wife who is a Philippine citizen can't vote. This does not appear to be fair. All non EU spouses including Commonwealth citizens are subject to the same immigration and residency rules and yet one group is being given the opportunity to vote.	I am satisfied with these proposals and see no reason for being concerned at their introduction.
2690	975612224	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	All Scots now employed outside of Scotland and not currently resident in Scotland should be eligible to vote. The dynamics of employment and residence are influenced by global factors. All Scottish persons retaining UK passports should be considered eligible to vote to influence the policy of their national government.\r The date for a potential referendum should be fixed to succeed BREXIT NEGOTIATION , in so far as positive or negative impacts on the welfare and well being of Scotland will largely remain unknown before the Brexit Negotiation conclusions are determined.	No Answered	All Scots now employed outside of Scotland and not currently resident in Scotland should be eligible to vote. The dynamics of employment and residence are influenced by global factors. All Scottish persons retaining UK passports should be considered eligible to vote to influence the policy of their national government.
2691	949881581	Murdo Ritchie	Individual	Individual	There is no need for another vote the people have spoken	There is no need for another vote	No need for changes
2692	1005706430	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree with proposal	Agree with proposal	Agree with proposal
2693	75651532	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The SNP and the Government need to remember that Scotland did not vote 'overwhelmingly' to remain in the EU. Approximately 40% of people who voted wanted to leave the EU. \r Using this as an excuse to hold a second referendum without Scotland knowing the full implications of what exiting the EU or exiting GB means is wholly irresponsible.	I have no opposing views.	No views
2694	580260096	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not wish any changes to take place	No Answered	I do not wish any changes to take place
2695	640576018	Niall Arbuckle	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are fine - no objections.	Happy with these proposals as I was concerned at the wave of late registrations to vote in the last referendum. People should be on the electoral register consistently, for all elections, not just those which they have a passionate desire to vote in. Part of being a responsible citizen is maintaining an interest and registering votes at all levels of government - local or national, not just referendums.	No issues with this.
2696	935624782	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Acceptable	Acceptable	Acceptable
2697	894734522	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A waste of time and a waste of money. \r The Scottish electorate voted against independence less than 30 months ago, in what was then touted as "a once in a generation referendum".\r Please just accept that the Scottish electorate voted to remain a part of a united Britain and move on in accordance with what the Scottish electorate voted for!	A waste of time and a waste of money. \r The Scottish electorate voted against independence less than 30 months ago, in what was then touted as "a once in a generation referendum".\r Please just accept that the Scottish electorate voted to remain a part of a united Britain and move on in accordance with what the Scottish electorate voted for!	A waste of time and a waste of money. \r The Scottish electorate voted against independence less than 30 months ago, in what was then touted as "a once in a generation referendum".\r Please just accept that the Scottish electorate voted to remain a part of a united Britain and move on in accordance with what the Scottish electorate voted for!
2698	448656393	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My views on the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum are irrelevant as I do not see the requirement for another referendum only 2 years after the 2014 referendum.	My views on the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements are irrelevant as I do not see the requirement for another referendum only 2 years after the 2014 referendum.	My views on the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants are irrelevant as I do not see the requirement for another referendum only 2 years after the 2014 referendum.
2699	204661136	Phillip Siviter	Individual	Individual	The 2014 referendum was well run and using the same arrangements for the next one is a very good idea.	I think the proposed changes accurately reflect the changes made since the 2014 referendum and wholeheartedly support them.	I believe the technical changes reflect the changes made since the 2014 referendum.
2700	607322346	Duncan Anderson	Individual	Individual	No Answered	Scottish people currently living ianywhere in Europe MUST be given a vote the same as in General elections and European elections. Why should we be discriminated against?	Every Scottish person MUST have the right to vote. Do NOT discriminate
2701	883818440	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no change from 2014 format.	No Answered	Citizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland should not be given a vote.\rUnder 18 year olds should not be given the vote.
2702	649699105	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Its not required. Concentrate on running the Country please.	See above. Your missing the point as the principle of a second vote is flawed.	See above.
2703	808036475	Lauren Alexander	Individual	Individual	I have no issue with the proposed arrangements.	I have no issue with these statments.	I have no issue with these changes.
2704	941479168	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a further referendum vote on the issue of independence. In 2014 in a fair and democratic vote, Scotland choose to stay part of the UK. In reality nothing has changed and the Scottish government need to accept this.\r One wonders whether the vote in 2014 went in favour of independence that the SNP would allow a second referendum for another vote in response to support for the continuation of Scotland as part of the UK. I DOUBT IT.	As above	No concerns
2705	143128761	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No problems with the management of a referendum. \rTotally disagree with the need for it, all it does it all it succeeds in doing is keeping Scotland in a continual state of uncertainty.\rMy views on Indy2 are the same as last time and I'll vote the same as last time - NO	I object to foreigners (Rep of Ireland and EU citizens) having a say on Scotland's future	None
2706	637165207	Stewart Rickard	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	In 2014 my family and many friends were ripped appart by the referendum, bridges are beginning to be built,but this hangs in the air like the stench of death. Anyone who really cared for Scotland or the Scots would not even be considering these proposals.
2707	802783788	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The last referendum was very divisive and was supposed to be a once in a generation event, the SNP are only intent on forcing their agenda on the Scottish people against their will. The people have spoken and wish to remain part of the UK. Accept the democratic vote and get on with running the country properly and looking after our interests.	It shouldn't be happening, this is just the SNP's way of trying to manipulate to get the result they want	It shouldn't be happening, this is just the SNP's way of trying to manipulate to get the result they want
2708	513514091	William Goligher	Individual	Individual	The majority of the people of Scotland DO NOT WANT another referendum! We want a political party who are capable of running the country!\rIt is my belief that the Majority of voters in Scotland have NO CONFIDENCE in the SNP and look forward to their being replaced.	I do not agree with absent voting.	The above seems adequate.
2709	442232301	Robert Scott	Individual	Individual	Game changer first referendum was partly a vote to stay in uk and eu that promise has been broken	Could change to any resident of Scotland born aftrr 1945	Happy
2710	421029954	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would like it noted that this bill is a complete wast of time and money and should be abandoned as there are many more important issues for the Scottish Government to be dealing with eg economy, education, eu to mention but a few.\rThis bill will resurrect the divisive issues which will again split Scotland in two and do no good for anyone!\rPlease drop this bill and respect thee 2014 result!	None	None
2711	538345760	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	theres no need for a referendum	see above	only those over 18 should be able to vote. All people born in Scotland, irrespective of where they live should be able to vote
2712	846936883	David Flear	Individual	Individual	I am content with these arrangements. But do not feel another referendum is necessary as the public made there choice in 2014.	I am content with these arrangements.	Happy wth this
2713	667740658	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Where is the big question here? Do we want another referendum? \r I do not want another referendum no matter how it is run. This is a smoke screen for how poorly the SNP are running Scotland at the moment. Get our economy on its feet! You are giving incentives to the lazy and taxing hard working people. Reducing the money to Scottish Enterprise. North Sea and Aberdeen in a state like we have never seen. School report is shocking. As a female engineer I have just experienced how little protection I have for equal rights. You can't get the fundamentals right how are you going to fully run a country?\r SNP you are running us into the ground, with your current economic state the EU won't even look at us. Socialism is great until someone else's money runs out!
2714	892452562	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The basic electoral management process is fine - but I think there needs to be more qualification of Residential status for eligible voters. There needs to be a minimum residency and clear commitment to the future of Scotland before non Scots are allowed to vote on this matter.\r I think there also needs to be some better process for independently assessing statements and claims made by each of the opposing parties to ensure more public accountability for statements made in campaigning and public withdrawal of any unsubstantiated or proven "untruths" - so that the campaign will be regulated and maintained on an "honesty basis " by an independent board of verifiers.	There should be a minimum residency test of 10 years before any non Scots are allowed to vote on this matter. This will help to remove any short term transitory voters.\r There were questions raised about the validity / counting of some postal votes at the last referendum so following the same process again may not be sufficient to ensure the integrity of the voting process next time around.	This is satisfactory
2715	57763520	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Scotland has had enough of divisive politics. The last referendum was clear, yet set Scot against Scot vehemently. The time has come to bind this country together and sort out our future, including the gap in our finances. We are not in a state to set ourselves up from scratch.\r Scotland needs to look forward and start planning for the realistic future of our international position in a post Brexit world.	No-one except British Citizens living in Scotland should be able to vote in any future referendum on the future of Scotland. In particular, citizens of the ROI and the EU should have no say in the future of Scotland. They are citizens of the EU taking advantage of the rights of EU citizens to live and work in the UK. The inclusion of them, and other categories is a blatant attempt by the SNP to bias a referendum in their favour.	No Comment
2716	533004556	Mr	Individual	Individual	Whilst I appreciate your reasoning for calling for a second referendum, we were told that the last one would be a once and for all opportunity and therefore it is NOT appropriate to hold a second referendum at this time.\rThe facts and implications of Independence have to be known before anyone is asked to vote otherwise a status quo situation must prevail	Should there be a minimum period of time (of residency) before a person is eligible to vote?	acceptable
2717	803634975	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not support a second referendum	I do not support a second referendum	I do not support a second referendum
2718	893075018	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Satisfactory.	Acceptable.	Agree with measures to reduce fraud.
2719	852430779	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no problems with the arrangements for managing the referendum. My issue is that there is no need for another referendum so soon after the last one in 2014 in which there was a clear no vote to independence. If the Scottish Government is so keen to respect the views of the 62% of Scots who voted to remain in the EU why are they unwilling to respect the views of the 55% who voted no to independence in what was clearly described prior to the 2014 referendum as a "once in a generation" vote.	My answer to this is the same as for question 1.	My views on this are the same as for question 1.
2720	763428031	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Do not support	Do not support	Do not support
2721	46932339	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Appears very straightforward (the less complicated the better). Although it is far too soon to be considering a further referendum.	It is important that postal/proxy voting identifiers are check to avoid fraud where possible. 20% checked is not much of a deterrent therefore 100% seems a much better idea.	All appears straightforward
2722	417612843	William Mccurdy	Individual	Individual	A total waste of time and money	It won't make any difference the result will be the same	No difference
2723	401337460	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Hold on one moment "arrangements"\rThe first question should be: Do you want a referendum ?\rThis question must be answered first before any question about arrangements.!\r This referendum should NOT be happening SNP should pay for this with their own funds\rThe people of Scotland have never been asked if they want another referendum. The SNP have decided this is what they want.	Hold on one moment "arrangements"\rThe first question should be: Do you want a referendum ?\rThis question must be answered first before any question about arrangements.!\r This referendum should NOT be happening SNP should pay for this with their own funds\rThe people of Scotland have never been asked if they want another referendum. The SNP have decided this is what they want.	Hold on one moment "rules"\rThe first question should be: Do you want a referendum ?\rThis question must be answered first before any question about rules.!\r This referendum should NOT be happening SNP should pay for this with their own funds\rThe people of Scotland have never been asked if they want another referendum. The SNP have decided this is what they want.
2724	453275655	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not consider a refurendum should take place as the scottish people gave their opinion in the last refurendum. We should remain part of the UK.\rI consider the Scottish Government are trying to make a case for independence to further their own ends as Independence is all they are interested in.	see 1 above	see 1 above
2725	508360524	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Should not happen as scottish people voted against independance and subsequent opinion polls show no change	Do not understand changes	Ditto no understanding
2726	122226749	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Acceptable	Acceptable	Acceptable
2727	139676531	Paul Grant	Individual	Individual	We do not need another referendum at this time. While the poll and counting I'm sure will be run as professionally as every vote held in my lifetime, the regulation will need to be tight to stop misinformation which was spread often throughout the campaigning process	Uncomfortable with the idea that Scottish people who live outside Scotland currently, have no say in the future of the country, while they might not currently live in Scotland they may return in the future and I think it's unfair that, for example, someone who lived in Scotland for 20 years but moved to England for work a year or two ago has no say, whereas someone who has gone in the opposite direction does have a vote	While I do not believe there should be another independence referendum in the near future, I do think that if another is held, all donors should be known, however should be protected so whatever there view they are not under pressure from the other side. Also safeguards should be in place to prevent misleading organisational names (e.g. Labour for independence which was made up of mainly other party's members)
2728	4507083	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	WHICH BIT OF NO DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND
2729	902476874	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	respect the 2014 result	we said NO	once in a generation we were told
2730	184370239	Christopher Michael Young	Individual	Individual	Ok	Ok	Good
2731	588129040	Mark Edwards	Individual	Individual	No. To any referendum. We had one. The people spoke. It is damaging to continue on this path and assuming that the people where wrong in the eyes of the SNP.	No comment.	No comment.
2732	327379811	Paul Urquhart	Individual	Individual	I'm an ex-serviceman living in Germany who still has a vested interest in what happens in my home country, however due to the laws regarding voting eligibility and the fact I've lived abroad for more than 15 years means I have no say in any referendum. I find this incredibly unfair as it makes me as a UK passholder dependent on the choice of others. In effect it makes me a democratic nomad without a vote in either my country of birth or residence.	No Answered	I'm an ex-serviceman living in Germany who still has a vested interest in what happens in my home country, however due to the laws regarding voting eligibility and the fact I've lived abroad for more than 15 years means I have no say in any referendum. I find this incredibly unfair as it makes me as a UK passholder dependent on the choice of others. In effect it makes me a democratic nomad without a vote in either my country of birth or residence.
2733	256204718	Gary Johnston	Individual	Individual	I don't believe another referendum is needed or called for.	The polling changes are not necessary	No changes are needed
2734	689746911	John Thornton	Individual	Individual	Indyref2 should not take place. Scotland voted against independence in 2014.	Should not be required, since Indyref2 should not take place.	Indyref2 should not take place, but if it did the votes of "ex-pat" Scots living in the rest of the UK should be included. Only 'naturalised' foreign nationals living in Scotland should be allowed to vote. Otherwise it is "rent-a-foreigner" and a democratic joke.
2735	949438721	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I do not want another referendum. We already had a " once in a generatation " one.
2736	500460401	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No problem with management of arrangements if referendum has to go ahead.	No problem with technical changes if referendum has to go ahead
2737	1004127510	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No referendum. 2014 vote confirmed that Scotland to stay part of UK	no view	no view
2738	231363200	June Allison	Individual	Individual	one - the Scottish Assembly was not elected with a clear mandate to hold a second indy ref.\r2 - the answer was given unequivocally in September 2014 - and answer was NO\r3 - the Scottish Assembly is threatening jobs, business and tourism by even starting this uncertainty yet again, purely for selfish reasons of their own.\r4 - none of this should even be being discussed - THERE IS NO REASON FOR A SECOND INDY REF. END OF.	THERE SHOULD BE NOT BE A SECOND REFERENDUM	THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANOTHER REFERENDUM SO ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS SHOULD BE NOT APPLICABLE
2739	5917964	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A referendum has already been held and the Scottish Government should respect the will of the people. This was a "once in a generation opportunity" - as stated by SNP; if the SNP government is to retain any sense of credibility it should be true to its word.\rNo management of a second referendum is necessary as there should be no second referendum.	Voting should be restricted to those aged 18 and above.	Not necessary as there should be no second referendum
2740	335412075	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no second referendum. We as a country voted to remain part of the UK in sickness and in health. I am 100% sure that the SNP would have put forward a case for a 2nd referendum whichever way the UK voted in the European referendum. This is simply the first opportunity they have had to whip up a anti UK feeling in the country again which is simply unnecessary. I dont remember being asked what my critera was for a 2nd referendum being held, but the SNP seem somehow to have an absolute view of my criteria which is nonsense. The recent polls suggesting that over 60% of people in Scotland do not wish for there to be a 2nd referendum is all that is required to shut this down once and for all.	no comment	No comment
2741	113262069	John O'Neill	Individual	Individual	Who is this SNP government refusing to accept the democratic decision made by the Scottish People in 2014. Their whole raison d'etre is Indepndence at any cost with any political difference being used as an excuse to hold another referendum. This party has been in government for 10 years now and they have succeeded only in virtually destroying our Police Service, NHS and Fire service. In addition education is a mess. It's time they stopped this perpetual pursuit of Independence and did the job they are paid for I.e. Running the country. I am sick to the back teeth of this constant talk of another referendum. Respect the democratic decision made by the Scottish people in 2014 and get over it. Stop wasting my money on this subject once and for all.	If it isn't broke dont't fix it.	I think 16 year olds should be allowed to vote. They are old enough to get married and join the army so they are old enough to vote.
2742	492496024	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't want another referendum.	I don't think there should be any changes since 2014.	I have no views on this.
2743	1053165815	John Innes	Individual	Individual	We have had a referendum and the result was a resounding no, since then the brexit situation has arisen making it suicidal to have Scotland split from the UK.	No views	No views
2744	943880115	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Please do not put Scotland through another Indy ref. We had the vote now accept it.
2745	333589540	Peter Barjonas	Individual	No Answered	Individual	Due to their support for a British state I feel the following groups should not participate in an indepence referendum:\r commonwealth citizens\r House of Lords members\r service/Crown personnel	No lobbying or financial grants should be accepted from any source sold on the idea of a united kingdom
2746	192286037	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We don't need a second referendum; you need to accept the democratic will of the Scottish People, as indicated by the original referendum, to remain part of the United Kingdom. You also need to get on with running the country properly, and stop obsessing about one this single issue.	See previous answer	See previous answer
2747	98814732	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am not in favour of another referendum however were it to happen I would be confident that the arrangements for managing it were wholly adequate.	These changes appear reasonable. Although it will likely make no difference I feel that the minimum voting age should be 17 and not 16. Although guilty of 'back in my day' thinking, I am not in agreement that a majority of children aged 16 are mature enough to form balanced opinions on politics.	I do have an opinion on this.
2748	860015985	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no concerns about the management of any future referendum, as this was carried out in a clear and democratic way last time. I simply don't want one in the first place. The Scottish government has more pressing issues (education, health, policing, etc) that it has neglected.	I have no opinion on this aspect.	I have no opinion on this aspect.
2749	63695979	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They worked well last time, and therefore it would be sensible to keep them the same or similar.	The changes seem fair.	I think the registration with the Electoral Commission is fair, provided that this doesn't exclude people who can't afford any registration charges. If there is a charge for registering, would small organisations with limited campaigning funds be excused from having to register? (e.g. if the total amount they have to spend on campaigning is less than double any registration charge?)
2750	1024358124	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree fully with the Governments arrangements for managing any future referendum	I think that the technical changes to the 2014 referendum, are fair and i fully agree with the proposed changes	I fully agree with the proposed changes from the 2014 referendum, Ibelieve that the proposed changes on permissible participants are fair.
2751	793357146	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Poll is not necessary	Poll is not necessary	Poll is not necessary
2752	891325702	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements are suitable.	No Answered	Are there any proposals for an independent audit of votes cast and recorded for accuracy at the close of the vote?
2753	904382002	David Gibson	Individual	Individual	Agree with the proposals	Disagree with restriction of access to emergency proxy votes to electors who require it on the grounds of a disability, occupation, service or employment, where the grounds have arisen after the cut-off date for a normal proxy application.	No comment
2754	774697513	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Voting age should be 18, not 16 as previously.	See above.	No qualms.
2755	459531358	James Halpin	Individual	Individual	I feel they are unnecessary and another referendum should not be held	This is fine, however schools should not be able to promote discussion for the referendum nor should they be able to show support for either side and remain neutral ground. It would not be acceptable in the work place and it should not take place in educational centers.	I believe all donor's should if they wish be able to remain anonymous and all nominated individuals should go through an intense vetting procedure. Too many people made money off the last referendum.
2756	992098015	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No no no no no NO
2757	579900827	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
2758	600290633	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This point is moot, since I do not see a need for another referendum so soon after the previous referendum. If you are to have one though the same arrangements as last time are OK with me.	This point is moot, since I do not see a need for another referendum so soon after the previous referendum. If you are to have one though the same arrangements as last time are OK with me, however I've heard talk of voters requiring to show some form of identification, I think this is a good idea.	This point is moot, since I do not see a need for another referendum so soon after the previous referendum. If you are to have one though the same arrangements as last time are OK with me, however I've heard talk of voters requiring to show some form of identification, I think this is a good idea.
2759	605218855	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The way it is managed appears fair enough.	These changes appear minimal	Great vigilance is always required to ensure that no group or body exerts undue influence over the process.
2760	270519897	David Scott	Individual	Individual	We had our Indy Ref in 2014 unless the SNP are all telling lies it was supposed to be once ina generation , I and my family want to stay part of the United Kingdom with all the trade and benifits of being part of this union.	No doubt it would be manipulated in the SNP's favour.	The SNP will try to include people who should not be aloud to vote.
2761	1035186823	John Allan	Individual	Individual	The referendum is unnecessary. There was a referendum in 2014 and the outcome was clear. However if it goes ahead the age should be 18.	No Answered	The voting age should be 18
2762	907054443	Donald Young	Individual	Individual	As long as the electoral commission deem it fair then we should agree to it.	As long as the electoral commission deem it fair then we should agree to it.	As long as the electoral commission deem it fair then we should agree to it.
2763	473534407	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum - we have already had a referendum and the result was clear	only people who pay taxes in this country and who reside here full time should be entitles to vote	only people who pay taxes in this country and who reside here full time should be entitles to vote
2764	332515228	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	I think there shouldn't be another referendum at all. I believe that this is purely down to Sturgeon not getting her own way again like a spoilt child. She fails to respect the previous votes and ignores the portion of the population that voted to leave the EU. All she is doing by calling yet another referendum is dividing Scotland up. Last time the there was a lot of violence and intimidation from the Yes voters to those of us voting No. Sturgeons failure to respond and condemn such violence only goes to suggest the type of fanatic she and the SNP really are. You say you want an independent Scotland that can control it's own future but want to be part of a extremely controlling entity called the EU. Sturgeon, you are racist against the English. Get over yourself and look after the people of Scotland instead because you are a complete failure in that regard. There are areas of Edinburgh which are lawless which you've failed to do anything about. Two of my friends were forced to leave their flat during Halloween due to a riot akin to the level of the film "The Purge" was going on outside with numerous calls to the police going unanswered.	A childish hope by the SNP that the changes will get them a Yes vote.
2765	346693048	Andrew inglis	Individual	Individual	Should be abandoned	Waste of times	If going ahead should be 18 yearolds plus.
2766	368124724	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	managing vote in uk is very well organised and fair. However I think the whole exercise is a total waste of time and money. Scotland had its say in 2014 - to consider another referendum on independence is riduculous.	i something works it doesn't need changing to suit the SNP	dont have any opinion on this
2767	1064043392	Luke Andrew Stronach	Individual	Individual	I believe the electoral process was fair and transparent in 2014, and I would be satisfied with a similar, if not identical, process the next time.	I have no strong feelings either way	I believe that all citizens resident in Scotland should be given the right to vote in the referendum.
2768	722400664	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Very happy with arrangements.	Changes make sense.	I have no problem with those proposals.
2769	472837392	Christopher Cathrine	Individual	Individual	This seems satisfactory.	This seems satisfactory.\r I feel it is particularly important that the referendum is as inclusive as possible - the inclusion of EU citizens and 16-17 year olds is essential in my view, and was a great failing of the UK EU Referendum.\r It is also important that polling and counting staff are as objective as possible, and so should not be associated with campaigns.	This seems satisfactory.
2770	338457111	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We voted in 2014. There is no need for another referendum.	NO ISSUES WITH THIS	DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND THIS
2771	622957641	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements.	I appreciate Scottish nationals living outside Scotland at the last referendum were upset they weren't able to vote but I agree only current residents in Scotland should be able to vote as it will be the resident of Scotland that are impacted by the outcome of the referendum. I agree with the proposed changes for absent voters, polling staff and verification statements.	I agree with the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
2772	886715663	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We were told on numerous occasions before the 2014 Poll, "This is once in a generation opportunity to have independence". Why barely Two years later are we contemplating another divisive Poll that will set neighbour against neighbour ?	Given the answer to 1. This question is not applicable.	Irrelevant given answer 1.
2773	817692237	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm for it	I agree	I agree
2774	846295815	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	stop trying to get another referendum and govern for Scotland now	carry on	not bothered
2775	893015633	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The last few referendums in the UK and Scotland have been marred by underhand tactics and distruths. Whilst not strictly related to this consultation, the electoral commission needs to take a much more immediate and aggressive stance on the above to clean up the dirty politics.	No Answered	All sounds reasonable.
2776	921339071	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
2777	822201400	Alan Duffield	Individual	Individual	I do not trust anything that politicians have charge of. Self interest is the only driver for the vast majority of politicians. Ever met a poor one ??	Where is the voter ID check ? It should be in place right now and accompanied by compulsory voting.	It is the same set of participants who overwhelmingly voted for the name Boaty MacBoatface. Democracy is continually shooting itself in the foot.
2778	564217595	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No issues with these arrangements. I am however very concerned that independence, from the UK, means continued dependence on the EU. Page 16 of your draft bill states "scots law is ineffective against EU law"....really....is that independence!!	Again no particular issues if fairness and accountability are the main principles!	Again no issues.
2779	591661433	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	please respect the result of the referendum held in September 2014 and get on with the job of governing the country.	people who have grown up in scotland but moved to other parts of the UK should be eligible to vote. it is their country too	stop changing the rules to suit the SNP agenda
2780	270663445	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We were told 2014 was "a once in a life time " event. I now feel lied to and feel that I can not trust or believe anything that this administration tells us. This has been reinforced by the subsequent behaviour and unbelievable statements since issued by it on the economy and the Brexit. A further pole would also be divisive when we need uniting.	Members of armed services eligible to vote in Scotland should always have been allowed to vote.	Too technical for me to take in.
2781	320097860	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe there should be another referendum. No means no.	I do not believe there should be another referendum. No means no.	I do not believe there should be another referendum. No means no.
2782	144888883	Paul Graysmark	Individual	Individual	I believe that there should not be another referendum	I have no problems with this	I have no problems with this
2783	963854586	Bill Neilson	Individual	Individual	Forget another referendum	No Answered	Happy with this
2784	432642359	Steven Bain	Individual	Individual	Since there has been a significant and material change in the circumstances as Scotland will be taken out of the EU against the wishes of the majority I believe the Scottish Government has the mandate to hold a second referendum.	The proposed technical changes reflect the correct balance needed for a democratic voting process.	The proposed changes reflect the need to include those eligible to vote on Scotland's future.
2785	698487410	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree that a Scottish referendum follows from the outcome of the EU membership referendum.\r The EU referendum was a UK wide poll, rather than a nation by nation or region by region poll.\r Regardless of what was stated and what the SNP believe to be their mandate based on their manifesto, this is not law. Manifestos have changed. Elected governments change, modify or nullify their manifesto promises pragmatically depending on current events.\r I believe that the current push by the Scottish government for a second referendum is entirely politically motivated, and not in the interests of the nation as a whole. Moreover, it seems to me that the UK as a whole needs stability at the present time, and not further upheaval following the EU referendum result.	I am content with the polling and count arrangements as outlined.	I am content with the proposed technical changes.
2786	1034316484	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I object to the use of my money to pay for the objectives of the SNP (their purpose is in the title) at any cost. \r Voted last time on Independence. and voted "Yes" because of a loyalty to my country, not SNP. Since then, because of their failure to answer critical questions on independence and failure to govern because of their obsession, if there is another referendum, my vote will be "NO".	I have no views on eligibility voting.	Again, no views.
2787	309813204	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The management of any future elections would be favorable if managed in the same manner and standard as the previous 'Independence Vote' in Scotland.	No issues with changes	No issues with changes
2788	779053973	Redacted text.	Individual	Individual	My view is that there is no need for another referendum so soon, if at all, on the pretext of the result of the Democratic Brexit vote. I feel that the problems associated with independence from the rest of the U.K. far outweighs any small advantage we may gain by Indy2.	Scottish people living and working abroad should also be allowed to vote	I feel that the changes would benefit the YES campaign.
2789	312147351	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Very similar to my views on the proposed arrangements for the 2017 world bog-snorkelling championships: I could not care less.\r What I would like to see is the Scottish 'government' paying less attention to Freedumb and more to (the slightly more important matters of) health, education and the economy.	Native Scots who are still UK citizens living abroad should get a vote.	Yawn. Have you seen the latest figures on educational attainment?
2790	70879070	Jo Capek	Individual	Individual	I have no problems with the arrangements themselves but see no need whatsoever for a second poll.	They are fair and equitable.	I was never overly keen on 16 year olds voting but can accept the changes.
2791	487692689	Mr	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Concerns about EU residents' status as being eligible to vote after UK leaves the EU - assuming this would give a big boost to the no/UK campaign if they were suddenly ineligible. Would this force us to hold the referendum before Brexit happens?\r Have always had concerns about postal voting, especially after stories from 2014 about Labour councillors filling in ballots for care home residents.
2792	392937402	Ian Young	Individual	Individual	for	for	for
2793	897951827	Alan Stewart	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I am against another referendum. \r The Scottish people expressed their views on 18.9.2014 when 55% said No, thanks.\r The Scottish Government prior to this requested that all parties abide by the result as part of the Edinburgh Agreement.\r Please respect the settled will of the Scottish people as democratically expressed in September 2014.
2794	551783364	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	I do not agree that there should be a referendum. We recently held one and the decision was clear. \r Why is the not an option in this consultation to state whether there should or should not be a referendum?	What measures are going to be put in place to stop either side lying during the course of the referendum?\r In the 2014 scottish referendum and the recent euro referendum both sides were seen to be lying. Luckily the misinformation about oil prices and wealth did not distort the Scottish vote, but the £350m NHS I'll told in the euro vote did impact on the vote. \r I wod not wish another referendum to take place until it is clear how both sides will be held to account during the process.
2795	396462085	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I suggest that you consider changing the wording of the question and not use the phrase "independent country" as this precludes you adopting an option that offers you the quickest and simplest means to retain membership of the EU.\rThat is, to form a union with another member of the EU. This is a possibility that you do not seem to be considering but is an option that you should not dismiss out of hand.\rSpecifically, my suggestion is that you seek a Union with Eire (Southern Ireland) and possibly Northern Ireland to form what could be termed a Celtic Union.\rThis would allow you immediate membership of the EU.\rThere is direct synergy in that Eire also values independence from the Westminster Government.\rWhile this is not true independence it would be a partnership of equals and in any case membership of the EU in not in any way true independence.
2796	803114390	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	I believe that postal votes should be made on the day of voting and not before so that all votes are made with the same public information available. Previously postal votes are made several weeks prior to polling day and are made before some key policy pledges have been made public. Therefore the result of the poll should be delayed until postal votes are made and counted and therefore it is likely the result will be announced several weeks after polling day
2797	159774092	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No second referendum is required, the vote was clear in last independence referendum and we should respect the wishes of the people.\rThe brexit vote was as part of UK and again we should accept vote and move on.\r There has been enough time wasted on referendum and you need to get on with running the country, Scotland, as part of the U.K.	No second referendum is required, the vote was clear in last independence referendum and we should respect the wishes of the people.\rThe brexit vote was as part of UK and again we should accept vote and move on.\r There has been enough time wasted on referendum and you need to get on with running the country, Scotland, as part of the U.K.	No second referendum is required, the vote was clear in last independence referendum and we should respect the wishes of the people.\rThe brexit vote was as part of UK and again we should accept vote and move on.\r There has been enough time wasted on referendum and you need to get on with running the country, Scotland, as part of the U.K.
2798	610396899	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A waste of public money. As Ms Sturgeon says about Brexit - respect Scotland's wishes. well, the exact same goes for the Scottish govt - respect the result of the Independence referendum and stop wasting all our money on this 2nd one simply because they didn't get the result they wanted the first time. EVERYONE knows they will keep trying until they get their way.	A waste of public money, not required.	A waste of money - not required.
2799	72877711	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	It's not a convenient time for another indyref. Very likely the majority will vote to stay in th UK.
2800	385963168	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not have a view on the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum but maintain that another referendum is both wholly unnecessary and damaging to the Scottish economy and businesses in Scotland	This appears to me to be an attempt to block those with interests in Scotland from voting and seems wholly inappropriate. Why for example should a young person temporarily working in rUK but planning to return to Scotland in the future not have a say on the country's future whereas a migrant worker remitting funds back to the country to which he/she intends to return be able to participate in that same decision.	I do not have a view on the proposed changes but maintain that another referendum is both wholly unnecessary and damaging to the Scottish economy and businesses in Scotland
2801	467773731	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This issue was put to bed in 2014 having divided the country, families and friends. This should not be ressurected for any reason in any shape or form.	Nothing alters the fact that the majority of Scots do not want Independence from the rest of the UK	See above answers
2802	2545230	Rachael Laburn	Individual	Individual	I believe the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum are fair and accurate, as the arrangements during the 2014 referendum were carried out effectively .	I am very glad to see that 16-17 year olds are now automatically eligible to vote because of the Reduction of Voting Age Act in 2015 - I think it's extremely important to make sure 16-17 year olds voices are heard in a second referendum also.	I think it is important that participants are required to sign the application as declaration of permission and are aware of the responsibility they will receive as a result.
2803	914321316	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No there is No need to hold one. The vote in 2016 was should the UK leave the EU. And Leave won. Scotland is part of the UK.	Should be for over 18. Any one liveing in Scotland.	Dont change them. Only them that Live in Scotland gets the Vote and over 18. Not kids like in 2014 under the snp.
2804	157970572	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no futher Scottish Independence referendums. The vote in 2014 should be respected. The SNP are disrespecting the Scottish people by publishing this consultation paper.	I believe that there should be no changes to the technical and count arrangements	I am against people over 16, but under 18 being allowed to vote. As someone who works in education, 16 and 17 year olds lack the maturity and mental capacity to vote in elections.
2805	784475249	martin connelly	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I disagree absolutely with the proposed arrangements. \r I am a real estate and finance lawyer. The downturn in investment activity in Scotland caused around the last two referenda put my job in jeopardy. I need my job to feed myself and pay my mortgage (on my first home) which is hugely expensive despite being for a small flat because of the housing market conditions left for my generation by that currently in charge including your government. A further referendum on independence will undoubtedly lead to another dip in investment activity and jeopardise my job again.
2806	982765111	Kevin Eeles	Individual	Individual	No opinion	No oinion	No opinion
2807	884837426	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I AGREE	I AGREE. NOT SURE ABOUT HOUSE OF LORDS RESIDENTS.	I AGREE
2808	633305809	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Strongly against it. Scotland and the UK have been through a turbulent time in 2016 and we do not need to go through another IndyRef. \r The UK is stronger together and that is the only way we will survive when we leave the EU.	16 and 17 year old's should not be allowed to vote in this referendum again. There views are skewed and haven't been in the UK long enough to determine what is right and wrong for this country. Too many "i just want away from England" voters who don't understand the full consequences of voting yes. Maybe some more education in schools in the lead up, from both Yes and No camps.	No strong view on this.
2809	922094277	J Livingstone	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum. The matter was settled for a generation in 2014.	No Answered	I do not agree that overseas residents should be allowed to vote. Only British citizens should have that right regardless of where they reside in the UK.
2810	141621454	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think a referendum should be held, but if it is, the arrangements seem satisfactory	I do not think a referendum should be held, but these arrangements are satisfactory	Satisfactory
2811	219449132	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The decision of the Scottish people in 2014 must be respected. There should be no further referendum on the question of Scotland's place within the United Kingdom - this question was settled "for a generation". \r Any new referendum will create further social division within Scotland, stifle investment and continue to distract the Scottish Government from the key priorities of governance, including improving the provision of education, health and infrastructure services across Scotland.\r In the event that the SNP forces a new referendum on the Scottish people, then the question that should be put to the Scottish people should be "Do you want Scotland to leave or remain in the United Kingdom". This is a more balanced and accurate question - the notion of Scottish "independence" is ambiguous given the SNP's stated desire for an "independent" Scotland to join the EU at any cost.	In the unlikely event that another referendum is forced on the Scottish people by the SNP and more than 50% of the Scottish people vote in favour of Scotland leaving the United Kingdom, then all areas voting in favour of remaining within the United Kingdom should not be forced to leave the United Kingdom. \r To prevent this potential "democratic deficit", the Scottish Government must provide assurance to the Scottish people that any local authority area voting to remain within the United Kingdom will not be forced by the Scottish Government to leave the United Kingdom.	The Scottish Government must explain why it considers it appropriate for 16 and 17 year olds to have a vote on constitutional matters yet it considers it necessary to appoint a "Named Person" for every 16 and 17 year old in Scotland.
2812	516990404	Mike Carter	Individual	Individual	Further oversight of procedures may be required	I think it is important that postal votes are retained in Scotland at all times, and that the Scottish Government are responsible for appointing the administrators for postal votes.\r I do not believe that memebers of The house of Lords should be eligible to vote	There should be a very low threshold for 'anonymous' donors to campaigns
2813	347137932	rod maccowan	Individual	Individual	agree with proposals	agree with proposals	agree with proposals
2814	490372686	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum.	I do not want another referendum.	I do not want another referendum.
2815	123941895	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum	There should not be another referendum	There should not be another referendum
2816	587429098	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	waste of time, resources and money. Scotland has already voted to remain in the UK .	waste of time, resources and money. Scotland has already voted to remain in the UK .	waste of time, resources and money. Scotland has already voted to remain in the UK .
2817	235806146	Dr James Stewart	Individual	Individual	EU Citizens who do not hold a British Passport shoud not have a vote in a referendum to leave the Union. The Scottish National Party are keen to trumpet the reasons for holding another referendum in the light of the result of the referendum to leave the European Union; the future of EU Citizens residing in Scotland has received much adverse media coverage, fomented by the Scottish National Party. Many of the EU Citizens are transient residents in Scotland and their likely YES vote to leave the Union would be a perverse abuse of democracy by a Political Party to influence a result in their favour	Vide supra	Accept
2818	147816586	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We don't need another referendum! How much money are you going to waste instead of running the country??!!	None	None
2819	982935637	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These arrangements are adequate.	I see no issues, voting for the last referendum and all prior political voting opportunities have been run smoothly.	These changes are appropriate.
2820	296790949	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Seems fair.	Very fair.	Seems fine.
2821	387456375	Ian Mitchell	Individual	Individual	Manage it in a regular way. The important thing is that everyone can vote, even us Scots living abroad, particularly those living in EU Countries, like me and thousands of others.	I have no view.	I have no point to make on this.
2822	613755035	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements for the 2014 referendum seemed to work quite smoothly. \rThe campaigning beforehand was pretty unpleasant, though not as unpleasant as the EU rerferendum. The more that can be done to ensure that campaigning is based on fact and reported in a balanced, fair manner, the better.\r I have realized that this consultation is only about the management of a possible referendum, but want to make sure my response is not seen as approval of another referendum. It's too soon to reconsider the issue.	Rules seem fair.	No objections to these updates, but am starting to wonder why we're being asked this, but not whether we think a referendum is necessary.
2823	98863864	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy for the same question to be asked again.	I agree that the postal voter system has to be tightened up, as it is open to abuse. I would also like to see EU officials also oversee any opening and counting as to provide an additional layer of protection of manipulation of counting or voting.\r Postal votes should only be eligible to those who have no other option to be able to reach a polling station on the day, whether from disability or being out of the country. It should not be used because someone can not be bothered to attend a polling station.	I would like to see some sort of residency limit on the eligibility to vote. Whether this is people who have a Scottish Tax Code or a minimum amount of time living in the country, as I don't think that people should be able to register to vote in the run up to the referendum when they have had no real stake in the country, or on the basis of having a second home here. The vote should be purely for those who live and contribute to Scottish society, not those who purely use it as a playground.
2824	424569438	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Okay with this	Okay with this	Okay with this
2825	242693884	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I support all of the proposed arrangements for managing a future referendum.	No Answered	I support all of these propositions.
2826	235177487	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Nil to add	Nil to add	-
2827	656974049	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want a second referendum. Britain has experienced several significant votes in a very short space of time. I do not want the SNP to use Brexit to their advantage to try and further divide the country. \r The country is already hugely divided, and the SNP should be focusing on uniting Britain. Instead they are wrongly using this as an opportunity to further their own party politics. This demonstrates a clear lack of thought for Britain and its people.	I do not oppose these.	I do not oppose these changes.
2828	894609456	robert matthew	Individual	Individual	No problem, seems very sensible	OK	OK
2829	21261930	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements seem fair.	These seem sensible and fair.	This seems sensible
2830	437888788	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposals appear fair and proportionate	The changes will ensure there is little or no opportunity for electoral fraud	Seems fair
2831	312437505	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a second referendum on Indepenpence. Enough money has been wasted on this.	There should not be a second referendum on Indepenpence. Enough money has been wasted on this.	There should not be a second referendum on Indepenpence. Enough money has been wasted on this.
2832	463713121	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No to another referendum	no to another referendum	no to another referendum
2833	712345974	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Pointless, we do not need another referendum as we just had one.	Flipping over a snake does not stop it from being a snake.	No view
2834	159780148	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Should not be another referendum	Should not be another referendum	Should not be another referendum
2835	460410065	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine	Fine	Our strength as a nation going forward must be driven and influenced equally by what is going on outside the country as within. Our strength is our people and our legacy has been built on a great ability to work and succeed in other countries and integrate successfully with other nationalities. We are revered around the world for this ability so why exclude the very people who bring so much wealth to our nation current, past and future.
2836	780624673	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is unclear why the SNP feel so strongly about staying in Europe and no explanation as to why they see a connection between the strong 'stay' vote in the EU referendum and the result in Indyref - and I think this will be relevant to the public if this results in Indyref 2 - it shows a lack of cohesion in the argument or perhaps that the SNP don't have an adequate explanation.	No comment, this is appropriate	No comment, this is acceptable
2837	850862526	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are fine, they mainly worked last time. But the last thing Scotland needs is another referendum.	Fair enough, with the same caveat as expressed in my previous answer.	Again, fair enough.
2838	1519629	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	I believe that the issue of EU membership is the most cruicial issue. \r The Scottish government should progress these plans, but make it very clear that they will only be activated if the UK does leave the EU. That should be put into the bill. \r At what stage we would trigger IndyRef2 is open for debate - I would say at the end of the Article 50 negotiations, if the UK government states categorically that it will not obey the 2011 EU Act and put the final deal to a referendum and intends to proceed to take us out of the EU, that would be the ideal time. It would give the people of the rest of the UK a much-needed reality-check and ensure that the agreement to only hold a further referendum in specified circumstances was respected. \r I am also in favour of totally abolishing age limits for elections and referenda, but accept 16 may be the best we can get!	I would prefer to allow absolutely everyone in Scotland the right to vote. Everyone.
2839	736222602	Peter Titterington	Individual	Individual	Accept that the proposals for managing a referendum are fit for purpose	Acceptable	Acceptable
2840	366439034	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are fair and accountable in line with all UK electoral arrangements.	It is a positive development to rectify the process to take account of inconsistencies and to adopt the recommendations of the Electoral Commission's report of 2014	It is a positive development to modify the process to take account of inconsistencies and to adopt the recommendations of the Electoral Commission's report of 2014
2841	177976045	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The Scottish people exercised their democratic right two years ago to convincingly decide not to become independent from the United Kingdom. The matter has now been dealt with. Any efforts to hold a second referendum are a waste of scarce public funding. The Scottish Government should focus on governing the country.	as above	as above
2842	1050437395	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I was a strong supporter of the 2014 Referendum and voted SNP at the last Election.\r Being of a view that the final result of the 2014 Referendum was binding I am very annoyed that the current political talk is to proceed with another. This is damaging Scotland. My strong view is that this damaging idea must be dropped now and all effort focused in getting Scotland governed properly. ie Education , Transport, Infastructure plus others that put us back on the map.\rIf this goes ahead I will put all my effort to the Conservative approach. \rPlease take heed..........................................	N/A	N/A
2843	547277606	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The fundamental premise of this Bill is flawed. The background and context fails to mention the clear majority vote in favour of remaining part of the UK in 2014. This was in a referendum proclaimed by the current First Minister among others as being a once in a generation event. Just over two years is not a generation. The Bill refers to protecting Scotland's interests. These are best protected by remaining part of the UK. \rThe government does not have a clear mandate for this exercise as it is a minority government. Furthermore, it has no authority to call or hold a referendum, as ministers well know. Therefore, the whole exercise is mere arrogant and misguided showboating.
2844	587015345	N/A	Individual	Individual	Agreed	Agreed	Agreed
2845	1065145346	Maureen Anning	Individual	Individual	I disagree about allowing the lower age range (16 17 years of age) of people to be included	I agree with these proposed changes to change legislation to require 100% checking	I agree with the recommendations on the proposed changes to permissible participants
2846	950880310	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	2014 was said to be a once in a generation vote, without conditions attached, so there is no requirement for this consultation.	As per answer to question 1	As per a swear to question 1
2847	278092096	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The previous referendum was managed well in 2014 and I personally don't see anything wrong with repeating it for this proposed one as well	The ability for EU citizens to vote in this election is a welcome sign as they are among the most likely to lose the most from the UK leaving the EU	Sounds fair and reasonable
2848	459944999	Brendan Kearney	Individual	Individual	No adverse comment	No adverse comment	No adverse comment
2849	687154125	Redacted text	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
2850	980156025	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should NOT be another referendum. Leave things as the previous results said. SNP are not trustworthy, they do not give members of the public the full information and try to manipulate members of the public to change their views to agree with SNP.	There should NOT be another referendum. Leave things as the previous results said. SNP are not trustworthy, they do not give members of the public the full information and try to manipulate members of the public to change their views to agree with SNP. They are continually trying to make changes so that the results come out they way SNP wants and not what the public want and are paying them to do. More need to get on with the job that are being paid for and work alongside brexit rather than trying to cause problems.	Only true Scottish born people should be able to vote, those staying outwith the country should not be voting as they have chosen not to support Scotland. Why are SNP continually trying to change peoples points of view?
2851	1004896086	Catherine Watson	Individual	Individual	I don't want another referendum so I don't want it managed. What I want is for the government to respect the wishes of the Scottish People who voted in the last referendum. to simply brush this aside because it was not the result they wanted is in fact dictatorial not democratic.	This can only lead to more independent voting if the current Scottish government does not get a result they like - any changes to voting capability will have been based on them getting a positive outcome for their own plans	statements of the obvious - how much of Government money was spent on the past vote and how much of our money (Scottish people) will be spent on the next one!!
2852	499653281	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Postal votes should not be permitted. All voters must turn up in person.\rWill the electoral commission do anything about overspends? probably not. \rStricter controls on residency in Scotland, ppl with 2nd/3rd homes voting more than once?\ragree 100% of postal vote verification must take place if postal votes are permitted. The tax office has a record of scottish taxpayers sco tax code, this could also be used to verify residency.	Why were no seals attached to ballot boxes in 2014?\rwhy weren't these rules followed in 2014?\rNO SAMPLE OPENING OF POSTAL VOTES. all votes must be counted after the polls have closed. Police transport ALL ballot boxes to the counting offices.	Will the BBC have to register?\rWill the treasury be permitted to interfere again? will this be classed as spending?\rWill "newspapers" be included in this? \rWill only groups that are registered in Scotland be allowed to participate? remember no borders campaign?
2853	300457968	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These arrangements make good sense in the light of the positive experience of the 2014 referendum. As an EU citizen, it is particularly rewarding to be able to express my views on a subject on which, in the recent UK EU referendum, I was unable to do so.	These are sensible changes that will help to ensure the electoral process is transparent and open to scrutiny whilst following current best practice.	I have no strong views on these changes, which appear sensible.
2854	391506211	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Ridiculous idea that a referendum is on the table. Forget managing it, listen to the people of Scotland who voted to remain in the United Kingdom only 2 and a half years ago. Sheer ignorance from a narrow minded bigoted party.	Ridiculous idea that a referendum is on the table. Forget managing it, listen to the people of Scotland who voted to remain in the United Kingdom only 2 and a half years ago. Sheer ignorance from a narrow minded bigoted party.	Ridiculous idea that a referendum is on the table. Forget managing it, listen to the people of Scotland who voted to remain in the United Kingdom only 2 and a half years ago. Sheer ignorance from a narrow minded bigoted party.
2855	41694583	Quintin clark	Individual	Individual	There should not be anymore referendums on constitutional matters either in Scotland or in the U.K. in the near or medium term. \rPoliticians have presided over huge and bitter divides in society and a long period of settlement is now crucial to facilitate a healing process.\rPersonally have been both on the 'winning' and 'losing' sides but believe passionately that the democratic decisions taken by the peoples of Scotland and the UK MUST be respected by politicians of BOTH sides else the electorate will become even more isolated from parliamentary process which WILL result, given the chance, with voters electing anyone who purports to listen and not just pay lip service to voters wishes then carry on merrily as before. Nazi Germany and the Trump victory spring to mind.\rSo politicians, please, accept the will of the people and govern accordingly.\r This plea aside, any referendum question must be posed along the lines of that used in the EU referendum. i.e. A Yes question then a No question with a tick box after each.	Voters eligible should only be per categories described above EXCEPT that, with the exception of U.K. citizens, a minimum Scotland / U.K. residency period should be 5 years.	No problem.
2856	184105675	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The thought of another referendum is awful. I'm english, I married a Scottish lass. During the last referendum I was abused in the street on the basis of my english accent. My children were abused at school for having an english dad.\r The SNP may try and distant itself from the toxic effects of the referendum but they were part of my daily life. Even in my job in the emergency services I get references to my englishness in unpleasant ways most weeks and that's as I look after someone very ill as an ambulance technician.\r Give our communities time to heal please.
2857	671417102	Katharine Jones	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum regardless of the proposed arrangements	I do not want another referendum regardless of the proposed changes	I do not want another referendum regardless of the proposed changes
2858	1046150961	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Excellent idea to try to launch a new referendum especially given the resent circumstances regarding the EU referendum	No Answered	Excellent idea to involve 16 year olds
2859	759498390	Gordon Smith	Individual	Individual	eligibility will not extend to any properties listed as holiday Homes.	Can we have a requirement that examples (both sides) of ballot paper are posted at polling stations.	No donations from Outside Scot;land should be allowed, as this must be a possible interference of an other country vote under international law.\r Media should have restriction if not registers in Scotland.\r Campaign organization (including political parties) should only be allowed to participate if registered in Scotland.
2860	808990523	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am in favour of it.	I agree with them.	I agree. Although, I think Scottish born citizens who live abroad should be allowed to vote.
2861	355949102	Fiona Young	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	It would be beneficial if the only change were to set a definitive goal of volume of voters against how many vote yes such as 70% of the electorate voting with 60% of those votes are for or against. Or even better make VOTING MANDATORY for ALL eligible voters!
2862	1024748676	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not interested in another referendum. We had one and you ignored the result. \rI am not interested in reading anything about another referendum or supporting your anglophobic ideas in any fashion.\rThe UK voted Brexit. Respect that result. \rAll these ideas of remaining in Europe are deluded.\rScotland has no money. You lied about the oil revenue. \rYour policies and government are ruining Scotland.\rGet on with improving NHS, Policing and education. Councils are on their knees. Cut the spin , we are not stupid or taken in by "blame Westminster". I DO NOT WANT A REFERENDUM or Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister.	Not interested. Do not want a referendum.	Not interested. Do not want a referendum.
2863	884808629	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements.	I am happy with the proposed changes.	I am happy with the proposed changes.
2864	266683214	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There should not be a referendum.
2865	206914726	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These seem the same as the previous and therefore fair	I still disagree with 16 and 17 year olds having a vote. But it seems fair to allow all those resident in Scotland to vote.	I agree that everything should be transparable. However I also think use of time campaigning should also be shown as these politicians have actual jobs they should be doing? And therefore how much more work could be done to solve Scotland problems if they were all focused on there jobs.
2866	834608546	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't think there should be a second referendum	I don't think there should be a second referendum	I don't think there should be a second referendum
2867	305120767	ray mcgowan	Individual	Individual	No more bloody referendums, causing sectarian bigotry to flourish	nil	none
2868	143449959	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think that under 18's should be given a vote.	I was resident in England when the last referendum took place and I was born and bred in Scotland. I do think that people who are born in Scotland but are not resident in Scotland should be given a say.	No views.
2869	417275293	n/a	Individual	Individual	The questions presumes that there will be a referendum, irrespective of the wishes of the Scottish electorate. This is not democracy. The 2014 referendum result was that Scotland remain part of the United Kingdom. That was described as democracy in action. Now that democratic decision is unacceptable to the current Scottish Government because it does not fit with their agenda. The United Kingdom, of which Scotland voted to remain part of, has voted to leave the EU. The current proposal to hold another referendum because that result does not suit the Scottish Government is, in my view, destroying the whole concept of democracy and leading us into a dictatorship. If another referendum is going to be held it must be categorically clear that the result, even if it does not suit the current Scottish government, will be respected, as current actions do not respect the democratic process. \r Management of the referendum must be in the same manner as previous referendums, with additional controls in place to prevent electoral fraud.	I believe that in order for the result of the vote to stand, given the significant impact this may have on the future of our country, there should be a defined percentage of eligible voters that must have voted. In other words of the eligible voters at least 75% - 80% of those voters must have voted. And of that % there should also be a majority % (in excess of 75%) of voters who vote for or against the question on the voting paper.	No comment to make
2870	718933572	George Dean	Individual	Individual	The referendum is completely unneccessary, so therefore the arrangements are irrelevant. We voted decisively to remain in the UK, and the current "campaign" by Ms Sturgeon is mischievous and divisive. The Brexit referendum was a UK-wide vote and no region has the right to ignore the overall vote.	There should be a two-thirds majority with >80% of the electorate voting, before any change to the status quo is allowed. I disagree with voting for 16/17 year-olds.	No comment
2871	177210141	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Only people who are on the electoral role should be able to vote. \r It will be a very expensive process and the chief officers are paid too much.	I agree that no one who has been involved in campaigning can become polling or count staff.\r I also agree with the 100% postal vote check but again, this will be a very expensive process, done by local government staff who are already struggling with excessive workloads.	The changes look ok.
2872	590999458	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No objections to the process outlined.\r Please do not damage the country further with a 2nd referendum.	Having several family members resident outside Scotland I believe that any person born in Scotland should be entitled to vote whether by post or email. It is unfair to exclude Scots living abroad from participating in such a major constitutional question.\r Please do not damage the country further with a 2nd referendum	None\r Please do not damage the country further with a 2nd referendum
2873	21940202	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine.	'Involved in campaigning' - how will this be defined? This is a very important safeguard. Could the definition be expanded to include informal / community campaigning such as leafleting? My concern is that this currently loose definition could be interpreted to apply only to those named within organisations registered with the electoral commission.	Fine
2874	515679369	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't think there should be another referendum - once in a lifetime should be honoured! Waste of funds which could be helped to improve NHS, education, mental health services, etc\rWe need to pull together as part of the U.K. To get the best deal in Brexit. Scottish government has devolved powers to make Scotland a better place for all especially the vulnerable, low paid and people who have to rely on food banks etc. But only blame Westminster for their own failures!\rThe First minister has no idea how to deal with trade negotiations and investments.\rAt present rail services are dire, healthcare dire, education dire.\rTheir record in government is appalling.\rNo means NO	Checking postal votes is essential	I think people born in Scotland but live elsewhere should be eligible to vote! If this is not allowed Scots who live abroad should not be able to campaign for independence with any party.
2875	385808779	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No means NO!	No means NO!	No means NO!
2876	993592921	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum \r The country has been divided since the last one 2 years ago \r There is no prospects of Spain allowing Scotland into Europe	Should be a 60/40 split before independence was every granted	Should allow Scottish people born to vote only from across the globe \r other nationals should not be allowed to vote
2877	995827614	Alastair Milne	Individual	Individual	Waste of time and money. I gave my answer in September 2014 as did the rest of the country ( including foreign nationals, which was disgraceful), I want that respected, not ignored by this rabble.	Ridiculous.	Undemocratic
2878	22339048	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No thanks to another Scottish Referendum. Once was plenty.
2879	576670605	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for a new referendum so quickly after the last one, stop wasting my money !	No need for a new referndum	None
2880	317980727	John Curran	Individual	Individual	Happy with the proposed arrangements.	Happy that 16-17 yo are included as before, happy with arrangements	no strong views on this, seems sensible.
2881	866871098	James Sloan	Individual	Individual	No Answered	I would prefer that government funds and resource were spent on Scotland's needs, such as education, rather than managing a referendum.	I agree with the majority however believe that Scots residing outside of Scotland should be entitled to vote, just as non-Scottish nationals who reside here are entitled to vote - it should be fair to all who have a vested interest in the future of our country.
2882	183209359	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There have been too may referendums, we do not need yet more division. Please do not do this again.	Eligibility to vote should be limited to 18 year olds and above.	No comment
2883	465825578	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	a referendum is not appropriate at this time. we have had the result on this recently, Scotland does not want independence, i voted yes, it was lost, that's it. Whether Scotland wants to remain in EU or not is immaterial and not related to independence. Scotland is part of the UK and as such the Brexit vote applies to us - it doesnt matter that the majority of votes favour stay in EU - we are the UK and the decision was out. picking and choosing when to be a democracy just doesnt work.
2884	503018228	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A further referendum is not necessary and is an added expense for Scotland. It would be much more sensible for the government to try and solve the many social problem that are present, improve the NHS and education system.	Voting by EU and Republic of Ireland citizens residing in Scotland is unnecessary. Scottish citizens who live outside Scotland probably have more right to have a say in a referendum. There are a large number of young professionals who work outside Scotland who if they could fine employment would return, it seems only fair that there view should be taken into consideration.	This seems fair.
2885	728491132	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I voted no to this 2014 Referendum and will vote No again, waste of taxpayers money!
2886	1002728828	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	same	same	same
2887	439379508	mr	Individual	Individual	See later comments	See later comments	See later comments
2888	845270926	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not support having another referendum, but if we must have one then I support following the same procedure as for parliamentary elections.	I do not support having another referendum, but if we must have one then I support following the procedure as specified above.	I do not support having another referendum, but if we must have one then I support full transparency in recording and publicising donors to every campaign.
2889	976605567	Alistair Cartwright	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I voted to remain part of the UK. So did the majority. Our views should be respected. The resuly must be accepted and the country be allowed to move on. I voted to remain in the EU. The majority did not. The result must be accepted and the UK should move on. The current Scottish Government does not act on behalf of the Scottish people. It acts only support of SNP objectives. I strongly oppose a second referendum. It would be both immoral and destructive.
2890	907811177	Bradley robertson	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I think there should be slight changes to the counting system used in 2014 as there was question marks raised about the outcome of remain in UK
2891	663153315	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Satisfactory	It is inconsistent that foreign nationals are eligible to vote but Scottish nationals living abroad are not.	No opinion
2892	525154543	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am against another referendum.	I am against another referendum on independence. I also disagree with 16 and 17 year olds voting, as this was not properly put to the public and discussed prior to being pushed through as legislation. I do not believe that 16 and 17 year olds have enough experience of the world and the economic and social ramifications of political changes such as the ones proposed. I am also against proxy voting except in the most exceptional of cases, and it needs to be 100% scrutinised to ensure correct process.	I am against another referendum. I believe that the question in this case is designed to obfuscate the main point of this questionnaire, and is asking members of the public a question which is deliberately difficult to answer, possibly to put them off responding to this so-called 'survey'.
2893	412145065	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum to manage, but if it does happen then I agree with the proposals.	There should be no referendum to manage, but if it does happen then I agree with the proposals.	There should be no referendum to manage, but if it does happen then I agree with the proposals.
2894	186717199	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't believe there should be another referendum. We voted in 2014 and I do not believe the Brexit vote is justification to have another referendum. It is a complete waste of our hard earned taxes which could and should be getting put to much better use than they are currently.	My answer is above, given I fundamentally oppose another referendum I have not reviewed these proposed changes but I can guarantee you that I would have scepticism as I would suspect these changes would be designed to "encourage" a yes vote. I have no faith nor trust in the SNP.	My answer is above, given I fundamentally oppose another referendum I have not reviewed these proposed changes but I can guarantee you that I would have scepticism as I would suspect these changes would be designed to "encourage" a yes vote. I have no faith nor trust in the SNP. \rI also oppose giving young adults the opportunity to vote. They are too influential at this age to give a fully balanced & considered view and have little, if any, experience of working hard and paying taxes in the real world. I also do not like the fact that the SNP continue to focus efforts on spending time with our youngsters building their brigade of Union hatred for the future - indoctrination is not good.
2895	437533164	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am in favour of the arrangements, particularly the checking of postal votes as the system is open to abuse particularly by unscrupulous individuals targeting old peoples homes and providing "advice" on how to fill them in.	Am in agreement with the proposed changes	In full agreement
2896	470996059	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a referendum the decision in 2014 was correct	No view	No view
2897	735193274	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We do not need another referendum. The SNP should be running the country not following their own idiotic agenda for independance	There is no need for 16 and 17 year olds to vote in this - unless they are taxpayers. Same goes for EU citizens - its seems that the government are opening this up to all and sundry in an attempt to win votes	see above
2898	223217456	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't want referendum - NO means No!	Don't agree with votes for EU citizens - should be British citizens only. NO referendum	NO referendum
2899	747277474	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no second referendum, the country voted on this once in a generation issue in 2015. Please respect the wishes of the democratic majority.	Only British citizens should be allowed to vote.	Not required as there should be no referendum.
2900	503473299	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In favour	In favour of most but not too keen on members of the House of Lords resident in Scotland being allowed to vote, most of these will be major landowners and would (possibly) be biased towards Westminster. Very keen on young people being able to vote, after all this their future we are voting on.	All good.
2901	763571161	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Whenever there is a critically major difference of opinion between the Westminster and Home Governments on how Scotland is governed the Scotish people should be consulted on whether to retain the link with Westminster. In this case this difference is supported by the will of the Scottish electorate expressed in the ballot box and this confirms the need for another vote.	These do not go far enough. It is less than 100 years since the people achieved universal adult suffrage and many are celebrating the fight for the right of women to vote. These rights must be extended to everyone who lives in Scotland and who is eligible to vote as detailed in the technical changes. This includes Scottish citizens of asian decent. Currently it is a great convenience for political parties to acept and exploit the "elder" system associated with communities of asian origin. This is little short of gangsterism and deprives many of their right to vote freely as they see fit. There is evidence that this is a particular problem for women in communities of asian origin. It is not acceptable to celebrate "votes for women" unless we can ensure that this means "votes for all women" regardless of where their families originated. To ensure that this happens changes are required to the absent voter arrangements from a postal based system to an "early vote" system in which voters are given the opportunity, and required, to vote in person.	Lobbying and corruption are now the same thing. There are no changes that can be made as long as our political representatives allow lobbyists to have access and influence greater than that available to the individual citizen. Technical changes will not help.
2902	892409335	Paul Millar	Individual	Individual	Happy with this	It is vital that EU citizens resident in the country for at least one year be given the right to vote. They are citizens by choice and should be given recognition for this.	Happy with this
2903	822044676	Hazel Eadie	Individual	Individual	Strongly object to another referendum in Scotland. The democratic vote is now being ingnored by this goverment and there is no appetite to repeat this devisive camapign. The government should concern therselves with policies to improve education attainment and health service investment as My family has been negatively effected by their inactivity and perusal of an agenda for independence that the democratic majority of Scots do not support. \rNo issues with the arrangement for management if a referendum is to take place .\rThe cost of hosting this again is of great concern.	No issues.	I don't support the inclusion of under 18s entitlement to vote. It is rare for an under 18 to have enough political awareness to make an objective decision regarding policy and the potential wide ranging effect these decisions can have. Only the minority will understand effects on health services and trade for example.
2904	552314038	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be anymore referendums. We do not want one. Time to move on and accept the vote we already have had.	I think it doesn't matter who the votes are open up to now. The majority of Scottish people do not want one . We are fed up hearing about it because it simply didn't go the way they wanted. Quite frankly it's desperation and not democracy.	Needless and not really necessary.
2905	71690894	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A further referendum is not required. The people of Scotland already made their choice. They said No to Independence.	A further referendum is not required. The people of Scotland already made their choice. They said No to Independence.	A further referendum is not required. The people of Scotland already made their choice. They said No to Independence.
2906	311070846	David Buckley	Individual	Individual	I am quite satisfied that the 2014 Referendum was conducted fairly.	That sounds fine	Yes fine
2907	1047587512	Michael Wright	Individual	Individual	I am content with these arrangements.	I fully support the rules on eligibility to vote. This is a matter for those who live their daily lives in Scotland.	I have no issue with this.
2908	649159486	Huw Bell	Individual	Individual	The referendum is unnecessary and divisive. The Government should honour their pledge to respect the result of 2014.	Any future referendum should include Scots who live abroad.	Nil.
2909	163481368	Steven Fraser	Individual	Individual	My view is that there should be no reason-run of the referendum. We had a vote in 2014 that was decisive, but is being ignored by the Scottish Government.\rUsing Brexit as an excuse for another referendum is not justified. If Scotland had become an Independent Country in 2014, we would have been out of the EU in any case.\rWith a 16Bn deficit, we cannot stand on our own without either massive tax rises or substantial cuts in public expenditure. \rGetting rid of Trident won't save any money either - It will decimate West Dumbartonshire and any money saved will be spent on Benfits.\rThe Scottish Government needs to concentrate on growning our economy, fixing education, the Police Service etc. before turning it's attention to another referendum.\rIf we were to gain independence in another referendum I would have to move my company to England. They are our biggest trading partner and business we have in Scotland is declining rapidly. We find it difficult anyway to find qualified employees locally and cannot recruit from England because people don't want to relocate due to concerns about higher tax and more expense in buying a house. The changes in LBBT make it prohibitively expensive in comparison to England and anyway, it was another stupid tax because it's gone up, but collected less (for private property).	There should be no second referendum.	There should be no second referendum.
2910	414470182	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My view is that there should not be another referendum on Independence.	Verification of identity of all voters should be required at polling stations. All postal votes should be checked.	Only people who are UK citizens resident in Scotland should be able to vote in any Scottish independence referendum. Outrageous that citizens of another country should be given a vote on such an important issue.
2911	642135288	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is a UK wide issue and should be dealt with by the UK parliament and indeed a vote throughout the UK on further independence issues.\rThe previous democratic vote declared that we remain part of the UK and there is no requirement to hold further referendums which bring great division and ill feeling throughout the country.\rThe Scottish Government should get on and deal with the tasks of running education , health and other devolved issues and not waste further hard earned taxpayers money by refusing to accept the democratic will of the people.	No comment	No comment
2912	709225965	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Totally agree with the methodology for a future referendum. It's good that 16 and 17 year olds are also permitted to vote.	Agree	Agree
2913	564924824	Steven Carrie	Individual	Individual	No problems with the administration / management of a referendum as per first vote.	No problems	Comfortable with these changes
2914	745598747	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Independent monitors please from for example Iceland, Norway..	No Answered	Postal votes need to be monitored too many stories of losses or ignored votes. Security of boxes in transit with no chance of losing said boxes.
2915	728724907	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I considered there to be an unhelpful level of intimidation and threatening behaviour both on the streets and in the political arena. I found this to be particularly the case for the leave campaigns who often 'claimed' towns by putting up a lot of leave signage making it feel like entire towns supported their position when this was not a proven case.	No Answered	I did not think it was fair, democratic or useful to have 16/17 year old's voting in the referendum and I would not like to see this repeated.
2916	648655821	Robert Badger	Individual	Individual	I think the count needs to be better controlled than the lats independence referendum, especially the postal vote which must be kept in Scotland.	These arrangements are good.	These arrangements are good.
2917	84623392	James Anderson	Individual	Individual	There is no need for these arrangements in the first place as we can not continue with endless referenda and political unrest which this just keeps going.Will non UK nationals again be allowed to vote in my country?	No Answered	Do not agree that non citizens of my country should have a vote.
2918	448334943	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	What referendum? I see no need to hold a subsequent referendum just to suit the myopic needs of the SNP. This constant threat only undermines the economic stability of Scotland. The SNP DO NOT have the good of scotland at the heart of their policies.	Fully agree. I have had experience of polling frauds. The arguments that it will disadvantage the poor are scare tactics.	Fully agree. You should qualify to be a vote in this country.
2919	555399689	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Ther should be no further referendum either in the near or distant future. The Scottish public have already voted on this matter. End of!	No strong views one way or another	No strong views one way or another
2920	637938140	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am less concerned about the mechanics of running the referendum as about the wording of the question to be put to voters. The process for the adoption of a wording should in itself be subject to prior consultation - fairness and transparency need to attend that stage too.\r Fairness and transparency also oblige the Scottish Government and its majority party to disclose immediately the results of the 'national conversation/survey' which concluded on 30th November 2016, as this bears directly on the currency of its mandate to change the law in the ways the consultation sets out.\r This consultation is disappointingly narrow, dealing only with matters of electoral process, not whether the Scottish Government's mandate to change the law still subsists .\r This sole emphasis on process misses the real point that the consultation is said to be about: informing the SG's choices when it comes to deciding whether or not to hold a referendum - consulting only on matters of technicality on the running of a referendum denies MSPs a source of up-to-date information about how the electorate feels about the underlying issue and makes the consultation itself a fundamental nullity.	The proposals for allowing people who serve with the Crown are not full enough: many Scots born in the country serve in England and further abroad and have their residences there. There is no justification for allowing those, like them, whose connections with the country run so deep to be disenfranchised. Should their undoubted interest in Scotland's future be disregarded, a fundamental issue of lack of fairness will occur. Their right to cast a vote should not be prejudiced.	These are technical changes which are not spelled out properly in the consultation: merely listing what they are does nothing to explain purpose and effect. The result is ineffectual consultation.
2921	680069990	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	All these questions are irrelevant as there should not be another referendum. We were promised that the last referendum would be final and a once in a generation event. Accept the result and get on with running the country.	There should not be another referendum	There should not be a referendum
2922	675266610	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think there should be no refurendum as we just had one and nothing has changed	I think they are unnessisary as there should be no refurendum	Again unesisary as there should be no refurendum
2923	619392536	Ewan Arthur	Individual	Individual	The snp government should respect the views of the country and not hold another referendum	Another referendum should not happen	Another referendum should not happen
2924	857470500	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think that they should also report to the UK Parliament as constitutional areas are not devolved (nor do I think that they should be)	No Answered	I do not think that 16-17 year olds should be permitted to vote. If they are then steps should betaken to the age to 16 for things like smoking and drinking. If people are old enough to vote, they are old enough to decide if they can take decisions about their own smoking and drinking.\rIn my view if anyone has a vote elsewhere, then they should not be permitted to vote in an independence referendum. If the result was not to their liking, they have a choice about right of residence. I do not. Therefore, only people who have no other choice about residency and nationality should be able to vote in an independence referendum. I am not suggesting that this should be the case for elections generally,\rIf any emergency proxy is required, it should be granted. It should not be admin dependent.
2925	238786984	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The process appears to be well thought out and ensure that the outcome is both fair and transparent.	The technical changes would ensure enhanced transparency, for example, the proposed arrangements for "emergency proxy votes" and "absent voting".	Fully agree with the proposed technical changes.
2926	689987253	JOHN MORRIS	Individual	Individual	Seem fair	Fair	Fair
2927	1060190558	Michelle A C Kerr	Individual	Individual	Im fine regarding the proposed arrangments.	Happy enough with those changes	Ok
2928	937582831	Redacted text	Individual	Individual	The last referendum we witnessed a wholesale waste of taxpayer's money on a fictional white paper from the (Scottish) Government with ill prepared unrealistic policies.\r Address \r 1) Base load power generation and costs\r2) Currency\r3) Timelines for setting new agencies\r This should all be done at a minimal fixed cost of 100k total - no more	No Answered	Counting votes is pretty easy \r 1,2,3 etc... has worked well for a few years now - but realise current administration has problems keeping track of numbers and dealings\r Thomson\rMcGarry\rSalmond\rSheikh \r etc\r And core vote run in to trouble when hands and toes run out, or have an extra finger or two
2929	56601359	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't belief a referendum should be held a total waste of money and resource, which should be used to build a better future for our schools. I don't belief the SNP have the right to spend money on a referendum.	I don't belief a referendum should be held a total waste of money and resource, which should be used to build a better future for our schools. I don't belief the SNP have the right to spend money on a referendum.	I don't belief a referendum should be held a total waste of money and resource, which should be used to build a better future for our schools. I don't belief the SNP have the right to spend money on a referendum.
2930	236035102	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My view is that there is no need for any further referendum as this has already been voted on and included. The Scottish population made their decision	My view is that there is no need for any further referendum as this has already been voted on and included. The Scottish population made their decision	My view is that there is no need for any further referendum as this has already been voted on and included. The Scottish population made their decision
2931	145463479	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There was a referendum to settle this for a generation. Nothing should change that.	There was a referendum to settle this for a generation. Nothing should change that.	There was a referendum to settle this for a generation. Nothing should change that.
2932	93489502	eric anderson	Individual	Individual	This new proposed referendum is a kick is ridiculous.\rThe people of Scotland voted NO but Surgeon and her cronies cannot accept this.	no thoughts	no thoughts
2933	29245511	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements appear to be OK. It must be ensured that the process is transparent and fair.	Happy with this. Seems to be fair.	OK.
2934	361438661	Charles Maitland	Individual	Individual	Fully agree BUT I have taken the liberty to include some thoughts here that I feel are very relevant yet do not fit into the narrow question boxes supplied, ie. could have benefitted from an any other comments box before the submit button.\r This time round BEFORE the referendum we must:\r a) Show the true economic case for independence. Forget the GERS figures and publish true Scottish balance of payment figures including whisky and oil exports that would be the case if Scotland was independent.\rb) Ensure everyone knows as a statement of fact that pensions will continue as at present.\rc) Decide on a currency and stick with it\r Also make it clear that justification for another referendum does not depend solely on EU issues but includes: broken promises made on the VOW last time, majority of Scottish seats at Westminster held by pro-independence MPs, and the majority vote of the Scottish Government. We do not need Westminster's approval to hold the referendum and we do not need Westminster's approval to become independent.	A. greed but with the concern of video evidence from 2014 showing some strange counting practices that implied yes votes were being counted as no votes. Where there is evidence of this then a recount by different personnel should be undertaken.	Agreed
2935	455197063	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We have had one and people's vote should be respected. \rGet on with the day job ,NHS,Police and education are a mess along with the roads.	No opinion	No opinion.
2936	336289249	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for a second referendum. This question assumes that I agree with a second referendum - I do not.	No Answered	If a person pays council tax in Scotland they should be allowed to vote, even if their primary residence is in another part if the UK.
2937	139173941	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	1. There is no mention of ensuring that the maximum number of people are able to vote. \rWill there be a campaign to ensure that everyone eligible is on the voters roll. There is no mention of the dual style voters roll we have where people get discouraged from registering because they feel the Council sells their names!!\r There is no mention of cost of the referendum. There is little appetite for Returning Officers (usually Chief Execs) getting a big bonus and then retiring with the massive final salary pension topped up by thousands.\r The Electoral Commission should have a role in enforcement of integrity and honesty. The last few referendums have seen downright lies being told to the nation with no comeback (cf £350 Million and NHS in Euro Election) > There should be a system where the Ethics of the Parties is ensured. Interdict or Approval processes should be in place. I note that the USA Congress is bemoaning the Trump campaign dismantling their Ethic Committee in Congress. We really need something like this. If politicians were held to the level of proof as car dealers when misleading consumers they would be in court on a regular basis!! Advertising Standards for Politics would be no bad thing!	The point at 2.16 is meaningless. “must not knowingly” in terms of a Chief Executive on 6 figures salary is completely unenforceable. A better solution is to clearly state on the application forms for counting / election staff application that they cannot apply if involved in campaigning. (same way as for political elections)	None
2938	734358629	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is absolutely no call for a referendum. This is clearly an exercise in ignoring public opinion. The referendum carried out in 2014 resulted in a no to separation from the rest of the UK. Arrangements should be made as soon as possible to abandon this folly, and the 'Scottish' government, whichever party it is made up from, should get on with the day to day, and year to year process of bringing about proper governance of the funding that they are in control of.	Does this apply to general elections? NO, this is another sycophantic piece of made up nonsense which the current 'government' think will assist in achieving some sort of result. The legislation is flawed throughout and should be abandoned forthwith. Create legislation which deals with the issues facing this region of the UK, which includes ensuring that ALL public services are fit for purpose.	This is a party politic hell bent on reducing the eligibility of union involvement in any piece of work. A tactic not welcome in a democracy.
2939	7674852	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Surprised this is the line of questioning - assume we know how to conduct fair elections.\r I and others around me believed this would be an opportunity to give views on whether there should be an Indy 2. I voted yes in Indy 1 and no to Brexit but do not believe we should be readdressing the independence question within a decade.	Surprised this is the line of questioning - assume we know how to conduct fair elections	Surprised this is the line of questioning - assume we know how to conduct fair elections
2940	55649902	Brian Knotts	Individual	Individual	I feel that everyone than can vote do vote to ensure the full voice of the country is heard and should be set at 60% for a definitive answer of yes or no\r I also feel that everyone that is responsible for counting the votes should be vetted to ensure they are not blackmailed easily	No Answered	I feel that everyone that is responsible for counting the votes should be vetted to ensure they are not blackmailed easily
2941	1036525116	Linda Brackenbury	Individual	Individual	I agree with them.	They are fine.	Very fair.
2942	990383468	Myles Clegg	Individual	Individual	I have none as there should not be another referendum as the people of Scotland decided unanimously by 55% that the wanted to remain part of a United Kingdom and all the opportunities it provides for Scotland. With the state of public services and Scotlands finances it is more important than ever we remain as a united country. The SNP is a one agenda party. Instead of looking for any excuse to try and go back on the promise of a "once in a generation" vote, they should concentrate on the utter mess they have made of Scotland.	See above. Not neccesary as there should not be another referendum.	See above. Not neccesary as there should not be another referendum.
2943	966910769	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Independent observers need to be involved as there was questions and allegations around the first vote. Ballet boxes should not be removed from Scotland for counting elsewhere. And there are a number of questions regarding postal voting that needs to be addressed.	Happy with this change.	Happy with change
2944	579344504	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	Is there a time limit for those living temporarily in Scotland?	Agree
2945	936867648	Patrick Gerard Payne	Individual	Individual	Happy to proceed under the same arrangement as 2014 referendum	i support these sensible changes	Agree and accept these changes
2946	493519279	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Referendum is unnecessary	n/a as referendum is unnecessary	N/a as referendum is unnecessary
2947	114075643	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There shouldn't be a referendum.	There shouldn't be a referendum.	There shouldn't be a referendum.
2948	1190300	Annie Glendinning	Individual	Individual	I'm fine with it	only people born and living in Scotland should be voting and from the age of 16	only partys within Scotland should be allowed to campaign and within their budget
2949	290844961	Les ovens	Individual	Individual	Don't want or need another referendum.	Don't want or need another referendum	Don't want or need another referendum.
2950	527762533	James Cargill	Individual	Individual	I believe there is not a clear need to hold another referendum so soon after the 1st one, this is only costing people money that we do not have, once in a generation referendum should be that and stop further divides in this country	No Answered	People should be resident in this country for at least 5 years before being allowed to vote.\rI also disagree with the 16 and 17 yr olds being allowed to vote, it may be their future but the majority are mature enough yet to fully understand the long term prospects.
2951	80095110	David Rodger	Individual	Individual	We do not need another referendum. The country voted no the last time. The snp government only choose to listen to what they want to hear. How is it unfair to remove Scotland from the EU against its peoples wishes as the snp claim but fair to dO the same to those who voted remain in the union?	Are there problems with the present system?	That seems ok
2952	380385182	David Ewing	Individual	Individual	There should not be one. Like many others I do believe that the SNP government is creating a divisive schism in Scotland. \r I would prefer they deal with the current levels of underperformance across the government and address the incompetence clearly visible across the whole range of public sector delivery.	See above	see above
2953	819308032	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Matching the previous arrangements seems a sound proposal as the previous referendum was well publicised , clear and the widened age eligibility was appropriate given the outcomes affect those in the future.	Again these arrangements seem appropriately inclusive.	these proposals seem appropriate and essential to ensure individual understanding of responsibilities where an individual is representing a participant body .
2954	424994792	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements, as was the case in 2014, are excellent, especially noting that the right to vote now extends to 16 and 17 year olds in Scotland.	The changes proposed are sensible, they address recommendations from the Electoral Commission, and they reinforce the transparency of any referendum.	These changes seem sensible and fair.
2955	865915885	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Feel procedure needs to be tightened up and eligibility to vote review.\r No students who are not already living in Scotland and holiday home owners.\r Maybe a minimal living in Scotland ie 3 years before can vote.\r Reduce number of postal votes.	See answers to one.\r Need to have exit polls.	No comment/suggestions
2956	808838738	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is an unconstitutional waste of public money. The Scottish people clearly stated their opposition to independence in 2014 and this process is an insult to those who voted in 2014 perpetrated by a single issue party seeking to run a one-party state and unwilling to tolerate any alternative views.	An unnecessary waste of public funds to pursue the desires of a minority.	Only those over 18 are free from the brainwashing being carried out in schools under SNP interference in the school curriculum and so the minimum age for participation should be 18.
2957	794110670	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Need to ensure impartiality and safety of vote count
2958	320730491	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	All seems acceptable.	Sounds logical. I would extend to family members or direct associates of anybody involved in political campaign.	Support inclusion of 16 & 17 year olds but only if a clear process of ensuring they are informed and understand the choices available - i.e. a comprehension test! Actually, this should be mandatory for all voting public to avoid another Brexit fiasco!
2959	687689251	Simon Kemp	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are a costly and unnecessary distraction at a difficult time. The Scottish government are simply using BREXIT to push their own agenda.	Do not agree that EU citizens resident in Scotland should be entitled to vote while U.K. citizens born in Scotland but resident elsewhere cannot vote.	No view.
2960	639423521	kevin Mochrie	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	As with the last referendum, which I also provided consultation feedback for, I am disappointed that those born in Scotland but now living elsewhere in the UK are not allowed to vote. They should be allowed to vote. I was born in Scotland and lived there for the first 25 years of my life but now live temporarily in England as a result of economic circumstances. My parents and son live in Scotland and I am able to show that my ancestors have lived in central Scotland continuously from at least the 14th century. My work also still takes me to Scotland occassionaly. I have campaigned in relation to both devolution and independence but unlike those based in England who can also afford an address in Scotland, I am unable to vote. As I will be returning to Scotland at some point to spend the rest of my life there, I and others like me should have a say in its future. \rThere is a precedent as UK residents living abroad have had a vote in recent general elections and the EU referendum. I do not think that all UK residents should have a vote in a future Scottish referendum, but those born in Scotland should (ie Scots living elsewhere in the UK).
2961	272579791	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no views on managing the Referendum. There will be no second Independence Referendum. One of you needs to explain to Sturgeon exactly what the following words mean - Democracy and NO	Nothing, the existing system is fine.	Use your common sense for goodness sake, how much has this cost ?
2962	333983805	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no concerns over this issue.	I have no concerns with this issue	I have no concerns on this issue
2963	1043965115	Paul Jowitt	Individual	Individual	Nowhere in this consultation can I see a reference to the form of the "Question". \rPretty fundamental...\r In the previous referendum the alternatives were posed in such a way as to require a "Yes" or "No" response. \r This is unbalanced.\r In any subsequent referendum the question must be posed in a non-leading format, with responses such as "Leave" and "Remain"	Those eligible to vote should be confined to:\r British citizens resident in Scotland\r• Commonwealth citizens resident in Scotland\r• citizens of the Republic of Ireland resident in Scotland\r• members of the House of Lords resident in Scotland\r• Service/Crown personnel serving in the UK or overseas in the Armed Forces or with Her Majesty’s Government who are registered to vote in Scotland\r ie Other EU and Non EU Nationals apart from those from the Commonwealth or the Irish Republic should have no say whatsoever on what is a UK Constitutional matter	It is stated that in schedule 4 of the 2013 Act, a new paragraph 3A has been added to allow the Electoral Commission to reject a declaration if the campaigner proposes to register a name which is obscene or offensive or includes words the publication of which would be likely to amount to the commission of an offence. \r This is sensible. \r But what appears to be missing from the Bill/Consultation is any reference to cyber bullying and intimidation of members of the public by people with opposing views. This was an undesirable and nasty facet of the 2014 referendum which undermined the claims to a fair and open debate.
2964	574700279	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We had a referendum in 2014. which was managed correctly and the result was not in dispute there fore I see no need to hold another regrdless of how it is proposed to "manage" it.\r If one is to be held, I would propse that the whole cost of it is borne by the SNP and green Party.	As long as the persons doing the counting are security vetted and that their political views are disclosed.	In view of Brexit and the UK not being in the EU in the future, or in the event of Scotland becoming independant not being in the EU, EU citizens should NOT have a vote.
2965	466652486	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Previous referendum clearly showed that the residents of Scotland did not want independence from the UK. This was what they voted for. by this they were willing to accept what the UK government were going into. Surely independence is what it says, to say we want to be part of Europe but be independent is a contradiction. How can you want to be independent of one group but part of another?	Just trying to find a way to make it harder to vote against what you stand for if you are against independence in Scotland	Again, trying to make it Scots on Scotland who get the vote so it looks better statistically.\rHow many Scots living in the rest of the UK votes to leave the EU, has that been considered?
2966	147895066	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Don't do it. We voted 'no' in 2014. As a no voter I feel ignored. The Scottish Government do not speak for me, theh simply ignore a democratic result.
2967	799550167	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with the proposals for the management and regulation of the referendum	I would prefer to see greater restrictions on the use of postal voting, with more stringent validation of voters both postal & in the polling stations. \rI would also like to see more use of online voting as long as security could be guaranteed	Happy with the new proposals.
2968	849036179	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think we need a second referendum and the proposals are not relevent.	I do not think that changes should be made to referendum procedures.	I think they should remain as they are.
2969	444316276	Jennifer Gordon	Individual	Individual	I see no reason at all to hold another referendum. It was clear, with a majority of over 10%, that we Scots do not want separatism and this should be respected. Sturgeon states that Scotland's desire to stay in the EU should be respected - she seems to be overlooking the fact that over a million Scots voted to leave and that, perhaps, this large number of people tipped the balance between the UK leaving the EU or staying in. So, by her standards those Scots who want to stay in the UK should also be respected and not side-lined as is happening currently.	I have no opinion as another referendum is not necessary.	Again, no opinion as a repeated referendum is not necessary.
2970	513836866	Stephen Lewis	Individual	Individual	As the vast majority of Scottish voters voted "No" the last time , it would be an obscene waste of money to hold a second referendum just because a minority of vested interests didn't like the end result .\rConsequently, the proposed 'arrangements' are meaningless .	I refer to the answer already given above , in addition to which, if the Scottish Govt. had chosen to study their own statistics , they would have realised that allowing the 'younger' voters their say on this issue , it would be found that the majority of them had also voted 'No' the last time , merely confirming the outcome the Scottish Government are seeking would be unattainable.	N/A
2971	4282135	James Stuart CASTLE	Individual	Individual	I personally believe, that for something so crucial, the "change option" should command at least 55% of the vote. ie "Yes" must achieve >55% for the result to be valid.\r The last Scottish referendum went on far too long, which only served to protract the damaging uncertainty. There is no reason why we cannot follow the EU example and reduce the "referendum period" from 16 down to 10 weeks.\r The electoral commission should report to both Scottish and UK governments, since both have equal interest.	The following parties should be removed from eligibility to vote. \r Commonwealth citizens resident in Scotland\r• citizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland\r They are neither UK or Scottish citizens. This seems even more necessary, when we are not allowing Scots living outside Scotland to have a say.	See comments above
2972	519069822	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fully support	No Answered	Good. Support the tightening up of the arrangements
2973	683857128	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It seems remarkable that at no point during this consultation do you actually ask if there should be ANOTHER referendum on Scottish Independence. Maybe the SNP could just arrange for us to have a referendum every Thursday until the people of Scotland give them the "right" answer?\r Given that economic circumstances for an independent Scotland are significantly worse (ironically considerably caused by the SNP Government's obsession with independence), and that devolved services have deteriorated considerably (the state of schools, policing, health and social services would be a disgrace for most countries), it is incredible that the SNP identify this as a political priority. Consistent opinion polling shows that between 60-65% of people do not want this referendum. But then self-determination for Scots has only been for when they follow the SNP diktat. Given that Scots would be asked to turn their backs on a UK market with which they conduct four times as much trade with the EU, and that they would be voting for a hard border with their families, friends, neighbours and workplaces, it is hardly surprising they are not keen. The faux currency option offered last time will not even be the pretence this time...using an external currency will be completely incompatible with the EU membership the modern SNP seem to so value these days. So good luck selling a hard border with the UK, Schengen, the Euro and £15 billion of cuts to a population that rejected the better circumstances of two years ago by nearly half a million votes.\r I have no doubt that my views with regard to the referendum with be ignored (insert appropriate CyberNat insult here), and that there will be a second referendum. The SNP worries much about its "activists and members' energy", but a large majority of mostly quiet subjects will turn out again. "We haven't gone away you know?". There are more than two million of us, and no polling has suggested that any of these people have changed their minds. The result will be an even more emphatic win for the No campaign...no doubt fuelled by irritation at being asked the same question again, lower SNP popularity and declining oil revenues. International comparisons would suggest that this will be the end of independence as a serious prospect. The UK Government will enable this referendum (in the full knowledge that the people will reject independence). Such a failure will give them absolute licence to reject any further vote on Scotland's future (as they are legally absolutely entitled to do). This vote will be the end of the road for Scottish Independence.	It is regrettable that Scots living in the rest of the UK and those with connections to Scotland are not enabled to vote in this referendum. No one can seriously suggest that the changes being proposed in this referendum do not have a substantial effect on their lives. Basic fair play would dictate that they should have a vote.\r It is hard to believe that such arrangements are not deliberately in place to maximise any possible vote for Scottish Independence.	No views in this area.
2974	30995788	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Accepted.	Strongly believe that only those 18 years and older should vote. Having worked with and brought up youngsters, it is clear that the majority do not hold the maturity to discuss an issue as serious as this. If this was the case, why do we not allow them to drive until they are 17? Drink until they are 18? I have hear many a ludicrous argument that they can't drink until 18 because their bodies are still developing and wouldn't cope with the excesses of alcohol. If this is true, surely if they are "mature enough" to make a decision on Scotland's future, they should be mature enough to decide what is right for their bodies? They are allowed to drink from a younger age with adult supervision (wine at the table), so why do we think they are not intellectually ready to make the right decisions for their body until 18? Many people would argue they were given the vote as it was felt the majority would vote for independence.	Accepted.
2975	537236904	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No there should be no referendum so changes do not apply. The vote was no and that is what it means. Why are you doing this?	Same as before.	Not needed.
2976	714079181	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	NOT AGAIN PLEASE. THIS IS A WASTE OF MONEY.	NO CHANGES NEEDED AS THERE SHOULD'NT BE A VOTE.	NO CHANGES NEEDED AS THERE SHOULD'NT BE A VOTE.
2977	159439353	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals	The proposed changes are acceptable and checking identifiers on all postal votes is required.	Agree with proposal
2978	796036084	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I object to another referendum being held on Scottish independence. The Scottish people made their views clear in the Referendum of 2014. Our view should be respected and the Government should concentrate on running the country.	I object to another referendum being held on Scottish independence. The Scottish people made their views clear in the Referendum of 2014. Our view should be respected and the Government should concentrate on running the country.	I object to another referendum being held on Scottish independence. The Scottish people made their views clear in the Referendum of 2014. Our view should be respected and the Government should concentrate on running the country.
2979	799841991	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposals and trust the government will do whats right for the people of Scotland.	I am happy with the proposals and trust the government will do whats right for the people of Scotland.	I am happy with the proposals and trust the government will do whats right for the people of Scotland.
2980	532865050	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Please do not subject Scotland to another damaging split decision.	none	none
2981	607891322	David McKim	Individual	Individual	I agree with the above arrangements	I think the postal vote has to be made more secure	I feel that ANYONE who has chosen to make their home in Scotland should have a vote
2982	77962483	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Pointless the people of scotland dont want a 2nd referendum	Pointless the people of scotland dont want a 2nd referendum	Just the SNP trying to ensure they get there way.
2983	485016582	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	All looks ok but another referendum is the last thing the country needs	Again ok but not necessary	No problem
2984	241932561	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be NO referendum. You guys had your once in a lifetime vote and we voted to stay part of the UK.\r The Brexit vote was a UK vote and not a Scots only, you are twisting and trying to justify another Indy vote on the strength of that. Pathetic.	No change, stop trying to load it in your favour.	Only Tax paying Residents should be allowed a vote.
2985	101039803	Colin Taylor	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I believe that people who were born in Scotland but live in the rest of the UK should be eligible to vote. I know many people, both yes and no voters, who work elsewhere in the UK but are proud Scots who intend to come 'home' at some point. These people should be allowed to vote.
2986	209287673	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum. How about you try actually running the country instead of repeatedly trying to dismantle it.	I do not want another referendum. How about you try actually running the country instead of repeatedly trying to dismantle it.	I do not want another referendum. How about you try actually running the country instead of repeatedly trying to dismantle it.
2987	303890467	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As mentioned before the SNP and Nicola Sturgeon promised the scottish people this was a once in a lifetime vote. I feel as being our current first minister she is doing a very poor job in gaining trust from all four sides.	No Answered	Members of the republic of ireland if you remember rightly fought for their independece through a campaign of violence backed by the IRA, a terrorist organisation, during a time that our great country was fighting a world war. Therefor i totally disagree with members of the Republic of Ireland being allowed to vote. They have got what they wanted. They dont have any right to vote in our democracy.
2988	299910236	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A second Referendum is not required. The people of Scotland clearly stated that they do not want Independence.	A second Referendum is not required. The people of Scotland clearly stated that they do not want Independence.	A second Referendum is not required. The people of Scotland clearly stated that they do not want Independence.
2989	845897281	Ian Suart	Individual	Individual	Only people over the age of 18 should be allowed in o vote.\r It should be done electronically and online and should not rely on a hand count\r This refendum is unnecessary, expensive and divisive. We have done it once and it was horrible and nasty. Do not do it again	No one under the age of 18 should be entitled to vote - this change was made without my permission as a failed attempt to influence the last referendum and should be changed back to the way it was	No comments
2990	681920624	James Young	Individual	Individual	The uk government doesn't get anywhere near any of the votes all votes stay and counted in Scotland by independent counters	The vote should be like the last independence vote	If you work,live permanently in Scotland then you have a right to vote
2991	478179008	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is absolutely NO NEED for another referendum.\r The whole premise being put forward for one is flawed. The "Brexit" question did not say "should Scotland leave the EU if the rest of the UK votes to leave?". It said "should the UK leave the EU?". I would think that Scotland would vote differently in a new "Brexit" poll given that we now know that the rest of the UK (our major trading partner by far) will no longer be in the EU. Therefore the assertion from the SNP that "Scotland is being taken out of the EU against its will" is completely flawed - there is no logical basis to come to that conclusion. It is merely regurgitating the SNP's position that they want an independent Scotland no matter what.	No strong opinion on the technical changes - given that I strongly disagree with having any new Referendum.	Citizens of other EU countries who are merely currently resident in Scotland should not be able to vote - they will have a biased view. If a new referendum was to go ahead, it should only be open to citizens of Scotland.
2992	14023148	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	None	The Scottish Government should allow those Scots currently living outside Scotland to also have a vote in this historic decision. I feel that such people that have lived in Scotland within the last 10 years and were resident in Scotland for at least 10 years should also be allowed to vote.	None
2993	156481689	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	You should need to be a UK national and Scottish resident to vote in this election. Irish and European residents should not be allowed to vote as the UK has decided to leave the Euopean Union as these potentially disallusioned voters could descriminate against the indigenous UK and Scottish residents.
2994	504215292	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum in the first place - you got a straight answer in 2014 \r STOP HIJACKING MY REMAIN VOTE FOR YOUR OWN IDEOLOGY	There should be no referendum in the first place - you got a straight answer in 2014 \r STOP HIJACKING MY REMAIN VOTE FOR YOUR OWN IDEOLOGY	There should be no referendum in the first place - you got a straight answer in 2014 \r STOP HIJACKING MY REMAIN VOTE FOR YOUR OWN IDEOLOGY
2995	108487640	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Looks pretty normal.	Looks fine.	Looks OK.
2996	179737944	Andrew Moore	Individual	Individual	I am in favour of the propsed arrangments however I believe that there should be further scrutiny from the electoral commission on information provided by either side. This scrutiny would be to debunk untrue claims such as those made in the EU referrendum such as leaving the EU would directly lead to more money for the NHS	I am in favour of the changes	I believe the changes which further empower the elocotral commission will allow for a fairer process
2997	920631615	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't think there is enough quality within the SNP to manage a referendum	No Answered	Its basically anything the SNP can do to help their cause
2998	902519102	Garry Smith	Individual	Individual	There should be a question about the need / desirability for another referendum. By only asking for responses on the arrangements / technicalities of the process the government is manipulating this consultation. They will able to claim support for the process simple by quoting the number of responses.\r A valid consultation would have provided an opportunity question the need for another referendum. This is sharp practice not worthy of a democratic government.	There should be a question about the need / desirability for another referendum. By only asking for responses on the arrangements / technicalities of the process the government is manipulating this consultation. They will able to claim support for the process simple by quoting the number of responses.\r A valid consultation would have provided an opportunity question the need for another referendum. This is sharp practice not worthy of a democratic government.	There should be a question about the need / desirability for another referendum. By only asking for responses on the arrangements / technicalities of the process the government is manipulating this consultation. They will able to claim support for the process simple by quoting the number of responses.\r A valid consultation would have provided an opportunity question the need for another referendum. This is sharp practice not worthy of a democratic government.
2999	400625706	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements are fine - DON'T WANT ANOTHER REFERENDUM	Arrangements are fine - DON'T WANT ANOTHER REFERENDUM	Arrangements are fine - DON'T WANT ANOTHER REFERENDUM
3000	637877531	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agreed	I do not agree with EU citizens being allowed to vote	Agreed
3001	897309996	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Firstly, there should not be another referendum, but if this goes ahead then 16 and 17 year olds should NOT be eligibile to vote. Otherwise acceptable.	Acceptable	Acceptable
3002	477261186	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with this.	Hopefully this will go some way towards dealing with the question mark many people have over postal voting. I believe proxy/postal voting should be restricted to those who genuinely cannot manage to get to a polling station. Many concerns have been raised about the huge increase in this area, and I think it critical that these are dealt with, so that the legitimacy of the process is not questioned.	Seems like common sense.
3003	1045390952	Tim Hazell	Individual	Individual	My view is simple, nothing has changed since the NO vote.\rAs a small country we would be a very small fish in a difficult EU without the UK	Happy with this	Are we still allowing under 16's to vote. If so this is a mistake
3004	53277387	Mr	Individual	Individual	No referendum should be held. \rWe did this already in 2014 and had a clear result.	No referendum should be held. \rWe did this already in 2014 and had a clear result.	No referendum should be held. \rWe did this already in 2014 and had a clear result.
3005	20192015	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This proposal should not even be geting considered as the Scottish people voted in a once in a lifetime refferendum and that SOVERIGN WILL must be upheld. Should the Government decide to go ahead against this soverign will then the fact that they are basing it of electoral boundaries is a sham as the recent local changes have resulted in a disconnect within communities and some areas are now aligned to 3 completely different social and economical criterias. First & foremost the Government must address these inconsistancies then work to prove the advantages of their proposals rather than just give a "this is the only way" statement. In respect of eligability the "right" of 16 year olds to vote is nothing but a smoke screen in order to try and gain a political advantage. The government must ask themselves and answer as to why @ 16 an individual is adult enough to have considered the situation and vote yet they cannot consider the implications and buy alcohol and are still considered a child in many other areas. They are either an Adult or a child and cannot be both.	Partially answered in Q1\rRemaining points are fine	Partially answered in Q1\rRemaining points are fine
3006	8594769	Kelly Macdonald	Individual	Individual	Can't come soon enough but I have faith in the SNP	Good stuff especially the verification of postal votes	OK
3007	275748685	Michael Nairn	Individual	Individual	This seems to be all about the technicalities of conducting a referendum but sidesteps the much more fundamental question of whether the Scottish people wish to hold another referendum on independence. That should be addressed first. Questions regarding technical detail would only become relevant if and when a majority was in favour.	See answer to Q1.	See answer to Q1.
3008	666232169	David Addie	Individual	Individual	The arrangements have covered all aspects of a fairly run referendum.	This is a more transparent arrangement than the last time in 2014these are ideal and includes all concerned with scotlands place in the EU.	These are designed to produce a fair result.
3009	957141784	Thomas Barrowman	Individual	Individual	The poll and count should NOT be handled the same way as 2014! All postal votes should be banned or verified in Scotland none should be sent to England for verification.	No view	No view
3010	898364779	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Split of responsibilities acceptable. Electoral Commission must be given sufficient powers to ensure all sides abide by rules.\r Electoral Commission must revisit the question to be asked, as it has become clear that a Yes/No question is not best practice and can impact the result. A new question based on Remain/Leave should be considered, in line with best practice from the EU referendum.	I have concerns over the 100% requirement on verification of absentee ballots. Could this move disenfranchise voters over simple errors?\r Also, the question should not be a Yes/No, but should be reformatted to a leave/remain question to follow best practice set down by the Electoral Commission in the EU referendum.	No view
3011	456220826	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements are irrelevant as we already gave our decision on separatism in September 2014, and this decision should be respected.	The proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements are irrelevant as we already gave our decision on separatism in September 2014,and this decision should be respected.	All Scots living in the U.K. should have been allowed to vote in the 2014 referendum,and I suspect the refusal to accept separation would have been even more decisive. If you are not from the U.K. a required minimum length of stay should have been 10 years before being allowed to vote.
3012	218831977	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The management of postal votes needs radical revision. There were clear concerns in the last referendum with both illegal access and allegations of large scale impropriety in that the turnout in some areas was statistically improbable. \r Further, there were major issues with holiday home owners who were not actually eligible to vote switching their "residence" to Scotland to vote, then switching back for the General Election.
3013	378287643	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I voted to remain in Europe but I also voted in the. Scottish referendum to remain with the U.K. The fact that we are now leaving the EU does not supersede my earlier vote. I do not accept that because I voted remain I now need to rethink my position on the Scottish ref. Our biggest trading partner is England not Europe Why would I want to be ruled by Brussels The reality is that we cannot split from UK unless all of the EU agree and already Spain has made it quite clear that this will not happen. I feel the Scottish government have not accepted Scotland's vote in 2014 and any excuse for another indie ref is being used.	See above	See abov
3014	773350456	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a second referendum. There was a referendum on this same issue only 2 years ago.	That this is a waste of tax payers money given there was a referendum on this issue only 2 years ago.	That they are being changed only so the SNP this they have more chance of winning.
3015	648241122	Willie Lynch	Individual	Individual	I feel that there should not be another referendum for a number of years. The last one was only two years ago and it represented a clear majority in favour of staying in the UK. To hold another one is a) undemocratic b) waste of public funds c) ridiculing the electorate and d) using any excuse no matter how mendacious to "justify" a new poll.	What process will be adopted to prevent electoral fraud as has been seen in London?	again no mention of prevention of fraud!
3016	165741785	Paul Burns	Individual	Individual	Happy, no concerns with previous arrangements.	No concerns	No concerns
3017	729899230	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These rules seem entirely reasonable. Not allowing those involved with campaigning to administer the vote or count is entirely sensible.	Entirely reasonable and sensible	Transparency is essential, and those who wish to participate must do so openly. Can these rules also be expanded to include the media? Biased media reporting, including the dissemination of outright lies, was a plague on the last referendum and continues to impact our politics.
3018	777748739	Richard Odlin	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum.	I do not want another referendum	I do not want another referendum
3019	963876721	w paisley	Individual	Individual	ok	No Answered	postal and proxy votes were a big factor last time more scrutiny needed this time
3020	145363478	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Perfectly acceptable	No Answered	Verification of full time residency, apart from armed forces personnel, should be considered along with proof of identification.\rProxy voting for those in hospital must be available.
3021	187225727	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We do not need another referendum, we have already made our decision clear!	As above, there is no referendum required. Please just stop dividing this nation further and let us all work on rebuilding relationships damaged during the course of the last referendum.	As above, there is no referendum required
3022	337351625	Eileen Maguire	Individual	Individual	Most seem fair but would like to see closer management of postal votes - with possibly the option of tracking if postal ballots were received/counted	Fine - but would like to see included those scots who are working abroad but who remain Scottish residents	Fine
3023	459259341	Roderick McMillan	Individual	Individual	I think they are unnecessary and redundant - because this leading question pre-supposes the actuality of a second independence referendum. \r This is \r i) Outside the competence of the Devolved Scottish Assembly.\rii) In direct contradiction to the "Once in a life time" and "Once in a Generation" promises made by Nicola Sturgeon, Alex Salmond &c.	I think they are unnecessary and redundant - because this leading question pre-supposes the actuality of a second independence referendum. \r This is \r i) Outside the competence of the Devolved Scottish Assembly.\rii) In direct contradiction to the "Once in a life time" and "Once in a Generation" promises made by Nicola Sturgeon, Alex Salmond &c. \r However, if there were to be a referendum on splitting up the UK, which would effect the whole of the UK, clearly that could only be valid if the whole of the UK was given the right of self determination.	Dissecting the analysis of the previous referendum, it became clear beyond all reasonable doubt that various "independent""non-party affiliated" groups, such as Women for Independence, and Business for Scotland, were in fact being directed by the SNP. (viz. Peter Murrell's emails to BfS regarding side-lining Michelle Thomson. \r Further - Many of the boards and directors of these so called independent groups are now serving SNP MPs and MSPs ( or ex-SNP MPs in the case of McGarry and Thomson) \r Only once there has been a full public investigation and disclosure into how these fronts were operated, and their exact nature and relationship with the SNP, could strengthened regulations and guidelines be put in place.
3024	1036113360	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no further referendum.	There should be no further referendum.	There should be no further referendum.
3025	486034467	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In any vote only people aged 18+ and living in Scotland permanently for 2 years should be allowed to vote. No referendum on independence required, the result of the last one was quite clear.	In any vote only people aged 18+ and living in Scotland permanently for 2 years should be allowed to vote. No referendum on independence required, the result of the last one was quite clear.	In any vote only people aged 18+ and living in Scotland permanently for 2 years should be allowed to vote. No referendum on independence required, the result of the last one was quite clear.
3026	665443812	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements are fine	I think this is fine, although would like it to be anyone who has been living here for a number of years that is not a british citizen also	Fine
3027	585226970	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If the referendum were to happen again the way it was conducted last time was fine.\r That being said however the referendum should not happen again so soon after the previous result.	If you are Scottish by birth and living in another country or in the rest of the U.K you should still be allowed to vote.\r I am Scottish and decided to move to London for a few years. It is an outrage that i will not get a say in my countries future.	No strong thoughts
3028	688594836	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do consider the referendum to be necessary at this time given other more important issues under discussion in the UK.\rThis consultation only appears to address the more 'technical aspects of a new referendum and completely ignores the more important question concerning the relevance and necessity for a new referendum.\rWhilst the technical aspects of this proposal are generally fine they in fact do not address the important question of whether this exercise is really necessary.\rOn the wider question of the proposed arrangements I disagree that they are acceptable since there is no evidence that independence has become a preferred option following the EU referendum result. Furthermore, to consider holding another referendum at a time prior to the UK knowing the terms on which it will exit the EU, is unhelpful, divisive and politically opportunistic. It gambles with peoples' expectations and emotions in a politically selfish manner. It is not mature politics in my view.	They are fine but see my comment under 1	They are fine but see my comments under 1.
3029	219832311	Andrew Campbell	Individual	Individual	Would like to see totally independent counting officers, possibly from outside the uk	Would like to see a proof of residence for at least 1 year before being able to vote	Happy
3030	75900996	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the government should forget about it and concentrate on governing the country.	I do not agree with 16 year old's being able to vote. I believe this was introduced by the existing government as they believe that 16-18 year old's will vote in favour of independence.	N/A
3031	352107712	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A 'fair, transparent' referendum should have a fair transparent question rather than the loaded question proposed by the SNP in the referendum lost by them in 2014. The transparency of the proposed referendum will be judged by many, including myself on the wording of the question in the first instance.	No comment	No comment
3032	979377556	Andrew Wilson	Individual	Individual	sounds fine. Some of the behaviour at counts looked highly suspect. Is there a way to tighten up on that? By suspect I mean under counting the Yes vote.	yes include 16 & 17 year olds.	Any way of making it a criminal offence to read the Daily Mail, Express, Sun or Telegraph?
3033	551546124	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with proposals however a second referendum is an unwelcome additional uncertainty and therefore not in Scotland's best interest so I hope these proposals are never enacted.	Voting should only be open to people over the age of 18. However a second referendum is an unwelcome additional uncertainty and therefore not in Scotland's best interest so I hope these proposals are never enacted.	No view. However a second referendum is an unwelcome additional uncertainty and therefore not in Scotland's best interest so I hope these proposals are never enacted.
3034	525695649	Matthew Abbott	Individual	Individual	No Answered	None	Scottish nationals resident in other countries should be eligible to vote. Some are just working overseas and have family back in Scotland. They have an important say.
3035	151876968	Nicola Shaw	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
3036	813307905	Mark Dingwall	Individual	Individual	The wording of this first proper part of the consultation is biased - it clearly presupposes that a second referendum will take place and hence responses to the question will be taken to create the impression that not only are respondents responding but are in fact supporting the notion.	The second part contains the propagandistic statement - " The choice of this franchise reflects the internationally accepted principle that the franchise for constitutional referendums should be determined by residency and the Scottish Government’s view that sovereignty lies with the people of Scotland."\r The purpose is clearly to drive people to an endorsement of the proposals by making them feel out of step with international opinion or that by opposing the SNP's views you are "anti-Scottish."	This is written in legalese that will be unintelligible to the vast majority of voters.
3037	479419807	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I firmly believe that registered voters who do not cast a vote should be regarded as No votes. If they cant be bothered to vote, then they obviously do not want change.	none	none
3038	178355571	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe there should be a second referendum. The economic case was not provided in the original referendum, figures shown in the original white paper were proved to be significantly erroneous, and the instability and divisiveness that followed the first will only become worse with a second referendum.	See above comment	See above comment
3039	557596133	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Don't have one.
3040	206847030	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	This entire process should be abandoned immediately. The Scottish people voted against independence and this should remain binding.
3041	937987848	Linda tunney	Individual	Individual	I feel there should be a closer monitored counting arrangement.	Fine	Fine
3042	940817320	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't disagree	Stop all postal votes from being sampled or sent to England all votes to be counted in scotland	None
3043	985137932	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This question appears to assume that a referendum will be held. Until such time as the Government of the UK allows a referendum, its management is not relevant and this consultation is meaningless	As no referendum is yet in progress, the system for counting is not relevant and this consultation is meaningless	As no referendum is yet in progress, the system for permissible participants is not relevant and this consultation is meaningless
3044	269378270	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My view is that there is no requirement for a second referendum as there has already been one and the answer was completely clear (as well as being once in a lifetime!!!)\rThere has been no shift in the opinion polls since then so another one would be a complete and utter waste of taxpayers money.	See point 1	See point 1
3045	331644408	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	First of all, there should be no second referendum at this stage. As the UK leaves the EU then we are stronger together. There is no evidence for Scotland being allowed to remain in the EU or joining it if we were to become independent. There is no realistic financial model that would allow an independent Scotland to flourish.	These appear to be fine.	These appear to be fine.
3046	511590062	Gary Louttit	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Why is time being wasted on even discussing another Referendum in Scotland when the democratic process clearly showed a majority against independence in 2014?\rSurely there are other more important matters to be dealt with other than this.\rMy understanding is that the Scottish Government is strongly opposed to a second vote on Brexit, so why would there be another vote on independence when there was a much clearer majority in that instance?
3047	67964818	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no interest in holding a second poll. If such a poll is to be undertaken I would call for the Scottish Government to alter their previous behaviours and continue to govern rather than letting the NHS and education standards slip. \r I would also look for greater accountability when it comes to claims made by both sides. We can see that the 'second oil boom' was a lie. The politicians must be accountable.	I did not recognise issues with the last set of voting conditions. Indeed the SNP government attempted to gerrymander that vote reducing the age to 16. Is this another attempt to engineer the vote?	Assuming a single euromillions donor is not hiding anywhere to bankroll the campaigns it seems to be a not issue change. The challenge is to show that donors are not seen to get back hander in the future such as bus contracts or made lords.
3048	302902588	Michael Cole	Individual	Individual	I am absolutely opposed to holding yet another divisive referendum. I believe the first one severely damaged our economy and our international standing. Why would we wish to stop being part of the United Kingdom but at the same time part of a larger more highly regulated and restrictive European Organisation even though I am pro European.	No Answered	I see nothing wrong with the new procedures but they say nothing about Scottish "celebrities" who do not live in this country but who deem it their right to interfere with how we choose to be governed. They should be specifically excluded from becoming involved because the greater majority of them tried to loudly tell us how we should vote when the result of which would have no effect on them.
3049	50488571	Mr Andrew Dickson	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements for managing the referendum are unnecessary.\rScotland has already voted on this “once-in-a-lifetime” referendum and decided to stay within the United Kingdom.\rJust because the SNP did not like the result it does no give the current Scottish Parliament any form of mandate to carry out any further referenda on this subject. Just because you say it is something you want doesn’t give you a mandate.\rFurthermore Scotland did not have a “strong and unequivocal vote to remain in the EU”. Scotland did not have a vote, the UK did, and the result was binding to the UK as a whole.\rAll of this is called Democracy – Can someone please explain what this means to the SNP party and especially their delusional leader.	The proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements are unnecessary.\rScotland has already voted on this “once-in-a-lifetime” referendum and decided to stay within the United Kingdom.\rJust because the SNP did not like the result it does no give the current Scottish Parliament any form of mandate to carry out any further referenda on this subject. Just because you say it is something you want doesn’t give you a mandate.\rFurthermore Scotland did not have a “strong and unequivocal vote to remain in the EU”. Scotland did not have a vote, the UK did, and the result was binding to the UK as a whole.\rAll of this is called Democracy – Can someone please explain what this means to the SNP party and especially their delusional leader.	I believe the changes to the proposed rules on participation are unnecessary.\rScotland has already voted on this “once-in-a-lifetime” referendum and decided to stay within the United Kingdom.\rJust because the SNP did not like the result it does no give the current Scottish Parliament any form of mandate to carry out any further referenda on this subject. Just because you say it is something you want doesn’t give you a mandate.\rFurthermore Scotland did not have a “strong and unequivocal vote to remain in the EU”. Scotland did not have a vote, the UK did, and the result was binding to the UK as a whole.\rAll of this is called Democracy – Can someone please explain what this means to the SNP party and especially their delusional leader.
3050	512191900	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	waste of time	waste of time	waste of time
3051	837464135	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for a second referendum, the result for 2014 was for a 'Generation'	There is no need for a second referendum, the result for 2014 was for a 'Generation'	There is no need for a second referendum, the result for 2014 was for a 'Generation'
3052	593235068	Stuart Sinclair	Individual	Individual	There doesn't appear to be anything new here.	technical changes with no material effect for the voter.	technical changes with no material effect for the voter.
3053	62947763	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Rest of the UK should be allowed to vote	postal voting should not be allowed	none
3054	194641960	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think ID should be required at polling stations to vote.	Don't agree 16 and 17 year olds should have a vote.	fine
3055	437116637	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Change.	Photo ID required at polling station.\rPostal Votes 100% verification.\rNo Proxy votes.	There should only be one participating body for each side in the referendum.
3056	270007687	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Absolutely no need for another referendum. Scottish Government should be concentrating on using the powers they do have to run the country properly instead of wasting resources on another referendum.
3057	1073160400	Paulo Ferreira	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
3058	672905884	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Should not even be considered bearing in mind the clear result of last one. Why on earth is this even discussed as a possible option?	Not required.	Not required
3059	609589686	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In my view the proposed arrangements simply reinforce the SNP government's core intention to seek independence for Scotland in spite of the rejection of that in 2014, by the People of Scotland.\r I do not believe the SNP Government should take advance steps to increase the threat of a second referendum.\r For the SNP supporters to continue to peddle misleading views via social media to whip up support, create divisions where there is little to support that divisions exist and through all this continue to press for independence, is to demonstrate that their intentions are for party political gain and not for the benefit of the country as a whole, as part of the United Kingdom.\r Brexit will inevitably be a long, drawn out process. It will certainly require patience either way, to resolve and the future may be uncertain for a considerable period of time. Neither the UK, Scotland or for that matter the EU will benefit from the SNP Government pursuing their party objectives prematurely. The First Minister has made her views on Scotland's future clear - as I understand it, her views don't necessarily align with the procedural and political difficulties that may befall the process and the SNP's struggle to gain independence should take a lower priority than consolidating the UK position.\r I believe that both introduction of the option of, and the holding of a second referendum should be reserved. I do not believe that the SNP Scottish Government are sufficiently neutral in their stance to be vested with the option to pursue it. \r We have been balloted once on independence - a result that caused the resignation of the then First Minister - the SNP government should respect that decision and govern for the benefit of the country within the UK and in support of the will of the Scottish People, not what they hope will become the will of the Scottish People folowing media spin and petty political accusations. \r Although material changes may take place during the UK Brexit, these arrangements are unsettling and premature rather than constructive.	I don't agree with 16 and 17 year olds having a vote; they lack life experience and in many cases, inject passion rather than wisdom into a decision .	no views.
3060	432974809	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Why are you even considering having another referendum just get on with the job you were elected for and run the country effeciently. It is a complete and utter waste of money, time and effort that could be put to much better use.	See above to save even more money been spent unnecessarily.	See above
3061	253287379	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I wa promised that the referendum was once in a lifetime. A second is unnecessary	Not needed	Not needed
3062	940197862	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Quite simply there shouldn't be another referendum, and the phrasing of the questions in this consultation show that the inherent arrogance of the SNP is still present.	Please refer to my first answer.	Please refer to my first answer.
3063	826797701	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Deceitful and incompetent - respect the 2014 vote.	Not interested.	As above.
3064	430108466	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	there should be no further referendum. The 2014 vote was a once in a lifetime vote with a clear majority voting for the status quo.
3065	180943914	John Logan	Individual	Individual	I agree	I agree. While I welcome the tightening up of the regulations regarding postal voting I am concerned that the new rules dont go far enough.	I agree.
3066	36183900	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	i have no issues with the arrangements for the proposed referendum	i agree with the proposed changes as anyone who lives and contributes to the economy and society should be able to vote. this includes those from the EU, the commonwealth and those serving in the armed forces posted overseas as long as they are resident in scotland.	it is entirely appropriate to require anyone appointed to a position where they have obligations and responsibilities to acknowledge formal acceptance of the role. Inappropriate language should not be acceptable in any form. I believe there should not be any restrictions on who is able to take up the role of treasurer however this person should be competent to carry out the role within the provided guidelines, previous position should not prevent this.
3067	139379688	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't want another referendum\rIt's divisive, and although I've been a SNP supporter for decades if you decide to proceed with this costly exercise in futility, I will be voting no to independence. Unlike my last vote.\rAnd I also have no desire to be part of the political union that is the EU.\rThe EU referendum was UK wide, not a purely Scottish vote, and this Government should learn to respect the outcome of that vote.	I don't want another referendum	I don't want another referendum
3068	713853371	George Meechan	Individual	Individual	Seems ok	If it works don't change it	Seems ok
3069	488905666	lynette hourston	Individual	Individual	the system for voting is fine. however, it would be better and more environmentally friendly if it could be done online and made compulsory that everyone votes. Im not sure how you could secure the vote online but definitely worth considering for future votes	there is nothing here which needs changed.	im not sure what 3/4 of this is talking about. so cannot really offer a proper comment
3070	559288034	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There shouldn't be another independence referendum.	There shouldn't be another independence referendum.	There shouldn't be another independence referendum.
3071	611876570	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the above split proposals.	I understand that postal votes are kept in boxes and sealed with ordinary cable ties? \rMay i suggest that we use secure cable ties where each tie has a unique serial number. This would ensure that the boxes cannot be opened, votes removed and other ordinary ties used to secure the box? Apologies for my cynicism. \r Agree with all above.	Agreed.
3072	671220889	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The fact is that there is no need for, appetite for or justification for another referendum. The country was asked a question, a "once in a lifetime" question. An answer was given.	none	none
3073	97637086	Sandy Taylor	Individual	Individual	I am content with the proposals which worked well in 2014	Content	Content
3074	186650958	George Meechan	Individual	Individual	Seems ok	If it works don't change it	Seems ok
3075	675740719	Sean Markus Clifford	Individual	Individual	I trust that the Government will manage the referendum efficiently.	I trust that the Government will be able to poll the referendum with minimal fuss.	I think that this would be suitable
3076	620903418	John duncan	Individual	Individual	There is no need for a referendum	There is no need for a referendum	There is no need for a referendumThere is no need for a referendum
3077	794058788	John	Individual	Individual	Stop all this referendum nonsense. It makes no sense what so ever. The Scottish government is failing terribly with the responsibilities it already has. Our Schools have never been worse and the health service desperately needs reformed. These are devolved matters. So there is no way that they can be trusted with additional powers. There are enough uncertainties affecting our economy with out making it worse. If the rest of the country leaves the EU and Scotland becomes a member, it would be incredibly disruptive to our day to day living and expensive. Please respect the 'once in a generation' event we had in 2014 and get on with learning how to be competent in carrying out your responsibilities.	I do not think that 16-17 have enough independent decision making abilities and sufficient life experience to analyse the complex consequences of their actions. I think they are at risk of being unduly influenced by populist movements or acting on the instructions of parents. As we are leaving the EU, I do not think citizens of other member states should be eligible to vote.	I don't feel that I know enough about lobbying and other interests to comment.
3078	457270100	Stephen Tingle	Individual	Individual	OK	OK	OK
3079	16116140	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	don't have a referendum.	don't have a referendum	don't have a referendum
3080	1020505069	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree there should be a referendum, so this not relevant.	No opinion	Fine
3081	132572712	Douglas Allison	Individual	Individual	If a referendum takes place it should be carried out under the same conditions as the previous one.	No views either way.	No views either way.
3082	230812803	Christopher Brown	Individual	Individual	NO!!!!\r There should NOT be another referendum this was rejected by the Scottish people very recently there is no mandate for these proposals.	NO Changes and no referendum	NO Changes and no referendum
3083	717594016	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	At this time and until the discussions for the UK exit from the EU are complete this process demonstrates a lack of good financial governance by the SNP and Scottish government. Once the UK government has completed negotiations and we have a clear picture of what will and will not happen, then is the time to consider indyref2.	At this time and until the discussions for the UK exit from the EU are complete this process demonstrates a lack of good financial governance by the SNP and Scottish government. Once the UK government has completed negotiations and we have a clear picture of what will and will not happen, then is the time to consider indyref2.	At this time and until the discussions for the UK exit from the EU are complete this process demonstrates a lack of good financial governance by the SNP and Scottish government. Once the UK government has completed negotiations and we have a clear picture of what will and will not happen, then is the time to consider indyref2.
3084	1007121648	Ken Currie	Individual	Individual	Fine but unnecessary, though I do think that voting should be for 18 years plus. Before that one has little clue about government and the disasters that it can bring - witness the current government in Scotland and their 10 year period of nothing. Few 16 year olds appreciate this lost decade.	OK	I would ban donors and let the public vote on issues, not on who campaigns the loudest.
3085	363744051	Scott Weir	Individual	Individual	Happy for the same arrangement as 18th September 2014.	People who were actually born in Scotland should be allowed to vote....not matter where they live now.	Seems fine with me
3086	650217913	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I wholeheartedly disagree that EU and Commonwealth citizens resident in Scotland should automatically be eligible to vote in any future independence referendum. Many of these individuals are likely to be transient to Scotland and their views on Scotland's proposed independence, whilst interesting, should not be a deciding factor. However, I gladly acknowledge Scotland's diverse communities do include settled immigrants and would be satisfied with the application of a qualifying criteria to vote. This could be concerned with , for example, length of residency, occupational status, tax status, and family status.	I wholeheartedly disagree that EU citizens resident in Scotland should automatically be eligible to vote in any future independence referendum. Many of these individuals are likely to be transient to Scotland and their views on Scotland's proposed independence, whilst interesting, should not be a deciding factor. However, I gladly acknowledge Scotland's diverse communities do include settled immigrants and would be satisfied with the application of a qualifying criteria to vote. This could be concerned with , for example, length of residency, occupational status, tax status, and family status.\r Agree with the proposed changes to "Polling and Counting Staff", and "Verification Statements" rules.	Agree
3087	316331587	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Barbaric, monolithic and we voted in 2014 and it was a no vote. Sturgeon wants to go against the national vote. Still NO will never be YES and Nicola should stop going on about independence and get on sorting national problems such as NHS, education (worst results international), poverty/	No Answered	EU, commonwealth citizens should not be allowed to vote.
3088	530635699	James kirk	Individual	Individual	No Answered	I think Scotland has showen that the uk goverment can't keep to its word. And it's taking Scotland out of the eu when we did not want to.	I think every one in Scotland should have the ability to vote.
3089	316873628	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Electora should be for a UK genetal elections.	Voters should be as for UK genetal election. \r Ovet 18s only.	No views.
3090	852003839	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for a referendum, as we had one in 2014 which we were assured would be once in a "generation". The Scottish Government also pledged to respect the result - which it is not doing. \rThe Electoral Commission should be in charge of the referendum.\rThe question should not be the same as 201 as the use of a "Yes/No" response has been shown to give a boost to the Yes side. That is unfair and the question needs to be neutral - Remain/Leave is a good example of neutral language.\rThe threshold should be 2/3 majority. The Brexit vote has shown how divisive a small majority win can be. For an independent Scotland to be successful, the vast majority of Scots need to be behind it.\rThere should be provision for a third independence referendum, as a win for Yes will mean that the result stands at 1-1 and therefore a "best of three" deciding vote is surely required. The result of a 2nd referendum cannot be considered binding, if the result of the first one wasn't.	I have no problem with these changes.	Allowing EU citizens to vote is simply an attempt to skew the result in favour of independence - given the Brexit background.
3091	403412679	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There shouldn't be anymore referendums for next 30 years at least. The country said NO in 2014 knowing there was a chance of leaving the EU. Get on with fixing the mess of our education and healthcare that this SNP government has caused. Stop wasting money.	There shouldn't be anymore referendums for next 30 years at least. The country said NO in 2014 knowing there was a chance of leaving the EU. Get on with fixing the mess of our education and healthcare that this SNP government has caused. Stop wasting money.	There shouldn't be anymore referendums for next 30 years at least. The country said NO in 2014 knowing there was a chance of leaving the EU. Get on with fixing the mess of our education and healthcare that this SNP government has caused. Stop wasting money.
3092	691925800	Stephen Walker	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals outlined.	I agree with the proposed technical changes.	I agree with these proposals.
3093	649523380	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Agrees with the proposals
3094	297395537	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My views are that it should not be held at all. The case for Independance in 2014 asked huge questions that were never answered and nothing has changed since then.	No views because I don't want a second referendum.	If you hold a second one which I hope you don't then all Scottish people should vote including the forces abroad and people working and living out of the country.
3095	999753508	Sir Frank Bouman	Individual	Individual	Hello,\r I am a Dutch national living and working over 14 years in Bonnie Scotland and am also married to a Scottish Lady for over 8 years but together less than 14 years. \rI want and wish for Scotland to become independent and be separated from the clutches of the sassenachs westminster clutches. \rI am a Yes campaigner for indyref1 & 2 but more so that Scotland should stay in the EU and part of the free trade, travel & cross borders employments. \rI fully agree with the draft and I am 500% behind an indyref2 for Scotland to become independent and so that EU people rights are and will be protected. \rAlso that the EU people working,living and married, having build up their family life's in Scotland should not be used as bargaining chips. \rTherefor I fully support the Holyrood government, the SNP and support for Scotland to become independent and to keep the current relations alive with the EU. \rI want for Scotland to be out of the clutches of the lying,treacherous sassenachs. \rSo yes I support indyref2, and Cant wait for it to be launched asap/urgently. \rAnd if the others in holyrood are unhappy well then let them pack their bags and to Redacted text. To sassenachs country. \rThis is my personal opinion,views as per the act of freedom speech & acting too.	I support everything. I would like the holyrood government, the SNP TO GO AHEAD WITH ALL THE PLANS AND TO LAUNCH THE INDYREF 2 but making sure we can use the pound sterling Scottish one. \rWe don't need the BOE to shut us up or Westminster. \rThe Clydesdale bank already prints money and we can easily print the Scottish money in scotland without the need of BOE and Westminster. \rOnce this well explained and provided to the people the indyref 2 will be a success. \rI support everything.	Have people involved everywhere. \rOne point to ask of the conservatives where the 56 millions pound sterling a week is at present moment as per campaign stated by boris Johnson and Nigel forage?? \rMaking sure that the people know there's NO 56 millions per week to be put in the NHS AS it was all lies.
3096	760321571	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Appropriate	Seem fine.	Not enough info about the donors eligibility.
3097	772934239	Ronald Cairnie	Individual	Individual	I do not believe that the result of the previous referendum can be ignored by the Scottish Parliament. The SNP have previously stated that "the people will decide" in a "once in a generation" referendum. The people have decided and any parliament - including the UK - should be bound by that decision. The proposed referendum is for the benefit of the SNP's aims and NOT the people of Scotland. This proposed referendum ignores the democratic decision of the people and should NOT even be considered.\r In the event of a second referendum taking place - as I do not believe that the SNP will take cognizance of any view which do not fit with their blinkered aims - then it should be conducted under scrutiny of the Electoral Commission.	My only comment is that the only people entitled to vote should be British citizens permanently residing in Scotland. This should also include any service personnel whose home residence would be in Scotland. Any non British citizens should NOT be eligible to vote.	No comments
3098	198884566	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am satisfied	I am satisfied	I am satisfied
3099	14373352	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	We've had our once in a lifetime vote!
3100	529946605	n/a	Individual	Individual	no comment	Do not agree that persons other than British citizens over the age of 18 should be allowed to participate in any (further) independence referendum. I would not expect to be allowed to vote in another European country's elections even if resident there. Citizens of Northern Ireland and other European countries can hold their own referenda if appropriate but non-British Europeans should not be allowed to vote in a Scottish or UK election. I believe the amount of European migrants living in Scotland in 2016 and who were permitted to vote in the In/Out referendum skewed the percentages for Scotland as a whole. It wasn't in their interests to vote the UK leave Europe.	no comment
3101	890134638	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with way it was carried out in 2014	Agree with proposal	Agree
3102	93720505	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the arrangements outlined, which are generally per the previous referendum, would be acceptable. I think that now is not the time for another referendum to take place. It caused a lot of upset and upheaval and it is not fair to the people of Scotland that this threat of a further referendum constantly overhangs them.	These proposals are acceptable.	These proposals are acceptable.
3103	413004243	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	I feel that giving under 18s the chance to vote is wrong as they are not adults and cannot legally drive until they are 17 and drink until they are 18,
3104	879961010	Anthony Aitken	Individual	Individual	Satisfied with the management proposals suggested, but question the need for a second referendum when the 2014 result was unequivocal.\r People voted for the EU referendum and it raised separate questions.\r Seeking to entwine the two matters by the current Scottish Government is opportunistic at best and the constitutional uncertainty created is a disincentive for business and job creation in Scotland.	Generally happy with eligibility criteria.\r However, if article 50 is triggered and the UK exists the EU, the arrangements for European citizens to vote in a Scottish Independence referendum will have to assessed at that time, depending upon their UK status. This matter should remain open for future analysis at that point and should be linked to the date of any further referendum, if this is actually ever undertaken.	All agreed
3105	965531704	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The propsed way of managing a referendum, seems acceptable, however this question is posted as if there is going to be another referendum. This in turn can give an untrue start to the consultation.	The proposed technical changes are in line with what I would expect for any furture elections etc.	The transparency of this is a good approach.
3106	202911200	George	Individual	Individual	Redacted text off, we already had one ya chancingRedacted text.	Redacted textoff we already had one.	Redacted text off ya chances.
3107	995478152	John Wilkie	Individual	Individual	Talk of another referendum has stalled investment in Scotland also slowed down sale of property.\r Our business is based in Scotland and should another referendum take place and be successful we would re locate out of Scotland.\r John Wilkie	You are proposing to allow vote to people recently given residency in the UK. \r How can they decide on past events in Scotland.\r Votes to 16 year olds again a nonsense.	Nonsense
3108	761772259	Robert McKensie	Individual	Individual	There should not be a referendum we have already had one.	There should not be a referendum we have already had one.	There should not be a referendum we have already had one.
3109	404122134	Margaret Willis	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	It is time that this Indyref 2 nonsense is put to bed. The people of Scotland ,after a very unpleasant 2 years, voted No so please respect this view. What is the point of separating from Westminster only to be ruled by a cumbersome expensive and unrepresentative Europe. What chance will little Scotland have against the might of Germany and France. Get real SNP and work with Westminster to get the best deal for the people of Scotland. In short get on with running the country!
3110	30355922	Gregg Dick	Individual	Individual	I have no issues in the way a referendum will be handled.	Persons from Republic of Ireland should be ineligible to vote	No issues
3111	247189027	Ian Ross	Individual	Individual	OK	It is unnecessary and silly to give votes to Irish and EU citizens resident in Scotland as it is also silly to give the vote to 16 and 17 year olds.	no comment
3112	160390914	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A complete waste of time and money! We ave already voted We DO NOT want another vote We have already told you NO! What about listening to the will of the people?	Rubbish!	Rubbish
3113	337435002	James Russell	Individual	Individual	I am content with the proposed arrangements, and for any referendum to be conducted as before.	I am happy with the proposed voting eligibility arrangement changes	I am happy with the amendments put forward
3114	424471468	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree that we need yet another referendum - the people of Scotland spoke emphatically in 2014 to say we wanted to remain part of the UK and did so knowing that there was the possibility that the UK as a whole would vote to leave the EU.	I do not agree that we need yet another referendum - the people of Scotland spoke emphatically in 2014 to say we wanted to remain part of the UK and did so knowing that there was the possibility that the UK as a whole would vote to leave the EU. - if the SNP push ahead with this ridiculous proposal then it should only be a vote for people born in Scotland and should include people born in Scotland who no longer live in the Country.	I do not agree that we need yet another referendum - the people of Scotland spoke emphatically in 2014 to say we wanted to remain part of the UK and did so knowing that there was the possibility that the UK as a whole would vote to leave the EU.
3115	899704766	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Completely unnecessary.
3116	393476646	Michael Donati	Individual	Individual	I believe a second referendum should be held, with the campaign concentrating on the betrayal of the no campaigns lies, the vow, pensions, membership of the EU, investment of industry all things the no campaign promised would be secured if Scotland remained in the union, and which is now under threat from London.	I believe counters of votes should be flown in from other states as social media exposed intimidation at polling stations particularly in Dundee a city which voted literally 100% for independence, and of course yes votes being discounted.	I think to participate in the referendum it should be a vote for those who have lived and worked in Scotland for 5 years or more m, as many English or people from other parts of the U.K are against independence through inheritance unionist views, yet are able to cast a vote on our cause for self-determination when they know next to nothing the poverty and deprivation of Scotland
3117	19142085	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe the arrangements and the referendum are unnecessary, time and resource wasting and detract from the scottish government's real task which is to run the country fairly and cost-effectively, paying attention to education, law and order	All totally unnecessary and a complete waste of time and money	Unnecessary as is the entire exercise
3118	1069185213	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is my strong belief that there should not be another referendum. I strongly believe that this government is failing in relation to health, education and policing. Also there is an embarrassing lack of effective policies that would address the plight of the homeless. (A short walk from Lothian Rd to Leith Walk by any MSP should make them aware of why another referendum should be the last thing on their minds). This government should wake up and smell the stench of the hypocrisy of this proposal. However, if there is another referendum thenthese arrangements are acceptable.	Ditto as per last comment.	Ditto as per last comment.
3119	397998928	Jacquie Dougan	Individual	Individual	But now 2 yrs later you are claiming on the last vote had a condition was attached to our vote, NO ONE was aware of any such thing. ...one question no conditions was the publics understanding. SNP lies! I want UK officials to count not Scottish gov, I have no confidence in the SNP to be fair and transparent.	Do not agree whatsoever. You lowered the age to 16 and now you are trying to bring in outside voters, only those who are UK citizens have the right to vote in UK elections. Now you want to allow citizens from Southern Ireland to boast your support. .....what a low nasty act, trying to bring in Nationalist from another country to support your Nationals agenda.	You have done nothing but lie to the ppl of Scotland and now claiming you put a condition on the last vote, the ppl were not aware of this, therefore you deceived the public all across Scotland and UK. Therefore you as a party, SNP broke these rules!
3120	493117256	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree to this.	Agree to this	Agree to this
3121	640833256	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No objections	No objections	No objections
3122	890500651	Simon Cairns	Individual	Individual	It sounds like a fair and responsible way for it to be managed	This seems like a much fairer and justifiable way to handle the count and absent voting.	This would boost transparency and make managing the process for campaigning better.
3123	954797806	Mohammad Ali Salik	Individual	Individual	These are fair proposals which have been previously used successfully and hence there is no reason not to use these arrangements again.	These technical changes are already publicly supported and are necessary to ensure everyone eligible has his voice heard accurately and that ballots are fairly counted.	I agree with these changes to take place.
3124	589106200	alan sellstrom	Individual	Individual	no issue with this proposal	non brittish nationals have no right to vote on scottish and or british issues	no issue with proposal
3125	861991233	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As long as process is transparent then there can be no complaint.	Residency issue should be a minimum of 10'years.\rIt is my opinion and the opinion of the majority that were ignored 16 is far to young for the majority of 16year olds to vote.	No comment on this issue
3126	34276335	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am totally against another referendum. I believe the Scottish Government should get on with running the country.	See above response!	See above responses!!!
3127	454584751	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a second referendum. The people of Scotland have already spoken. The SNP are trying to divide the people of Scotland and are neglecting the important responsibilities given to them when put in power at Holyrood.	This only appears to be a tactic by the SNP to work the votes in their favor. The SNP are one of the smartest parties in politics just now but their agenda does not truly serve the people of Scotland, only their own desires.	Again, there shouldn't be a second referendum. This point can only be used to weaken the vote of those who choose to remain in the UK.
3128	341094337	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The concept of "residency" has no definition in UK law equivalent to all European countries (where all citizens have to formally register to a locality. Therefore for all non-UK persons a definition of Scottish residency (= voting rights) has to be created that is beyond the simple basis of a postal address.	none	none
3129	959759551	Ian Gill	Individual	Individual	There is absolutely no need for a second independence referendum - Scotland voted clearly to remain within the United Kingdom in 2014 - Scotland voted for the United Kingdom to remain with the European Union in 2016- these are undisputable facts!! The people of Scotland have accepted that the majority of people in the UK wish to leave the EU - this wishes of the UK majority must be accepted by the Scottish Government.	I have no views on this matter - no requirement of yet another referendum	I have no views on this matter - second referendum not required
3130	240379979	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Doesn't matter no referendum at this point should take place.	Doesn't matter no refer should take place at this time	Doesn't matter no refer should take place at this time
3131	737642347	William Sommerville	Individual	Individual	I have no wish for a 2nd referendum and would much prefer the government to concentrate on the day to day issues such as education and police.	Again I do not want a referendum. Once in a generation was what we were promised.	No need for another referendum
3132	760567453	alexander watson	Individual	Individual	agree	agree	agree
3133	685379142	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with this.	I am happy with this.	I am happy with this.
3134	969964699	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No referendum	No referendum	No referendum
3135	727094964	DAVID STEWART	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	We have a vote and the answer was we stay in the union. That is enough.
3136	394270520	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As I do not not support the call for a second referendum on independence, proposed arrangements as to how it would to be conducted are not foremost in my considerations.	No Answered	If a second referendum were to be held the franchise should be extended to Scots domiciled in other parts of the UK.
3137	67835322	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I can't believe you want to put us through it all over again at huge cost	Shouldn't you be putting more thought into things like running the country and Brexit and not flogging this dead hore again?	I thought I was British before the last one, I've lived in Scotland sInce 1979. But now I know I'm English and I feel very unwelcome here.
3138	18231620	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is an irrelevance as there has already been a "final" "once in a lifetime" "once in a generation" referendum.	This is an irrelevance as there has already been a "final" "once in a lifetime" "once in a generation" referendum.	This is an irrelevance as there has already been a "final" "once in a lifetime" "once in a generation" referendum.
3139	319184268	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements sound good. The 2014 referendum was well-managed, and there is no reason to believe that significantly different arrangements would be required for a future one.	The proposed changes are generally good, in that they bring the arrangements in line with actual practice and other referenda and elections.\r While acknowledging that the Draft Referendum Bill is merely reflecting normal practice, I remain concerned about the potential for fraud with the postal voting system. While requiring that every identity statement is verified, rather than a sample, is good, I do not believe this is sufficient security - it has effectively been applied at prior referenda and elections. The stated reason for allowing postal voting on demand was to improve turnout. I do not believe that this has been effective, and would like to see consideration given (perhaps in conjunction with the Electoral Commission to determine the size of the likely effect on turnout) on requiring that reason be given when applying for a postal vote.	These changes sound good. The rules in the 2014 referendum were already quite good, and the proposed changes close some loopholes and clear up some uncertainties in them.
3140	689606400	Alan Keith	Individual	Individual	They are irrelevant. The people of Scotland have already decided that Scotland shall remain part of the UK. This should be respected and the Scottish Government should get on with the job of solving important problems and cease wasting time and money on futile efforts to achieve independence.	They are irrelevant as previously pointed out.	Irrelevant as explained before.
3141	589241830	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am strongly against independence.	I am strongly against independence.	I am strongly against independence.
3142	646855140	William Wallace	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
3143	289260330	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The referendum in 2014 was a 'one in a generation' test of our views on independence. I, and the majority of Scots, voted 'No' \r There should be no further referendum. \r So, these questions are invalid.	The referendum in 2014 was a 'one in a generation' test of our views on independence. I, and the majority of Scots, voted 'No' \r There should be no further referendum. \r So, these questions are invalid.	The referendum in 2014 was a 'one in a generation' test of our views on independence. I, and the majority of Scots , voted 'No' \r There should be no further referendum. \r So, these questions are invalid.
3144	522050271	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't think we need another referendum as the Scottish people voted overwhelmingly to stay part of the United Kingdom.	Ok	No need for a referendum
3145	1036723025	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The method of the proposed arrangements appear fine.	no opinion	no opinion
3146	612181546	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Ridiculous idea after a no vote not long ago	No view	no view
3147	655234440	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	I think that it is a huge waste of money that could be better spent elsewhere. \r I feel that the snp needs to spend more time improving tye nhs, education system, employment and giving more money to local authorities to provide better services instead of constantly trying to tear the country apart.	None
3148	986224917	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with the proposals	Agree with the proposals	Agree with the proposals
3149	355562430	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe that there is no need for this as we were told quite clearly that the last one was a once in a generation. \r The SNP a disproportionate number of seats in Westminster with minority share of the vote and have lost their majority at Hollyrood. There is no demand for this.	No comment	Not acceptable
3150	654494832	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am completely opposed to the concept that yet another Referendum is either desireable or legitimate given the very recent result of the last Referendum on the subject of Scottish Independence. \r The last result was unequivocal.	There should not be any polling on this subject so soon after the last result. It is divisive and irresponsible.	There should not be any polling on this subject so soon after the last result. It is divisive and irresponsible.
3151	207996357	None	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The Question should be changed to "Leave" or "remain' in the UK as per the Eu referendum. Yes /No is pejorative. For such constitutional upheaval at the same time as Brexit, any vote to leave the UK should be 55% minimum.
3152	155705374	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The people have spoken. Your dream is dead get on with running the country. British born you will die British	Nonsense	Nonsense suited to SNP only
3153	8157587	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Only those above the age of 18 should be able to vote. Younger voters not likely to have adequate knowledge to cast a vote responsibly. This should be consistent with the rest of the UK	No Answered	I believe that only those with a full British passport residing in Scotland should be eligible to vote. Those with Irish and other EU passports should not be allowed to vote Otherwise the vote risks being influenced by those who are more likely to favour independence due to their connections with Europe who may not remain here long term
3154	877825481	David Finlayson	Individual	Individual	The 2014 referendum was divisive and disruptive. \rIt was considerably more conclusive than the recent EU referendum and should be regarded as binding.\rIt is unreasonable to simply rerun the vote because those result was not the one desired by the SNP. This is the style of political control exhibited by less savoury regimes around the world.\rThe question as asked in 2014 was loaded in favour of a yes vote which permitted independence campaigners to run what was perceived as a positive campaign. If there must be another vote the question should be changed to avoid such bias.\rThe Scottish government has more pressing matters such as the NHSiS with its abysmal current waiting times to sort out.	No Answered	It is unacceptable that recent arrivals in Scotland from other countries will have the right to vote on Scotland's future while they may have no long term commitment to the country. This is the more relevant when Scots who may be working temporarily in other parts of the U.K. will be disbarred from having a say in the future of the country they perceive as theirs and to which they plan to return and live in the future. \rThis eligibility permits such voters to vote away the native Scot's right to a UK passport while retaining their (the foreign voter) own national passport.
3155	413478914	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The referendum is unnecessary, in 2014 Scotland voted to remain part of the Uk and as such we still wish to remain part of the Uk and would rather that than become very small part of Europe.	The referendum is unnecessary, in 2014 Scotland voted to remain part of the Uk and as such we still wish to remain part of the Uk and would rather that than become very small part of Europe.	The referendum is unnecessary, in 2014 Scotland voted to remain part of the Uk and as such we still wish to remain part of the Uk and would rather that than become very small part of Europe.
3156	788840083	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Last time the bitterness and hate was disgusting and should NEVER repeated.\r55% of the Scottish voters said NO THANKS.\rIf we voters had voted YES Scotland would now be broke. Ref. Oil price.\r We have had enough. We are putting our house on the market as are another couple in our small village and another couple are looking for property in England. These are Scottish!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!	Simple, don't have another referendum.	A/A
3157	319742708	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree with proposal	Agree	Agree
3158	478435433	Anne Cowan	Individual	Individual	I don't want another referendum	Not relevant	Not relevant
3159	223107809	Michael Griffiths	Individual	Individual	The managing of the referendum should be as was managed in 2014.	I am in agreement with the proposal.	I am in agreement.
3160	574796290	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Don't want a second referendum. The first caused enough division and I don't think we should go through it again.\rAlso it's too expensive and we can't afford it.\rThe SNP needs to accept the result of the first referendum and move on. There are far more important matters that need to be addressed but the SNP seem blinkered.
3161	248611648	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Acceptable	Acceptable	Acceptable
3162	279308998	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I vermently disagree with another Referendum. Nicola Sturgeon refuses to accept the will of the British people in relation to Brexit. What I\rI find rather strange is that when Donald Trump was elected President elect she was asked for her thoughts she responded by saying that he would not be her choice but we have to respect the will of the American people.\rShe must therefore respect the will of the United Kingdom, and get over it.\rAnother Referendum would be extremely damaging for the U.K\rWe do not need another Referendum.	No comment	No comment
3163	574105997	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't want a second referendum	Postal voting should not be allowed \rDon't want a second referendum	No opinion \rDon't want a second referendum
3164	443960834	Angus Robertson	Individual	Individual	I think that there is a clear democratic mandate to conduct this referendum - and even if there wasn't the public's interests, and decision to remain in the EU would immediately raise this question of independence again in my view.\r Following the same democratic procedures as the 2014 Independence Referendum makes sense because of the widespread positive commendation of the process that was given before and after the result. This process is also familiar to the public, and the result of the referendum was broadly accepted due to this transparent process.	Happy with all changes - would say that there is a sound logic in place.	No issue with changes
3165	110236846	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We don't need another vote	Not. Needed	Not needed
3166	238405589	Brian A Bell	Individual	Individual	I see no need for a referendum. We voted to stay in the UK last time around. If we don't vote the way SNP would like us to vote (ie for independence) should there be another referendum will that mean SNP will again ignore the wishes of the people and seek to hold further referendums? \r The fact that SNP seek to hold a second referendum proves they don't believe in democracy.	No Answered	Non British passport holders should not be allowed to participate.
3167	896556673	Allan Getty	Individual	Individual	I believe that the proposed arrangements are good and will help to deliver a fair referendum for all. Obviously it is important that we are able to deliver this referendum successfully and I believe that the proposed arrangements will help this.	I believe that these changes are something that will be very positive. In regards to postal voting, I believe in 2014 this was a very grey area that had to be addressed and it is fantastic to see it being addressed here. Furthermore, in regards to polling staff I think that the changes will help to make this referendum fair, everyone must be impartial during the count regardless of what they want the outcome to be. Lastly, having the counting officer supply a copy of verification statements will help reduce any accusations of any wrong doing during the counts and will be a positive change.	I believe that these changes will be positive, it will make sure that everyone knows their role so that the referendum runs smoothly. This will be a positive change in comparison to the 2014 referendum.
3168	38215647	Robert Law	Individual	Individual	The Scottish electorate has already given a clear majority vote to stay in the U.K. And there is no need to 'manage' any further referendum.	There is no need for a second referendum.	There is no need for a second referendum.
3169	821125964	David Finlayson	Individual	Individual	I would vote NO to independence	I disagree with the changes put forward	Disagree with proposed chamges
3170	928239316	William Beveridge	Individual	Individual	I thought we had a referendum and the Scottish people voted. Can't see the need of another one so soon.	Nil	Nil
3171	467885854	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The referendum should be conducted in the same manner, with the same question as in 2014.\rThis should be done in order to make the process as simple and easily understood as possible.	Appropriate to involve repeating the suspicions aroused over the reliability of postal voting in 2014.\rPostal votes should NOT be entrusted to private companies, nor should the ballot papers leave secure storage within Scotland.	Appropriate.
3172	639484861	WILLIAM TURNER	Individual	Individual	If the S N P goverment would listen to the already expressed views of the Scottish people and get on with the job they elected to do we would have a better country.	The govt. would resort to any method to try to have their own way.	as above
3173	659860275	Stuart Steven	Individual	Individual	There should not be a referendum. The people have spoken. 55 percent beats 45 percent everything.	There is no need for a referendum and hence no need to change polling or voting arrangements	There is no need for a referendum and hence no need to change polling or voting arrangements
3174	119507517	Matthew Miller	Individual	Individual	Fine	Checking postal votes a must.	fine
3175	560867857	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	my belief is that the current Scottish leadership has no mandate for another referendum as the SNP was comprehensively beaten in 2014 and should accept the collective will of the people, and get on with the job of governing this sad country of ours.	I do not agree with any of the proposed changes to the voting technical or otherwise.	as I said before, if it ain't broke leave it alone.
3176	718059852	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am completely agreed with the proposal.	No Answered	Completely agreed as well.\rI am an eu citizen currently living in Scotland and paying taxes in the U.K. So I would like to be able to have my say on such a big matter.
3177	238196904	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for this bill, because the people of Scotland voted against independence in September 2014, and there is consistent evidence that there is no mood in the country for a referendum. This is a waste of time and the scarce resources of this country. Our taxpayers should be not required to pay for what is purely a publicity stunt on the part of the Scottish National Party.	No comment	No comment
3178	444125145	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The count could be carried out centrally thus giving a 'Scottish' result rather than regional results giving indicators of how each area voted. The EU referendum could have been better handled this way also.	No Answered	All persons normally resident in Scotland should be permitted to vote as these persons will be affected by the outcome. Postal votes should only be permitted for medical conditions or certified reasons for absence.
3179	472187612	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We do not need another referendum. We have voted and the government should abide with the wishes of the majority.	Not applicable as another referendum not wanted or required .	As above
3180	418797711	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No further referendum on independence .	As stated, no further referendum required so do not require any changes to voting	Not required ad no further referendum required
3181	893250178	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	16 and 17 year olds should definitely be able to vote. I would expect to see stringent control over the count and tracking of ballot boxes to avoid and doubt as to the validity of the vote and dispell any rumours of vote fixing	No issues with proposed	No issues with proposed
3182	67410733	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No need for another one the people have spoken.	Done so they have a better chance of winning this one.	Again done so they will have a better chance of winning.
3183	1003315145	Liam Smith	Individual	Individual	I absolutely disagree with the proposals to hold a second Scottish independent referendum.\r However, the proposals for MANAGING said referendum, should it take place (which, as aforementioned, is something I do not wish to happen), entirely make sense and I agree with them.	I disagree. I belive that, quite simply, only Scottish citizens living in Scotland should have the right to vote within an independence referendum. Individuals of other nationalities (particularly those of EU citizenship) may only be in the country for a set amount of time. The permanence of the Referendum's decision may not affect them as directly as it would a Scottish citizen. That aside, I simply belive that, as this is a Scottish issue, it should only be Scottish citizens whom vote on the issue. The opinion and decision of the Scottish people should not be altered by non-Scottish individuals.	I agree with the proposed changes.
3184	671395022	Gordon Sinclair	Individual	Individual	There should not be another divisive referendum. This whole exercise is just part of the SNP propaganda machine looking for excuses to push through their bigoted and racist nationalist agenda. Stop this madness now!!!	No Thanks!	No Thanks!
3185	529254889	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	We should not have another vote the people of Scotland have spoken and therefore the Devolved body should respect that and cannot pick and choose what outcomes to comply with and what not too. If another vote had to happen it should be on the same basis as the rest of the UK and not the age changes applied to the last vote.
3186	821901222	Martin Petrie	Individual	Individual	I am mostly in agreement with the arrangements. I would however prefer the that the power to hold any independence referendum is held solely by the Scottish government and ultimately can only be brought about or turned down by the people of Scotland itself.	Mostly in agreement.	No strong feelings on this subject.
3187	775894067	Gerald Mackie	Individual	Individual	I have read the paper and agree that the arrangements are adequate.	As question 1 the changes and count are adequate.	I am not sure if other UK citizens living in Scotland have a vote. My feelings are that EU citizens should be allowed but no Welsh, Irish or English voters should have a vote. They may decide to vote the same as their home country and not for the good of Scotland.
3188	792643562	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree with the need for another referendum. It is a complete disgrace that so soon we are being asked to spend public money for narrow political ends. Hang your heads in shame.	I fully expect any public vote to be conducted appropriately. However I do not agree with the need for another referendum. It is a complete disgrace that so soon we are being asked to spend public money for narrow political ends. Hang your heads in shame.	I cannot disagree with appropriate management of funding for election. I do not agree with the need for another referendum. It is a complete disgrace that so soon we are being asked to spend public money for narrow political ends. Hang your heads in shame.
3189	88155212	William Duff	Individual	Individual	Content	Happy with.	Content
3190	524939674	Colin Urquhart	Individual	Individual	I agree generally with the proposals but , was there not an issue with a certain party leader having sight of postal results prior to polling day?	Agree	Agree
3191	606468559	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Seems reasonable	Good idea	Agreeable
3192	854101466	John Ellwood	Individual	Individual	Virtue in consistency of approach - tried and tested system.	Sensible changes.	Agreed
3193	392533897	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My view is that a significant majority of Scottish people voted just over 2 years ago to remain part of the UK. \r Another vote would be divisive and disrespects the vote result of 2014.	No Answered	I do not think under 18s should be eligible to vote in such an important referendum.\r I do not believe under 18s have the experience and holistic view of the world to make such a decision. Especially as they are still restricted by a number of laws.\r I think that Scots living abroad should be eligible to vote.
3194	290641008	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If there is to be a referendum for constitutional change then there should be a minimum of 60% for the motion. Otherwise there will be continual grievance from either side, and Scotland now need to be pulled together not driven further apart.	No Comment	No comment
3195	908727488	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Disagree	Disagree	Disagree
3196	793035686	Robert Hay	Individual	Individual	No need for second referendum we the people spoke in 2014 and we want to remain part of the United Kingdom	No need to read them as don't agree with proposal of a second referendum	Refer to answer for question 2
3197	658422099	Ian Johnston	Individual	Individual	Utter disinterest.	See 1	God forbid that we go through this lunacy again, but if we do the participants should include all people of voting age who were born in Scotland and are domiciled within any of the EU countries, including England.\r Why is there not a question in this consultation to ask whether or not it is a good idea to hold a second referendum?
3198	168673684	Bobbie Thomson	Individual	Individual	These arrangements are acceptable.\rI am concerned, however, that there is no appetite in Scotland for another referendum. The last one was the most horrible, divisive event which I recall in my lifetime and I do not believe that the SNP has a mandate to hold another one.	These arrangements are acceptable	These arrangements are acceptable
3199	924611744	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Another referendum is a huge mistake. Why doesn't Sturgeon accept we don't want it.	Yeah, just keep pushing every which way until you get the answer you want Sturgeon. You are not meant to be a dictator, but sounding more like it every time you open your mouth.	Get £ from as many like minded misguided souls as possible.
3200	586592074	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangement is ok however the people voted to stay in the UK only two years ago and would hardly change their minds so soon.	The arrangements are fair apart from 16 &17 year olds being allowed to vote. They are too young to understand properly the issues at stake.	No comment on this.
3201	1032008251	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	T he referendum is not required, it follows that management is not required. This so called consultation is a mockery and an to voters.	Another referendum is not required, voters have made their decision.	Not required
3202	93571559	N/A	Individual	Individual	Scotland has already decided on this, so why waste more public funds on this matter.\r \in 2014 the Scottish people were very decisive and they said NO, in my book NO means NO, is their any part of NO that the Scottish government does not understand!\r We were promised that this would be a once in a GENERATION opportunity to give our views, foe the benefit of the uneducated, an gerneration is 20 YEARS - NOT 2 YEARS.\r Please can the Scottish government stick to it's promise and get on with actually governing the country rather than continually going over the same story.\r The Scottish people said NO - PLEASE RESPECT THAT OPINION.\r Thank You.	UK Citizen born in Scotland should ALL get a vote, as it will affect everyone born in Scotland irrespective of where they currently live and work.\r This simply suggests that the Scottish Government is trying to fix the vote In such a way that it gives them a better result, one that suits them and NOT the people of Scotland.	Why change, other that it is felt that this will allow the Scottish Government the ability to manipulate the results to its own end.
3203	690442973	Gordon McKie	Individual	Individual	I have no comment to make on this item specifically, or any other of the narrow questions posed in this consultation. As there is no space for "other" or open comments, I will add these here. \r I voted no in the 2014 Referendum. However, I do support a second referendum being held. \r However, I do have 2 recommendations to make. \r The first relates to franchise. In the lead-up to the EU Referendum in 2016, Nicola Sturgeon and the Scottish Government correctly pointed out that there was no protection against parts of the UK being "dragged out" of the EU against their will, and cited other countries who require absolute majorities to implement major constitutional changes. \r With the ensuing political turmoil of the Brexit vote, this point is particularly important. A vote to massively change the settled constitution of Scotland should not rest solely on a simple majority of votes cast. Protections should be put in place to ensure that if independence is to be implemented, it is truly the voice of the whole country. This could either be achieved by requiring 50% of the total electorate (regardless of ballots cast) to vote in favour, or by requiring a majority of regions to vote for independence, to ensure more populous areas do not overrule the wishes of less densely populated rural communities. The exact requirements are to be discussed, but lessons around the tightly won simple-majority ballot of the EU Referendum need to be learned and applied to a future Scottish Independence Referendum. \r The second is around the question(s) to be posed in the referendum. Much of the post-Brexit discussion in Scotland has revolved around Scottish Independence and Scotland's place within the EU. \r The Scottish Government's contention is that because a majority of Scots voted to stay in the EU, a material change has occurred and we should get a second vote on Scottish Independence. However, a fundamental fact that is being overlooked is that Scotland voted to remain in the EU as a member of and under the terms of the United Kingdom's membership. There is a lot of rhetoric being used for political reasons to create a false pro-independence/pro-EU vs pro-UK/pro-Brexit divide. That reasoning is faulty. \r There are many who wish to see Scotland as an independent country, but not a member of the EU (and every other combination thereof). \r There should be, at minimum, 2 questions posed of the Scottish people. \r 1. Should Scotland be an independent country (Yes/No)?\r2. Should an independent Scotland be a member state of the EU (Yes/No)? \r There are, of course, political negotiations that would play an important factor in how people vote in Question 2 (whether Scotland remains a member under current terms, or would have to leave under the UK Government's Brexit negotiations and reapply as an independent state), and ideally such a question would be posed as a 3rd option in a referendum, however that may not be entirely practical. The results of question 2 would only be of relevance should question 1 have a majority Yes vote.	No comment	No Comment
3204	290557683	Gregor Robertson	Individual	Individual	Waste of taxpayers' money. A large majority of the population has already voted in the Independence Referendum confirming that we wish to remain part of the U.K. It is only the SNP that wish to pursue independence regardless of the consequences. In pursuing this the SNP are representing only a small portion of the Scottish population and are ignoring Opinion Polls.	No view. Further referendum not required.	No view. Further referendum not required.
3205	762933750	Douglas Forman	Individual	Individual	It is my opinion that to consider a second referendum is to ignore the wishes of the citizens of Scotland who clearly indicated their choice in 2014. There therefore is no need for a second referendum and as a consequence no changes are required to management of such processes.	No changes are required.	No changes required.
3206	830738682	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The information given in this section makes no reference to the intimidation and hostility carried out by SNP supporters during the 1st referendum. I was under the impression it was an offence to promote the views of interested parties outside polling stations, or to intimidate voters. The SNP supporters in my area were obviously not aware of this !!!	The rules governing a 2nd referendum vote should be exactly the same as the 1st referendum.	Provided new proposals do not give either yes or no voters an advantage I have no problems. I must make the point that these questions appear to be highly technical. Many people, including myself, may find some of the details difficult to understand.
3207	813974465	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree there has to be safer counting of votes using Scotlands own rules and regulations are better	Postal voting is the only problem I have I do not trust them much prefer proxy voting also agree with who can vote	Agree with proposals above
3208	135380192	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	i trust another referendum would be well managed, though confused on how 16 year olds can be classed as adults with the right to vote, yet in other things they are classed as children, they should be one or the other	i think the proposal look good and fair	looks ok to me
3209	52349549	Will Nicholson	Individual	Individual	I would also allow those working abroad to vote.	I understand that Australian citizens are required to vote at their embassy in whichever country they are in, this would allow those mentioned in the previous response a saw in what happens as and when they choose to return home.	I believe that only donations from private individuals, with a recognised upper limit, should be permitted. No companies, or local or national political parties should be allowed to give access to their funds for any promotional material, and that canvassers should be voluntary, unpaid and courteous.
3210	670886761	michael rodent	Individual	Individual	The referendum should not take place or should involve the entire population of the UK	There should be no postal vote and no votes for anyone under the age of 18 or not a UK citizen.	They are fine
3211	280006834	George Dale	Individual	Individual	Positive.	They seem in order.	No opinion.
3212	40666427	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	"The referendum would be run by the Electoral Management Board for Scotland, which is an independent organisation that isn’t part of the Scottish Government."\r* No! The referendum should be run by an electoral body in an independent country, such as Iceland or Norway. For the avoidance of doubt, this would be to provide the staff to run the polling stations and counts.\r* "the Electoral Management Board for Scotland, a body independent of the Scottish Government” - we need a body that is also independent of the UK. For example, Iceland or Norway could provide such a body to oversee and run the referendum.\r "The poll and count would be handled like an election. Counting officers and a Chief Counting Officer would be responsible for this. Counting officers, electoral registration officers and their staff would be responsible for managing the registration, poll and count processes within their local areas."\r* Yes, but staffed by an electoral body that is independent of the UK, e.g. from a country such as Iceland or Norway.\r* Ballot boxes must be supervised by two electoral staff at all times, including during their movement and transport. The boxes must be signed for at either end of their transport and serial numbers checked.\r* The actual counts should be closely filmed and all irregularities that take place during the count (e.g. fire alarms) should be verified. No staff should be left alone with the ballot boxes and papers at any stage of the count.\r "The detailed rules about the conduct of the poll would be broadly the same as used in 2014."\r* Exit polls should be conducted this time around - why was this not allowed last time?\r "The referendum campaign would be watched over by the Electoral Commission. The consultation proposes that, as in 2014, the regulation and monitoring of the referendum campaign should be undertaken by the Electoral Commission, which would also issue a range of guidance. The Commission would also report on the referendum process after it has been completed. In its responsibilities for this referendum the Commission would report to the Scottish Parliament."\r* No! the referendum should be regulated and monitored by a commission that is independent of the UK. A country such as Iceland or Norway should be approached for this role.\r Of The Question to be asked: “Should Scotland be an independent country?”\r* Agreed. This is the main question - whether we are independent within or outwith the EU can be addressed by the people of Scotland at a later date if required. The people may seek guarantees as part of the referendum campaign that an independent Scotland would be fast-tracked into the EU, or indeed retain a modified UK membership status.\r A simple majority: “the referendum would not be subject to any minimum turnout requirement or approval threshold where approval is required by a minimum percentage of registered voters."\r* Agreed\r "It is customary for there to be a period before elections and referendums in the UK, during which Ministers and other public bodies refrain from publishing material that would have a bearing on the election. The draft bill specifies a 28-day referendum restricted period that would apply to the Scottish Government and public bodies."\r* Agreed, and breaches should be swiftly dealt with. In my opinion, the ‘vow’ released days before the 2014 referendum was a breach of this guidance and should not have been permitted. This release did not seem to be dealt with by the Electoral Commission, hence the request that this role be adopted by a body from a country independent of the UK.	"Everyone who lives in Scotland would be able to vote in the referendum. This would include 16 and 17 year olds and EU citizens. Decisions on Scotland’s future should be made by the people who live and work here, including everyone who has chosen to make Scotland their home."\r* Yes and voters should have to produce ID when voting in person.\r "The Scottish Government suggests making some changes to how absent voting is done. This would be to make the referendum the same as other Scottish elections, where every postal vote is checked (100% checking of postal vote identifiers)."\r* Yes, postal votes MUST be tightened up and voter identify checked by staff from the independent electoral body running the referendum. Voters should have to provide ID (proof of address) before voting in any way. Postal voting should be discouraged (last form of voting).\r "The Scottish Government also suggests a change to the rules for polling and polling staff. They suggest that none who has been involved in campaigning can become polling or count staff...the counting officer “must not knowingly” appoint or employ anyone who has been involved in campaigning during the referendum."\r* Agreed - no comment\r "the counting officer to supply a copy of the verification statement (which confirms that the number of ballots counted equals the number recorded) to any counting agent on request."\r* Agreed - no comment	Agreed - no comment
3213	83563481	Alexander Hay	Individual	Individual	I think they are a waste of public money. It has been made abundantly clear that Scotland can never be a member of the EU.\rI would rather remain part of the UK than remain in the EU. Why remove the country from British Governance an put it into the hands of unelected beaurocrats who will further rape the assets of our country and put us in the same position as Greece were we to be allowed membership of that most corrupt organisation that is the EU.	No-one other than Brits living in Scotland and British members of the Armed forces who are resident in Scotland should be entitled to vote in the "proposed referendum."	Accepted
3214	109269929	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	OK	Sensible	No problem
3215	634042839	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is irrelevant, because I do not believe that should be another referendum	Again, I do not want another referendum.	Once more, I do not want another referendum
3216	158304196	Allan Jones	Individual	Individual	Only those with a British passport and permanent residence should have the vote. Please not another referendum. I voted for independence. Being part of the EU is NOT independence. If there is another referendum, what is the question going to be on the ballot paper ? There should be 2 questions, 1) Do you want Scotland to be an indepenent country. 2) Do you want Scotland to be part of the EU and governed by unelected bureaucrats. We could then scrap the Scottish Government.	No view	Seems reasonable
3217	641518205	Colin Hamilton	Individual	Individual	Fist of all there should be no second referendum - we voted as Scotland in the first deeply damaging referendum and as United Kingdom in the equally damaging EU referendum. 16 and 17 year old persons should not be eligible to vote. SNP are irresponsible with election promises and the money of those who pay tax.	What exactly are they implying by the need for this change?	None
3218	465336978	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They are designed to put money in the pockets of those who are in charge of the counting	The only changes should be what is required by law not by what is needed for the SNP to bulldoze their way into Indy2	Only people born in Scotland should be allowed to vote as EU citizens will always work for the best result that suits them and not always Scotland
3219	492448801	George McLelland	Individual	Individual	Arrangements are acceptable	Acceptable	Acceptable
3220	222574001	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	OK	OK	OK
3221	482834959	AM BUIDHEANN DUBH	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	We sincerely hope for a more stringent focus by international observers, in relation to all parts or the referendum, especially absent and postal voting.
3222	23817449	Patricia Betts	Individual	Individual	I am satisfied with the regulations specified.	I am satisfied with the arrangements stated above.	I am satisfied with the arrangements stated above.
3223	1031022326	Mr A Hutcheon	Individual	Individual	They should not be used as there is no need for another referendum	No comment	seems ok
3224	1000606051	mary mackay	Individual	Individual	Firstly, I think we have seen that the 2014 referendum was anything but fair and transparent. Postal ballots should not be allowed as I believe these can be open to fraud and if used no one should be allowed to hand them in at polling stations on the day.	Only British Citizens resident in Scotland should be allowed to vote, this would by definition include members of the house of lords and Service/Crown Personnel abroad at the time of the vote. \r We should not be throwing decisions on our constitutional future open to every tom, dick and harry.	I don't have any strong views on this matter
3225	88527059	Eddie Friel	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements for handling the referendum are all okay by me. They have served well in past elections so shouldn't be changed for this	As with the last answer the arrangements have worked well for past elections so shouldn't be changed and i'm glad 16 and 17 year old can also vote. I think the postal vote is a great thing, anything that can help bring up the number of people who vote can only be a positive. We should continue to look for ways to encourage and help more people to vote to get a more accurate reflection of what peoples views are.	What if your name is inadvertently offensive like Mr Richard Head and you like to call yourself Dick, does this mean you aren't allowed to vote? seems a bit unfair.
3226	922982540	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am of the view that the Scottish Government should forget about seeking independence and respect the views of the electorate who give a clear and very recent indication of the will of the majority of the Scottish people.\rThe Scottish economy would suffer greatly in the event of independence and consequently the people of Scotland would suffer.\rThe Scottish Government should concentrate on the day to day priorities of getting on with governing and managing the country to make this a better place for people to live, work, reside and retire here. This is the job of government not undermining the will and democratic decision of the electorate. It is a disgrace that the present government continue to invest time and energy chasing their agenda at the expense of an electorate who rejected independence.	I am happy with the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements.	I am happy with these arangements
3227	631512103	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't we need or want another referendum at this stage. There are far more important things the government should be working on - like trying to reduce inequality.	Again, do we need changes to something we don't need in the first place. How much will all this cost and couldn't the money be spend more productively elsewhere.	Again, do we need changes to something we don't need in the first place. How much will all this cost and couldn't the money be spend more productively elsewhere.
3228	173329737	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am in agreement with the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum.	I am in agreement with proposed changes and particularly welcome the change to legislation in the statutory requirement which will require 100% of personal identifiers to be checked.	I am in agreement with proposed changes.
3229	25826835	Anne Robertson	Individual	Individual	A referendum is not required. It is a waste of taxpayers' money. The Scottish people have already made plain in the Independence Referendum already held that we clearly wish to remain part of the U.K.	No view. Further referendum not required.	No view. Further referendum not required.
3230	487361674	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The country does not need another vote on this subject.\rThe result in 2014 was conclusive.\rGovernment should proceed with matters in hand re the present and future wellbeing of Scotland as a very important partnerin theU k.	The present arrangements are perfectly satisfactory.	Not required
3231	961408702	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is pointless because not only was there a referendum in 2014 which was decisive but constitutional matters are reserved to the UK so a unilateral "draft" bill is irrelevant to settling the independence question.	I do not believe the SNP would not de facto be campaigning for a vote for Independence, regardless of the tinkering with the rules. In 2014 the Scottish Government thoroughly abused its position to campaign. Nothing in these rules indicates that would not happen again.	How can a 16 year old be allowed to vote when they also require a "Named Person". That is completely illogical. Allowing 16 & 17 year olds to vote is nothing more than an attempt to game the system. Why not 15 year olds? Why not 12 year olds? If the Government believes a 16 year old needs their hand held by a State Guardian, is not allowed to drink alcohol nor drive, then they cannot be responsible enough to determine the future constitution of an entire country.
3232	873775632	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There were issues in the referendum which were neither fair nor transparent for example the response I saw on T.V. regarding class sizes, the threats by the 'yes' campaigners concerning certain businesses if they voted no (according to press). The fact that polls showed a 'yes' majority, whereas the result was actually a strong and unequivocal 'no' showed how scared many people must have been to admit they were in fact, 'no' voters. For a period of time, I actually did not think I lived in a democracy.	I strongly disagree with 16 year olds being entitled to vote, based on the psychology of the development of the human brain. You seem to see this yourselves, as you would like them to be under the supervision of a 'named person'. Either they are able to make a serious life changing decision, or else they are vulnerable enough to require extra legal assistance - which is it? I don't see that it can be both. This is, in my opinion, hypocritical.	Fair.
3233	274842537	Susan Doherty	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
3234	605960081	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	When I voted in the last Scottish referendum I was told that this was a once in a generation opportunity. \r When I voted in the last Scottish referendum I knew that a vote to leave the UK also meant a vote to leave the EU, with no particular prospect of re-joining the EU thereafter (given the likely objection of countries such as Spain).\r When I voted in the last Scottish referendum I knew that the UK Conservative party would be giving the UK, as a whole, the opportunity to vote to leave the EU, if the Conservatives won the next UK general election.\r Therefore, the contention that circumstances have now changed because of the Scottish voters' preference to stay in the EU (as indicated in the 2016 EU referendum) seems to be a manufactured premise.\r Twice now Scottish voters have voted in referenda in a manner which indicated a desire to stay in the EU. A second Scottish referendum on UK membership would not reverse the UK's decision to leave the EU and would not allow Scotland to remain in the EU; Spain's objection to Scotland joining the EU would remain.\r If the choice put to the people of Scotland was a choice between staying in a non-EU UK or leaving the UK and joining the EU then (so long as an invitation for an independent Scotland to join the EU was guaranteed by the EU in advance of the referendum) then, and only then, is the question of much use to the people of Scotland, given the preference the people have indicated in both of the previous referenda.	No comments	No comments
3235	893840377	John Shaw	Individual	Individual	Do not want independence.	Do not agree with them	Do not want changed
3236	987012678	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am not in favour of another referdum	I am not in favour of another referendum which will cause untold stress and anxiety on our nation\rWe have already had a referendum on this issue	I am not in favour referendum
3237	493350959	John Roberts	Individual	Individual	Why waste yet more tax payers money by running the referendum at all? This costly exercise is completely unnecessary given the well established majority view about independence.	Please don't even consider a relaxation of the rules to allow Scots who have chosen to live outside the country to have a vote on this issue. Too often we see 'high profile' and 'celebrity' Scots who have chosen to live most of their lives away from Scotland encouraging people to vote for independence. Frankly, if they really cared about the country they would still be living here.	No comments on this section.
3238	223813802	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No referendum required.\r Result given in September 2014 stated clearly the wishes of the Scottish people	No referendum required.\r Result given in September 2014 stated clearly the wishes of the Scottish people	No referendum required.\r Result given in September 2014 stated clearly the wishes of the Scottish people
3239	293935424	Robert Hugh	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum . So management not an issue.	No change required.	No change required
3240	677708109	ANDREW DAVIDSON	Individual	Individual	Do not want another referendum	I believe that only Scottish born people should be allowed to vote and only these people this is being rigged to suit the SNP .I am sick to death with first minister we are part of UNITED KINGDOM and as such we stand by the brexit vote.	No view
3241	261396014	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum as the vote the previous occasion was conclusive.\rthis would be a further waste of money and also a distraction from the business at hand of getting the best post brexit deal for the UK	There should not be another vote	There should not be another vote
3242	907644481	Ian Anderson	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are fine but I question the need for yet another referendum.\rThe Scottish public has already voted on this and the result was clear.\rBecause the "Brexit" vote was against the majority opinion in Scotland does NOT justify another independence referendum.\rIf this logic were extended, we would have a referendum every time something goes against the Scottish majority vote!\rTotally illogical, undemocratic, expensive and time wasting.\rThe logic would appear to be, "Keep having a referendum until we get the result we want!"\rHow much is all this costing the tax payer?	All agreed.	All agreed.
3243	854237738	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no 2nd referendum and as such I do not wish to make comments on any arrangements that would/could be used by the SNP to claim my support for a 2nd referendum.\r This feedback site is of no use whatsoever in obtaining public views on the SNP's drive for a 2nd independent referendum. It seeks to gather positive feedback for a bunch of technical issues on the referendum process that 90% of ordinary people would not understand or be able to comment upon that will be turned into positive support by the SNP for a 2nd referendum.	Again for the reasons noted in 1. there should be no 2nd referendum and as such I do not wish to make comments on any arrangements that would/could be used by the SNP to claim my support for a 2nd referendum.	I do not understand the impact of this however I approach this with suspicion the SNP are endeavouring to obtain support/votes by dubious means in their mission for an independent Scotland .
3244	544905358	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't want another referendum.... the people of Scotland voted to remain...and that view should be democratically accepted	There should not be another referendum	There should not be another referendum
3245	361562416	Liz MacGillivray	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements.	I agree with the above.	I agree.
3246	828218866	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum. There are many better Scottish needs crying out for funding, i.e. schools, NHS, social care. Not a penny more should be spent on ANOTHER referendum.	There should not be another referendum. There are many better Scottish needs crying out for funding, i.e. schools, NHS, social care. Not a penny more should be spent on ANOTHER referendum.	There should not be another referendum. There are many better Scottish needs crying out for funding, i.e. schools, NHS, social care. Not a penny more should be spent on ANOTHER referendum.
3247	994866784	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no further referendums on this subject, least of all until Brexit is finalised and we know the UK's position in the Global economy.\r In the independence referendum Scotland said 'No' - respect that. \r No means No. If you don't respect that, you're as bad as the President Elect the SNP Leader-by-default likes to ridicule so much. But "hey, if you're a star, they let you do it", Right? Wrong! \r Scots voted as UK citizens on the matter of EU remain or leave. The UK said 'Leave' - respect that. Please.\r Scottish people voted SNP in to power, not just for independence, but to be their National party which puts the interests of Scotland and all things Scottish first. Independence, alone in Europe is NOT the best thing for Scotland.\r It was also a vote of protest and defiance against corrupt Scottish Labour councils and toothless Scottish Conservatives, and in general against the harsh legacy of Tory Dictates foisted on the Scots from Thatcher's reign. Raiding tax allowances, road-testing poll-tax, cutting benefits when employment was at its highest. Thatcher's legacy. What are SNP doing now? Denying higher earning Scots (many of us women, who have worked our way up in our Careers, have had no free university places and have had to work harder than lesser qualified men to get a decent/fair salary) a tax rebate which our fellow UK citizens will enjoy. I have been on the cusp of the higher tax rate for the last 5 years. Every time I earned a little more, I was taxed a lot harder. Now the SNP are going to treat me unfairly (in respect to every other non-Scottish tax-payer in the UK) and penalise me for working hard for nearly 30 years??? That's the bitterest bill to swallow!\r Bring back prescription fees to pay towards the crippling NHS. Have them means tested so the poorest pay the least - but don't tax the squeezed middle more!\r The SNP is Scotland's very own Trump. \r You don't have to be independent to be a Nation. Continued campaigning for Independence with no clear plan on taxation, currency, pensions, trade - is divisive and breaking our Nation apart.\r These are the words of a lifelong SNP voter, and someone who voted 'Yes' in the Independence referendum, but also voted 'Leave' in the Brexit referendum.\r I will no longer vote for SNP. They are breaking my country apart - Scotland, Great Britain, U.K. \r The voices of the 1.2 million Scots who voted 'Leave' MUST be respected too!	Any changes that prevent bullying and harassment from SNP harridans at the polling stations would be welcomed.	Transparency can only be a good thing.
3248	637209923	Ed	Individual	Individual	Waste of scarce resources. Scotland voted NO and that should be the end of it. There should be no further waste of Scottish resources and Taxpayers money.	Sounds like the SNP are trying to `cast their net' as far as possible trying to `rope in' people who should not be able to vote on Scotland's future.	We all saw what happened the last time with `Yes Yobs' in Scotland. The SNP did nothing to stop this and have continued to stoke up discontent. I fear the same level of intimidation will repeat itself.
3249	1059284935	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I very strongly feel that the referendum conclusively decided the independence issue regardless of the EU result. I voted to remain part of the United Kingdom and to remain part of theEU.\rDespite failing to win the EU referendum I object to the SNP hijacking my vote as an excuse to reun the Independence debate. I feel in these uncertain times the Scottish government should be doing all in its power to negotiate the best exit deal we can get and then giving the whole of the Uk a vote on whether we accept the terms. I feel the whole EU debate was so badly organised that most of the population had no idea what the consequences of leaving would mean for the"man in the street". Once they are made aware of the facts the result may well be the same but at least they will have a better idea of what lies ahead outside the EU.	I am quite happy with these proposals.	I see no problems here.
3250	175662777	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not belive another referendum is needed. The initial decision must be respected by the govenment 'Once in a Lifetime' should mean just that. The additional cost to the country is unacceptable given our economic situation.	My stance is that there should be no second referendum, so this question is academic.	N/a
3251	828348004	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered		It is importnat that full disclosure of sources of funding be made available in advance voting. I also think only Scotland based individuals, parties and organisations should be allowed to fund campaigning.
3252	641134142	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	16 and 17 year olds should not be allowed to vote. The age of adulthood in Scotland is 18 and this is the age at which people would be entitled to vote. \r The checks on absent voters should have a much higher verification threshold	Agree
3253	198941530	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No second referendum - the majority voted no. Accept the democratic will of the people.	No view
3254	178606621	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I was a little concerned in 2014, and still remain so, that 16 & 17 year-olds have been given the opportunity to vote (for the first time in 2014).\r Call me a skeptic but I feel this measure was implemented in order to boost the number of "Yes" voters. My belief is that children below the age of 18 should not be allowed to vote, in any election or referendum, as they do not have the political and life experience in order to make an informed decision. I would be interested to see what proportion of these children voting are independent and what proportion stay at home with their mother, father etc.\r I fail to see how children, in general (there will be exceptions), can have meaningful opinion on political matters, especially if they stay at home, are unable to provide for themselves and have no experience of the real world in terms of working, tax, benefits etc. These are the same children who have been let down by the SNP and its terrible record on education in Scotland; no personal independence experience and a poor (relatively) education probably leads to them not being well-placed to vote on such important constitutional matters.	I think the proposed changes are fair.	The proposed changes seem fine.
3255	339180228	Susan Grant	Individual	Individual	My main concern is how to avoid "purdah" being broken. In the last \rReferendum legislation, Clause 29 I think, there were to be no\rNew political initiatives in the 4 weeks before the vote. This was broken in a major way by Cameron, Clegg and Milliband coming \rUp to Scotland and making all sorts of last minute offers. Someone\rI know personally told me that we would be getting these new\rPowers if we voted "no" so it would be fine. In addition, of course,\rGordon Brown suddenly appeared at the last minute and promised\rNear-federalism. After the referendum, Clause 29 and its \rMeaning seemed to vanish from the media and public consciousness.	I agree.	Seems fair.
3256	720589675	Richard	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum. The result in 2014 was decisive and should be respected, as we were told that it would be (John Swinney stated in Aberdeen that it would be a once in a generation event and, when asked, stated that period should be 20 years) - that is democracy. The result of the EU referendum has no bearing on the 2014 result - we voted on whether the UK should leave the EU, not Scotland. I voted remain but would change that immediately if I had known it was to be hijacked and used as a reason for another Scottish referendum.\r The SNP need to learn to respect the outcomes of votes in a democracy and stop their "progressive politics" of autocracy, division and incompetence.	No Answered	16 and 17 year olds should not be allowed to vote - absolutely disgraceful they were in the 2014 referendum.
3257	619553942	Alison Sinton	Individual	Individual	I do not want a private company owned by a Tory supporter to have any control over ballot distribution, collection or counting.	Agreed	Agreed
3258	266936356	David Garrioch	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposals	I support the improvements to checks.	I support these changes
3259	825610860	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	We voted in 2014 to remain as part of Britain so why is the SNP still persistently talking about another referendum. What they should be doing is sorting out our schools as we drift even further down the world rankings, improving our health service as it gets more and more underfunded and under staffed with waiting times now at a all time high-12months for a hip operation for example- and stop manipulating the figures let's have some honesty this also applies to the ambulance service. The transport systems both road and rail reguire sorting out today not next year or 2020. Roads are full of faults unrepaired correctly for years and the railway a joke! I'm not even going to mention police Scotland we all know it's a disaster. No referendum, put the money and time into running Scotland, bring back jobs raise standards of living spend wisely please get on with the job, concentrate on what we voted our MSP to do for Scotland.
3260	906184995	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am completely against another independence referendum. Just over 2 years ago we voted on a 'once in a generation' referendum bill and if Scotland had voted 'Yes' there would certainly be no going back. However as the SNP did not get their wish for a poorer independent Scotland we must argue over whether to hold ANOTHER referendum. Massive waste of public money when we desperately need the Government to focus on education, infrastructure and the mess that is Police Scotland to name but a few...	No Answered	A yes vote would have fundamental and significant consequences for not just Scotland but the rest of Great Britain's home countries and as such the views and opinions of England, Wales & Northern Ireland cannot be ignored. British citizens should have a right to vote regardless of whether they are resident in Scotland, England, Wales or Northern Ireland.
3261	1041351540	Alan Hendrie	Individual	Individual	I have no problems with the management of the referendum	I believe everyone who is resident (pays taxes) in Scotland should get a vote. The people listed are being removed simply to enhance the possibility of a yes vote.\rScottish people living abroad (Have a British Passport) should also be allowed a vote. I am not sure whether this is the case as looking at the information above it is not clear. Paragraph after paragraph of 'complicated' jargon and law speak is again another tactic used to mask changes to systems that can benefit one side as opposed to the other.	On the face of this, I do not have a problem with what is stated. However, I do not believe any of this does not have a under hand strategy behind, where the nationalists have 'learned from past mistakes' and changing rules to benefit them.\rWhether I am right about this is not really the point, the point is that the last referendum has given me a complete lack of trust of anyone involved in campaigning for a yes vote. I still believe certain people should be tried for misleading the public.
3262	1044150156	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There is no proposal to change the rule for the winning margin. Currently, this potential momentus change to the constitution can happen with a majority of only one vote. This cannot be right and fair. For a constitutional change of this magnititude there should be a clear majority in favour of it before it is implemented, e.g. 60% of the vote. Surely this is the way forward. Why has the Scottish Government not included this important issue in the consultation?
3263	700645873	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I seem to recall that is 2014 we already had a referendum on this issue in Scotland, the people of Scotland said NO at that point. \r AS a woman I have always been brought up to understand that NO means NO. So why does the Scottish government not respect this view.\r It seems a total waste of further monies from the public purse that could be put to better use and improve the Health and Education Services in Scotland which so far the Scottish government has made a mess of and our standards are now well below those of the rest of the UK.	Why change, unless you think you can fiddle the results to get a decision that suits the Scottish Government and not the people of Scotland.\r I have an old school friend who is a lecturer at Leeds university, he would have to apply for right to remain in the UK, if Scotland became independent, so why should he not get a vote?	Sounds like the Scottish government are simply trying to fiddle the result in their favour.
3264	906873020	Kennneth Henderson	Individual	Individual	I fundamentally disagree with the concept of needing another Scottish Independence referendum. The answer was clear. The wish of the majority of the Scottish people was to remain part of the United Kingdom.	There are immaterial	Same as previous comment. They remain immaterial
3265	285648929	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not see why we need a second referendum as the Scottish nation voted NO in the first place,as the full U.K. voted to get out of the EU dose this mean that the Scottish government want to call for a new general election seeing as they never got full control of the UK, forget it Sturgeon we don't want independence.	No Answered	I do not agree with the inclusion of the Republic of Ireland or other eu residents being allowed to have a vote, we don't get to vote in there countrys policy decisions.
3266	920858735	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	You don't give an option to comment that I definitely do not want another referendum in the short to medium term. You promised to accept the democratic result of the 2014 vote and yet you do not. Like many I feel both Scottish and British. And would need evidence that Scotland is ready to govern itself including all the administrative arrangements that requires.
3267	716366055	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The people of Scotland have already made their decision on independence and that should be respected. As much as the EU referendum result was a major disappointment, it was a UK wide decision and as part of a democracy , we have to respect the decision of the majority. It should not be used to try to change a decision already made. There is also the cost of another referendum in already cash strapped times. This money could be used to much better effect in many other ways. Please just get on with making things better for everyone in Scotland, especially within the UK. As far as the proposed management and regulation of the process it seems to be fair.	Seems fair.	Seems fair.
3268	236079323	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not in favour of another referendum.. Otherwise arrangements are satisfactory	Eligibility should include British citizens working/living temporally in EU or Commenwealth Country to vote.	Satisfactory
3269	947855026	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed approach.\r I strongly believe that exile Scots should not have a vote.	I agree with the proposals. However, no member of any political party should be allowed access to these votes and it should be an offence for any person to disclose or discuss these votes until the overall vote has been declared. This may stop the previoys underhand activities of certain parties.	Agree with the proposal.
3270	811493115	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Would like to see independent (possibly EU?) observers in place at counts and at any 'sampling' - no room for error or ambiguity should exist this time! Any Independent Observers should be prominent so people know the vote is fair.	Agree with all of this	Fine
3271	730934803	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No view - Scotland already made decision in 2014 - government should uphold the decision of the country.\rI voted to stay in EU as a UK citizen - not for Scotland only I accept the decision and so should the Scottish Government .	No view	No view
3272	105055359	Stephanie Harper	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements are ill-thought out and untimely. It is my belief that eventually Scotland may become independent of the rest of the UK but in the current economic and political climate, a referendum in the next five years would only de-stabilise the country further, bringing uncertainty and further division amongst the populace. Wisdom would dictate to await the consequences of Brexit as Scotland has been promised further powers and further responsibility for its own finances already. It is better to take small sure steps in a direction than take a gamble on a giant leap which in my opinion would not pay off.	It was unwise to allow 16 and 17 year olds to vote. In general, they do not have enough wisdom about political matters for them to make and informed decision. The proxy system could be open to abuse. It needs more careful planning than it has been given.	Nooooo - no political party’s campaigns officer to take on the treasurer’s role of responsible person. \r "In schedule 4 of the 2013 Act, a new paragraph 3A has also been added to allow the Electoral Commission to reject a declaration if the campaigner proposes to register a name which is obscene or offensive or includes words the publication of which would be likely to amount to the commission of an offence"\r We need a better definition of what is "offensive" - Personally I find the use of God's Name is vain is offensive but nobody takes any notice and they say, "Jesus Christ" as an expletive all the time. Campaigns by their nature have become dirty and obscene with rivals stooping to gutter language and gutter tactics.
3273	1056670434	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Whilst I am of the very strong opinion that we should not be having a second referendum, I am happy with the proposed arrangements should we find ourselves in the unfortunate position of wasting further money on this exercise.	I am happy with these changes	I am happy with these changes
3274	133576583	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not required the country has already spoken. NO MEANS NO	None	None
3275	793133359	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have already voted on the proposal already and see no reason to continue doing so every few years.\rI have had a number of clients in recent years refusing to invest in Scotland as a result of the uncertainty\rdirectly caused by the prospect of leaving the U.K.\rThis is damaging employment and the Scottish Economy.\rRedacted text	No comment	No comment
3276	323969003	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the existing regulations, which would be applied in the referendum are fair and inclusive.	Again, I appreciate that the regulations are inclusive and do not leave anyone behind.	Ok
3277	642457943	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think there should be a referendum at all.	Again there should be no referendum - the last one only brought out the worst in people particularly the YES campaigners who became aggressive towards those who disagreed with them. I was scared to air my views publicly.	no opinion
3278	941776447	why don't the snp just Redacted text?	Individual	Individual	the snp shouldRedacted text.	refer to 2014	haven't you Redacted textyet?
3279	122927269	Gordon Campbell	Individual	Individual	I do not agree there is a mandate for this from the majority of people living in Scotland. This is a fanatic (Nicola sturgeon) who has said that independence trancends everything else - an excellent example of the mind process of a fanatic. A First Minister is meant to act for the majority not the minority and this is an action from someone who seems to have a hatred for all things Tory regardless. Didn't her folks buy their Council house.........\rIt is an attempt to bully and bluster the majority to accept Snp views and exercise Project Fear about Brexit when really nobody knows the outcome yet.	Because Nicola Sturgeon has so strongly linked an attempt to stage a second referendum on the Brexit vote then it would be unwise to include EU citizens.\rThe last referendum has seriously divided Scotland to the detriment of us all. I do not wish another one but if there were to be one then at least a 60% vote in favour should be required.\rSNP really need to accept a democratic vote and not just the ones that suit them. That's not democracy that is the ugly face of nationalism.	Fine
3280	655105617	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I do not think that there should be a 2nd referendum as the first one in 2014 was conclusive. As far as I am concerned, nothing has changed. I was not living in Scotland in 2014, but if there was to be a second referendum, I would vote no as I think Scotland should remain part of the UK and does not have the resources to go it alone.
3281	428012873	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is too soon after the last referendum to call for a new one.\r Let's be clear, Scotland may have overwhelmingly voted to remain part of the EU, but it has not ever voted to leave the UK. The UK's continuation of the EU was not a key feature in the ballot papers.\r Scotland will have a clearer reason to seek a new referendum (or not) when further the details of the Brexit process are known. An informed decision whether to say 'yes' or 'no' to independence based on the further details that will emerge, will give a greater base for the acceptance of the final decision.	Absent (Proxy) voting is open to abuse and should be stopped.	No comment
3282	386627705	George McGinlay	Individual	Individual	Don't have one easy answer as we're were told last time it was a once in a lifetime vote.and Mr salmon resigned with the result.\rWhy have another one when I am sure the answers will be same or more no votes.	Should be Scots on,y to vote.	Why change ?
3283	102587392	William Davidson	Individual	Individual	Polling and counting should be managed by an independent organisation with no direct links to Britain.\r We are surely not going to hand responsibility back to a Commission which blatantly ignored the Westminster Governments disregard of Purdah regulations.	I would like all citizens resident in Scotland be allowed to vote.\r Polling and counting staff should be delegated to independent verifiers.	????
3284	538438126	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	i voted to leave the EU and do not agree with Scotland staying in, I think we should still be able to trade with any country we want to, I would like Scotland to limit the number of people come into the country unless they have a job to come to, an agreement should be put into place that if you stay in this country you observe our laws and speak English within an agreed time frame.\rI wanted scoltand to be independent and to start making all out decisions rather than just what England say we can be in charge of.	I agree with all aspects of the referendum procedures	if you live in Scotland then you should be entitled to vote from the age of 16
3285	437901566	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Refendum question should be 'should Scotland remain as part of UK' this would give unionists positive 'yes' vote	No Answered	EU citizens should not get a vote
3286	944875160	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I Do not accept he need for a second referendum even though Scotland voted against brexit, On he basis of the arguments given this would also mean that those living in the Isles or other notable parts of Scotland and the rest of the UK are entitled to dictate the future direction of our country and its economy based upon a rather simplistic approach.\rI appreciate that your aim is for an independent Scotland but I will not be bulled into agreeing to such a proposal, we are better together and the current arrangements work very well Thank you.	You do not indicate why you feel changes are necessary and as such that is worrying to the average man in the street and may possibly have been done to aid one party over another. I feel that whilst it is the aim of the SNP to achieve independence The population will say when it wants it and right now it does not, so please spare us the cost and use it to aid the country during this difficult time.	All completely irrelevant.
3287	1007342209	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The whole exercise is an extreme waste of time and money I am sick of hearing talk of independence from a party that has failed to improve scotland for every one.	Does it make any difference in the last referendum there was a lot of votes taken from people who technically didn't exist any more ( My favourate was the one who hadn't paid council tax or any form of tax for 20 years) until the referendum and the SNP failed to investigate these irregularity's .	Fair enough
3288	423641583	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We must ensure there are no opportunities to interfere with the voting system.	Nothing to add	Nothing to add
3289	198671245	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a referendum	There should not be a referendum	There should not be a referendum
3290	239650843	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree to it	I agree	I agree
3291	326016589	David Yorke	Individual	Individual	The question of Independence has already been decided by the Scottish Electorate - it voted decisively to remain part of the United Kingdom. The subsequent vote to leave the European Community is being used as a spurious excuse, rather than a reason for a second Referendum.	Given that there is no justification for a second referendum these considerations are irrelevant	They should be exactly the same as for the original referendum
3292	338710638	Robin Irvine	Individual	Individual	The neutrality of the current electoral system is seldom seriously questioned and there is no reason to change it.	It is reasonable that eligibility is linked to residence\r It is not reasonable to compare the emergency proxy applications for the last referendum with the last European elections. The latter has historically low turnouts while the response to the referendum was almost unprecedented. Rules for emergency proxies should reflect this and be part of a process aimed at maximising the opportunities to vote. As with the changes to the postal vote system it is incumbent on the appropriate authorities to ensure that enough people are employed to run the system effectively.	All these seem reasonable.
3293	476344348	Nicholas Fionnlagh	Individual	Individual	So long as transparency is of paramount importance and the personal views of counters and officers do not interfere with the results then it is OK with me.	I think it has to be a must that voter ID is provided in the form of the card that is sent out by the Electoral commission is accompanied with persons presenting themselves at polling stations. No card no vote. Likewise the card should accompany any postal vote and a specific ID number on the card should accompany any online vote.	No comment on this
3294	952806089	brianbinnie	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I am of the opinion that there should not be another referendum. The people of Scotland voted emphatically to remain part of the United Kingdom in 2014. The polls have shown that the position since then has not changed.\r The vote to leave the EU was a democratic vote by the people of the United Kingdom, Scotland is part of the United Kingdom and should abide by this decision. Nicola Sturgeon keeps going on about the democratic rights of the people of Scotland being dragged out of the EU. She is treating the people of Scotland with contempt by using the EU as an excuse for another referendum. I voted to remain in the EU as a British Citizen but I will respect the will of the majority.
3295	601236073	Leonard O'Hara	Individual	Individual	They are not required and are biased .. there will not be another referendum	EU citizens who have not lived and worked in Scotland for 10 years should not be allowed to vote !	Nonsense
3296	444819016	Yvonne Nicol	Individual	Individual	I am sickened that my taxpayer money is being used by the SNP Government to fund what is obviously an SNP Policy rather than used to fund what Scottish people need such as reducing waiting time at QEU Hospital care in the community etc.	I am totally disgusted that my taxpayer money is being used to fund this SNP policy	This need of The SNP individual politicians to put their needs for independence before the need of the Scottish people has to stop.
3297	573275963	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have already voted on this in a previous referendum just 2 years ago, so why are we wasting more public funds asking the same question.\r If we get a yes vote this time, can we vote again in a further 2 years time, once the people see what a complete mess independence leaves Scotland in!!!\r The Scottish people have already said no to this, please can you respect this opinion.	Are you trying to fiddle the results, this suggest you are.\r There are many more stakeholders here that are being ignored.	Still trying to fiddle the results.
3298	753487247	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I strongly feel that there should be independent observers from the EU at all stages of the referendum this time.\r Especially to check ballot papers supplied, ballot box transfer and counting.\r I and thousands of others think that without these extra measures in place there is unacceptable risk of fraud/doubt\r All papers should stay in Scotland to be counted, this is Scotland's referendum	Eligibility to vote - \ras in Germany, having been resident for longer than 1? Year in Scotland \rHaving a permanent address here and proof that Scotland is their home, not holiday home etc\rCounting-\rObservers from EU and to follow boxes from voting to counting	Good
3299	502203996	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Nothing contained within my answers is support for either a second independence referendum, or for the principle of an independent Scotland. I nevertheless support the wisdom of the Scottish Government keeping the option alive until the implications of Brexit become clear. Let's hope it will not be necessary.\r It will be an essential obligation on the elected representatives of the mature democracy which elected them, that they respect the 2014 vote for preservation of the UK and do not use Brexit to promote their own, personal, competitive, ambition to win independence. The best interests and wishes of Scotland, and its electorate must prevail over opportunism.\r Scotland voted for Union with the UK and Union with Europe (reformed as necessary by persuasion and consensus) It wants both, and it does not follow that that enforced withdrawal from Europe, authenticates withdrawal from the UK.\r Nevertheless, I agree that the proposals for running any referendum are fair.	This is fair on the whole.\r Whilst it is helpful that counting officers “must not knowingly appoint or employ anyone who has been involved in campaigning during the referendum"... they might also, reasonably, be empowered/instructed to take reasonable steps to ensure this, even if only through a process of self certification by applicants for polling staff appointments.\r I also think that the practice of campaigning outside of Polling Stations should be curtailed for the, inadvertent, intimidation it might import. Our right to a personal, private, calm and unflustered vote on Polling Day, freely and soberly arrived at, is key to democracy.	Agreed as fair.
3300	987326393	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposal seems fine but we have already had a referendum on this we don't need or want another.	I don't think we need to make any changes to the process.	I have no problem with the proposed changes.
3301	865436905	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for a further referendum. It is a waste of public finances which would be better spent on education, the elderly and public facilities such as the retention of public libraries.	no comment	no comment
3302	137165406	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	I thought that including all 16s and overs was a good idea and an important step to engaging young people in decisions affecting their future. All other arrangements should comply with normal election procedures.	I see no difficulties here.
3303	803120510	Gillian Firth	Individual	Individual	I do not want this to happen at all so this question is irrelevant.	ELIGIBILITY TO VOTE\rI have grave reservations about certain groups of people being given the vote (if it happens).\r For example, I would be concerned about people from the Republic of Ireland voting in this especially as many hold opinions from an anti-British stance. this could also be true of other non Scots wo may have a positive British stance too.\r I would worry that many people from different countries voting could vote one way or the other and then decide to go back to their country of origin and people like me will be left with the consequences.\r The rest is fine - although I must restate that I do not support a second referendum.	No opinion on this.
3304	197803668	Alan mcGinlay	Individual	Individual	I have no views because the last thing we need is another referendum. As a country we(UK) voted(rightly or wrongly) for BREXIT. It would be wrong for Scotland to circumvent that decision by trying to leave UK.\rForget the referendum----concentrate on what YOU said was YOUR priority ---EDUCATION !	as above	as above
3305	237033006	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The referendum should be run out with the government.	The referendum should include all Scottish people. We are a notation that has always travelled and worked abroad and all Scottish people should be included.	All Scottish people should be allowed to vote. Scottish people are world famous for travelling and working abroad, these people are proud to be Scottish and should have a vote as many return to Scotland and resettle. It was disgusting that anyone who was studying or living in Scotland on a temporary basis had a vote the last time and yet proud Scots abroad did not.
3306	513025028	Ian Cantwell	Individual	Individual	16 year old's cannot drive. They cannot buy alcohol. and if the Named Person Scheme had gone ahead they would be 'governed' by the named person and not their parents. 16 year old's do not have the responsibility to pay taxes/council tax.\rVoting should remain at 18.	No Answered	Non British citizens should not have the right to decide a constitutional mater.
3307	944967156	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I disagree with conducting another referendum in the first place	As the UK has already voted to leave the EU, I do not agree that citizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland, should be eligible to vote.	Agree
3308	401979231	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The last referendum did not feel 'fair'. I felt scared to walk down the street of the town where I live. Groups of independence supporters were everywhere shouting out their slogans and blowing hooters. It actually felt scary. There were even groups of independence supporters standing on roadsides blowing horns and trying to get cars to blow their horns. This kind of behaviour is intimidating and divisive. \r Since the referendum I have become aware of extreme divisions, intolerance and bigotry in my community which were not there before.\r I urge the Scottish Government to unite the country, not to create even bigger divisions and NOT to have another referendum at any cost.	This seems acceptable.	This seems acceptable
3309	594672609	Colin McCallum	Individual	Individual	Appears satisfactory	I consider that any future referendum should include Scots born within Scotland but who have moved to elsewhere in the UK to work, I suspect that many such Scots intend to return to Scotland at some point in their lives and hence will want to have an opportunity to have a say in the decision.	no comment
3310	64742865	Ronald Bisset	Individual	Individual	As we already had referendum rejecting Sottish Independence, there is no need to be wasting taxpayers money on another one.	There is no need for any changes as we have already had a vote rejecting Scottish Independence.	There is no need foe me to read the Technical changes as we have already voted against Scottish Independence
3311	690663939	None	Individual	Individual	My opinion is ,like many around me, that the last thing we need is another Referendum. Scotland because we had the 2014 Referendum, has been through continuous voting which has meant that the Scottish Government has never settled down to Govern.\rWe have not had an opportunity to see what they can do as they have constantly been on the campaign trail.\rThe 2014 Referendum was billed as a once in a Generation Vote. That was only three years ago. The First Minister frequently talks of broken promises. To hold another Referendum would be the greatest broken promise of all.\rI do not live in a city. I have NEVER in the past four years been asked who I favour, so do not feature in any of the predictions so widely spoken of.	These should be published clearly to voters. the onus should not be on the public to find out.	This should not be relevant
3312	479623133	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	OK	More security around the ballot boxes is needed. \r Postal voting needs to be more closely controlled.\r Postal votes should not be opened, counted, or made accessible to representatives of political parties prior to main count.	OK
3313	1064884250	Emily	Individual	Individual	Yes please	Yes please	Yes please
3314	299499341	william gould	Individual	Individual	I was satisfied by the previous process and result which gave the majority view of the Scottish people and I would suggest that this is a waste of time and money. If it comes to another referendum then the process should remain the same. I do not want Scotland to have another referendum as the once in a generation is not just a few years.	I have no views on this proposal. if this is the process then so be it. But again I do not want another referendum.	no views on this matter. But again I do not want another referendum.
3315	155386109	Tyler Kedens	Individual	Individual	It should be done so, but only using international transparent organisations.	I think postal votes should be removed, given that the NO campaign used scaremongering to steal postal votes with lies such as pension instability in 2014.	I agree
3316	614786219	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements seem fine; however I do have concerns over any EU citizen who resides in Scotland. I appreciate this is the case but I think for a matter as fundamentally important, perpetuating and specific to Scotland alone there should be a qualifying period perhaps of at least 24 months unless they can demonstrate they are likely to reside here for at least that period. My concern would be there could be a number of voters who aren't voting in what is in Scotland;'s interest and may only actually live here for a short time either before or after. There needs to be a way to ensure it is the people who live and work or will do that vote so it is fair reflection.	This all seems sensible way to handle any vote.	This seems fine.
3317	661596740	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree with the proposals. They are divisive. They are not in the public'sector best interest as they\r are wasting public money on a vote that has already been decided.\rIt is a shame that a decision voted for by the Scottish electorate is not accepted by telephone current Scottish Government.	Any vote granted should remain the same.	Not sure what all this means. It all seems to be needing change because of some issue clearly the SNP could not manipulate at the last referendum. \rI disagree because of this. Plain English is needed here please.
3318	883552797	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Total waste of resources	Not needed	not needed
3319	545567064	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The Scottish people voted against independence in September 2014. The vote was clearly in favour of Scotland remaining part of the United Kingdom and I do not believe a second referendum is appropriate. In making their case for a second referendum, the Scottish Government is confusing the result from the recent EU referendum - a vote to remain in the EU does not translate into a voter's desire for independence from the UK. \r The longer the SNP continue to pursue their goal of a second referendum the longer they continue to create uncertainty and blight the Scottish economy.	The polling and count arrangements should be unchanged from the 2014 referendum.	The rules should be unchanged from the 2014 referendum.
3320	247514498	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine	No Answered	Commonwealth citizens resident in Scotland\r• citizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland\r• members of the House of Lords resident in Scotland\r• Service/Crown personnel serving in the UK or overseas in the Armed Forces or with Her Majesty’s Government who are registered to vote in Scotland\r should not be allowed to vote
3321	349113260	Dennis Gowland	Individual	Individual	I preface this and all reponses with this comment:\r Nowhere on this document does it give the repondent the opportunity to take issue with the fact of this proposed second referendum. This excercise is anti-democratic in that it ignoresmthe Sovereign Will of the Scottish People, as clearly exhibited in the record turnout in the 2014 referendum. The authors of this document, the Scottish National Party, now acting as a minority Government since the elections of May 2016, also deliberately misrepresent the view of thousands of voters who voted remain in the recent EU referendum. I did not, do not nor will not give you permission to abuse my democratic vote for the UK to stay in the EU. The vote was never about Scotland, as a separate entity, reminaing in the EU. Indeed if this consultation document was a commercial contract the false basis of the assumption that 'Scotland voted to remain in the EU' as the central argument would be actionable in that it could be dishonest. \r The arrangements for the management of this propsed travesty are threrefore meaningless.	N/A	N/A
3322	262630661	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Remove postal voting. Require attendance or proxy.\r Inclusion of 16 and 17 yr olds is excellent. \r Give prisoners the chance to vote.\r Non campaigners at the count is preferable to ensure no temptation to tamper.	What is the proof required for postal voting?\r The signature given for proof shouldn't be 'posted in' but if postal voting allowed then the person asking for it should provide a signature in person so that ID can be checked.	Acceptable
3323	692560804	Doug MacGregor	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements are entirely acceptable.	The proposed technical changes are entirely acceptable.	All OK.
3324	213653074	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They seem reasonable.	Only Scottish nationals should be entitled to vote.	There should not be large individual donations to the campaign as there were for the SNP last time.
3325	637873638	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't think the people have any appetite for another referendum	Polling station staff need more information on electors I.e. date of birth. At the last referendum a son who was named after his father but hadn't registered was able to vote as Polling station staff had no way of knowing he wasn't the registered voter.	Ok
3326	700379489	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for a further referendum.	As above.	As above.
3327	406017025	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The following questions are regarding the technical and financial arrangements governing a proposed referendum , This is not what people wish to be consulted on , they wish to be consulted on the need for a second referendum. The Scottish electorate have already voted whether Scotland should be an independent nation. At the time the SNP stated it was a once in a lifetime vote , and so it should be. The SNP are using the Brexit vote to engineer another independence vote. This reflects poorly on the integrity of the SNP. The SNP have one purpose ,independence , despite this being to the detriment of Scottish economic interests . The persistent reference to a second referendum is undermining investment in Scotland . The Scottish Gorvernment should concentrate on the governance of domestic issues such as health, education, police and fire , and the economy all of which are failing.
3328	437701015	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I disagree with allowing European residents to vote whilst denying Scots who are currently based elsewhere in the UK the chance to vote on the future of their own country.	As previously stated I am not happy with allowing EU citizens to vote whilst excluding Scots resident elsewhere in the UK. I also feel that 16/17 year olds should not have a vote unless they have already left school.	Don't understand the wording of this. Would have been helpful to have more information on the roles.
3329	482991141	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Broadly agree that the 2014 referendum voting and counting was done well. Will the new provision in 2.16 limit the number of people eligible to assist in the count? I know of several people who had this dual role last time.	The referendum was a huge distraction to the government last time, and so the period should be reduced from 16 weeks to 10 weeks (3.3)\r What are the spending limits of the designated organisations 3.7? A lot of money is spent on these campaigns, which would be better spent on fixing some social issues instead.\r How is the cost of MSPs doing their duty / campaigning going to be monitored?	Can't comment as I can't see the updated list of permissible donors and permitted participants.
3330	194777608	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We don't need to have another referendum. We have already had a referendum and voted to remain in the UK. You said it was a "once in a generation vote" which has since turned out to be the usual SNP spin.	N/A	N/A
3331	1001238535	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum.	There should be no referendum. If Scottish Government insists, the electorate should include Scots living elsewhere in the UK.	See above.
3332	601259853	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This sounds fair for a re-vote - but don't think we need one.\rI have read the proposal - but none of the response opportunities ask me anything about what I think of the need for, timing, legitimacy or anything else about hte referendum.	fair enough - but not everybody who voted the SNP government into power actually wanted a referendum in the first place - but after accepting the first one - it is gaulling to be forced to keep voting till we get a Yes result!!!	Rules look sensible - but what are the rules about forcing a referendum every year or two till only the yes voters can be bothered.\rNothing has materially changed and there is no percievable turnaround to 'yes' so the criteria has not been met!\rWhy would you leave UK to be part of Europe??? there is much more interaction with the UK than Europe - so feels daft to me!!!
3333	713593277	David Yorke	Individual	Individual	The question of Scottish Independence was decided by the electorate 2 years ago when it voted conclusively to remain part of the UK. The subsequent vote to leave the European Union is being used as a spurious excuse for a second referendum which is neither wanted nor required.	As there is no requirement for a second referendum these issues are irrelevant	Exactly as for the first referendum
3334	61934880	SIMON HODGE	Individual	Individual	SEEMS TO BE VERY FAIR	SEEMS VERY SENSIBLE AND THE SCOPE OF THE ELECTORATE SEEMS FAIR	AGAIN SEEMS SENSIBLE
3335	48356202	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If you must have one, do it quickly!\rThe quicker we get this done and the SNP realise they are wasting more of my taxpayers cash on a futile pipe dream the better.	As long as it's cheap I don't care.	I don't care.
3336	525342389	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	It is a waste of public money holding another referendum. The result of the 2014 referendum should stand.
3337	167095885	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It should be managed independently of the Scottish govt by a respected organisation such as the Electoral Commission	The participation of EU citizens in a vote which will not have effect until after they will be unable to participate in future UK votes should be discounted. With respect to polling and counting staff who have been campaigning, it should be a requirement for them to declare that they have been a member of such a group.	No view
3338	372790732	Kenny Higgins	Individual	Individual	The majority of Scots did not vote to leave the E.U and the large number of promises made by the UK Gov during the Independence Referendum and EU Referendums have proven to be lies. \rWe have been deceived by the UK Government for Decades and there is now very little trust between us. Scotland has been abused for far too long in so many ways and we must do all possible to pave a way towards Independence and to remain strong and resolute at a time when the UK Government is performing poorly over Brexit negotiations. \rThe voting process works relatively well but caused grave doubts over polls in certain areas, which were far from the reality expressed in the returned results. Whilst these were graciously accepted, many doubts were cast over the votes recorded and indeed the counting process. Some Non SNP run local authorities were guilty of removing people from Electoral rolls ahead of elections without notification. In some instances it was alleged this had been a targeted exercise opening up many conspiracy stories. The whole process must be tightened up.	Whilst sovereignty lies with the people of Scotland - It is certain to hold high risk from infiltration of illegal manipulation of results as witnessed in the 2014 Referendum. The vote counting and management of this process is critically important to ensure no risks are taken on the transit process of votes after leaving polling stations to their counting destination. This is particularly important in Rural Scotland where very lose or casual processes are prevalent.	This is an area where close scrutiny is required due to the deceipt used at every opportunity in the Independence Referendum.
3339	481050689	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not trust the Electoral Commision which appeared to influence how people chose to vote at last years Holyrood Electon in press releases and undue interference.	There should be more stringent rules on residency requirements... I.e. Proof of residency in Scotland for greater minimum period and those with second homes in Scotland whose main residency is outwith Scotland should not have a vote.\r Absent voting should be restricted to those genuinely unable to vote in person through ill health or working abroad and proof provided.Postal voting is open to abuse and the secrecy of the ballot is not guaranteed... just ask Ruth Davidson who seemed to have foreknowledge of postal ballot results at the last Referendum before the polls closed and before the votes were counted.Furthermore, voters who returned their postal votes weeks before the Referendum did not have access to new and disingenuous information such as the so called " Vow " days before the vote which may have changed how they voted.	They seem sensible so long as they are enforceable.
3340	121901614	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is a waste of time, money and resources. We already voted to stay in the UK ,the laregest market for Scottish exports (not the EU). So far, the SNP are proving incompetent in managing the country's fiscal challenges and are trying to pull the wool over our eyes by dramatising Brexit and now this proposed second referendum. The tactic is not working. We are not fooled. \r By the way, this consultation completely ignores potential views of very many older people who are not so familiar with using the internet and may not even have computers.	No Answered	This is another attempt to massage results to the SNP's desired outcome.
3341	719162367	Fraser McLean	Individual	Individual	There is NO need for any further consultation or otherwise on another referendum.\r Scottish people made their voice quite clear the last time around.\r The country is a shambles under the SNP	No Answered	No opinion
3342	811830650	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Totally against the whole thing	No change	Do not care
3343	373410801	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A waste of the Scottish people's money and an abuse of the current Scottish Government's time and resources which would be better spent on actually improving the devolved matters over which it has the power.\r In an unstable world, it is ludicrous that Scotland should set itself adrift to satisfy the only true committment of this government and that is Independence -at any cost.\r With regard to the EU, people in Scotland voted on the question " Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?" & the people of Scotland voted accordingly. Please cease corrupting the result to again cause instability by threatening another Independence Referendum	Manipulative by the current Scottish government	Manipulative by the current Scottish government
3344	654840701	Ian Mackay Slater	Individual	Individual	I'm 100% Scottish AND BRITISH.\rI am against any further referendum on so called 'independence' anytime in the next 1000 years.\rIn 2014 people living in Scotland gave this idea a resounding NO (Scots like me living in England were deliverately excluded from the vote).\rBrexit is clearly just an excuse for Ms Sturgeon to called for a further referendum.\rHer ideas are increasingly ridiculous and she is making Scotland into a banana republic ( albeit without the climate for growing bananas).\rIf she does call a second referendum she will loose - the weight of Scottish opinion is swinging against the cult of the SNP	You MUST include all Scots (ie those of us born and brought up in Scotland) in any future referendum. To exclude us merely confirms that the SNP fear the result and most expats are proud to be both Scottish AND British.	You MUST include all Scots (ie those of us born and brought up in Scotland) in any future referendum. To exclude us merely confirms that the SNP fear the result and most expats are proud to be both Scottish AND British.
3345	981523805	Craig Anderson	Individual	Individual	Absolutely foremost to asking this question is to resolutely reflect that it is not the same question being re asked as was in 2014. There is no mandate for this. That question was indeed settled for a generation. However Scotland absolutely has the democratic mandate to ask itself if it wants to remain as part of the European Union. The question must reflect this. Equally the question should only be asked in the event of a likely pathway for Scotland to remain in the EU as an independent country.	It seems sensible and fair.	seems reasonable and recognises lessons from indyref1
3346	310420401	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	i agree with the proposals	i agree with the proposals	i agree with the proposals
3347	505905405	Graeme Timoney	Individual	Individual	I would rather a neutral body other than the Electoral Commission oversee the referendum Perhaps from another EU country EG. Ireland \r I would also prefer to have an exit poll this time	I would prefer if people only in Scotland on a temporary basis Eg. students did not have a vote \r I would like tighter regulation of Postal voting as I believe it is open to abuse	I am happy with these proposals
3348	674485990	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	Why are you having another referendum? You didn't like the last one.	Why are you having another referendum? You didn't like the last one.
3349	1008113683	Elisabeth Dishart	Individual	Individual	The referendum held in 2014 was not run on the understanding that should the result go against the SNP's agenda, then we would have another go at it. The result was undeniable. The recent referendum on membership of the EU was for the whole of the UK and has nothing to do with Scottish independence.	No comment	No comment
3350	936158309	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I am sorry but I misread the news item which sent me to my computer. I did not realise that the consultation was only on the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum. I thought it was on the need for such a referendum. But here's my opinion anyway! I do not wish a re-run of the Independence Referendum in the current circumstances. I cast my fully researched and thoughtful answer in the last one (which was No - I did not want to be independent from the rest of the U.K.) I did vote "Remain" in the EU Referendum, but I do not want to remain in the EU at the expense of being in the U.K. So I would vote No to Scottish Independence.\r Again, apologies for sending an unsought view!
3351	563644418	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The referendum was supposed to be a once in a lifetime opportunity - possibly another promise broken!\rAnother referendum is not needed. There is too much uncertainty at present with Brexit to create further havoc.\rWith the decrease in oil revenue, which was the main argument on the financing of independence, how would the country be able to survive on its' own!\rThe Scottish Government needs to get on with running the country while it is in power, and not dividing the nation even further than it is at the moment.	No Answered	I do not think those who do not have British Nationality should be entitled to vote, ie migrant workers, etc.\rI do not think that those not born in the UK should be entitled to vote as they are probably not aware of the historic issues.
3352	551429061	Trrrttrr	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
3353	75211266	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I fully support the inclusion of 16 & 17 year olds as they have the most to gain. I also support the inclusion of EU citizens who have chosen to live here, as they have most to lose.	The slight changes in polling rules seem sensible and fair, given that there have been suggestions previously that the postal vote system has been abused. I have a postal vote and I would like to be reassured that it will count. \rIt seems self-evident that those involved in polling, and with a vested interest in the outcome, should not have access to votes. This is not a question of probity on the part of those involved, it is merely good practice and fairness.	I am happy that people who actually live in Scotland have a vote in the referendum
3354	1031620136	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements are fine but I would not like to hold a referendum	Ok	Ok
3355	470757527	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I approve	I approve	I approve
3356	401407785	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't believe the result was fair or transparent in 2014 and much like the recent European Referendum (Brexit) many politicians have lied and mislead the electorate. Sharper controls will be required on any misinformation or scaremongering without facts to back up statements or pledges.	I agree with the proposal however something should be done to tighten loopholes. i.e. non resident property owners in Scotland able to have a vote by claiming to be resident.	Agree
3357	597579191	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would strongly support the same or very similar systems being in place for management of the referendum, with particular support for ensuring that those eligible to vote are the same as those eligible for Scottish Parliament and local government elections.	I'm uncomfortable with any attempt to limit absent voting - I understand why concerns were raised with such a substantial increase in requests during the 2014 referendum, but that simply reflects the perceived importance of the vote & people's desire to have their vote counted. Regardless of the administrative burden, the emphasis should be on helping the maximum number of people eligible to vote have access to that right - including through absent voting - any number of reasons may result in a person being unable to vote at short notice, and within the bounds of the rules - we should look to facilitate this.	This sounds reasonable - I think greater transparency in terms of the funding of campaigns is necessary - who is funding these campaigns, and from where. Funding from outside of Scotland should be limited, and a low threshold should be instated for having to declare a donation £500.
3358	882816995	James Mann	Individual	Individual	I would like EU citizens living and working in Scotland to be able to vote in this referendum	This seems fair	Again this seems fair
3359	392226826	Jane Howe	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum to be held.\rI think the question and answer should be changed so that a No vote is not a response. As in all marketing surveys people always like to agree and say Yes.	Happy with that.	Yes, happy with proposal.
3360	753925655	Mark Fraser	Individual	Individual	I propose that Westminster agencies including their Police forces have no part at all in our referendum. I request that a full compliment of International observers, especially EU countries are requested to scrutinize the process, counting and security.	Happy there will be change from last shambles.	Ok
3361	189828588	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no issues over the managing of the referendum however I do not wish to be subject to another independence referendum as it is an exceptionally costly exercise which takes the focus off managing and dealing with real issues and means that no progress is made while the debate and ultimately the result of the referendum is established.	I have no issues With the proposed changes however I would again reiterate that I do not wish to be subject to another independence referendum as it is an exceptionally costly exercise which takes the focus off managing and dealing with real issues and means that no progress is made while the debate and ultimately the result of the referendum is established.	No comment except to confirm I do not wish to be subjected to another independence referendum.
3362	212423524	a	Individual	Individual	They are unneccesary as even contemplating another referendum is wholly against the settled will of the Scottish People. Stop this nonsense now.	They are unneccesary as even contemplating another referendum is wholly against the settled will of the Scottish People. Stop this nonsense now.	They are unneccesary as even contemplating another referendum is wholly against the settled will of the Scottish People. Stop this nonsense now.
3363	701785535	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Apart from the fact that voters (and their preferences) can be checked under the existing regulations for elections and they are not truly a secret ballot, this system appears to be no worse than the previous one and is approved by me.	Persons ordinarily resident in Scotland, should be allowed to vote in the referendum.\rThis could simply be a spouse, who has not yet full citizenship, or students, who have/are been living in Scotland whilst studying. e.g. If they are between courses, but living here, they should be allowed to vote.\rAny European citizen, commonly living in Scotland at the time of the referendum, should be allowed to vote in it.	Approve.
3364	2108055	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We should have another referendum as it is clear the UK government are not in control of the Brexit negotiation preparations and are faltering at every corner.\r I believe Scotland should be able to have a referendum to remove us from the UK. and change the links with England and the rest of the brtish isles.\r The process should be repeated as last time I have no problems with that except that the UK government should have no overriding say as to whether we can hold a referendum .	I have no issue with the list of who should vote, and accept that all 16 year olds and above should be able to cast a vote for their future.	I would agree with these changes.
3365	642266539	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	An absolutely futile waste of public money to promote a new Darien scheme.	As above.	As above.
3366	711206260	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	How many times do you need to hear the word No! No to indyref2, No to independance! I'm saying no again and always will.	Fine as is.	Fine as is.
3367	149638003	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I strongly disagree with the premise that another independence referendum even be considered at this time. The facts of the matter are that more people voted to remain within the UK (last indyref) than voted to remain within the EU, and yet somehow that has been lost in translation. Although I voted to remain within the EU, it cannot be said that the European Union as it stands is not in need of reform. It's a far from perfect union which seems to be hanging together by its fingernails and I simply don't understand the SNP logic of being ruled by Berlin is fine, anywhere but London really.	I don't agree that 16 and 17 year olds should vote. Whilst it was great to see them engaging with politics, I would say that speaking as a teacher, it was also abundantly clear that they were in the majority of cases unable to get beyond a superficial grasp of the issues.	I would also add in something about a governing political party not encouraging mass protest and scaremongering against the national news agency. Scaremongering and intimidation should have no place in British politics and this episode was particularly distasteful. As John Simpson said recently, 'just because my bias is not your bias, doesn't mean that my views are unreasonable'.
3368	767571751	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Increased oversight by strictly unbiased observers	No Answered	No change
3369	878989468	Craig Cockburn	Individual	Individual	Agree although I feel that for a Scottish issue with a Scottish electorate, registered campaign organisations should be based in Scotland and there should be limits on campaign fundraising outside Scotland (ie rich millionaires living outside Scotland shouldnn't be able to influence the result).\r Also (there isn't a space for "other issues") the voting form should be available in Gaelic for those who wish it. Either the form could be bilingual or a proportion of voting forms could be Gaelic only in line with the estimated number of speakers in the area. Gaelic is accorded "equal respect" with English via the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005	Agree	Agree
3370	269931626	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Stop dividing my island home. The one my grandparents fought to defend. Accept the referendum result of 2014 and govern the country.	Stop dividing my island home. The one my grandparents fought to defend. Accept the referendum result of 2014 and govern the country.	Stop dividing my island home. The one my grandparents fought to defend. Accept the referendum result of 2014 and govern the country.
3371	1059121076	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Scotland voted NO to independence. The Scottish Government is elected by the people to represent the peoples views. The F.M needs to listen instead of dictating.\r Scotland will be much better off as part of the U.K
3372	603040787	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is still a significant lack of security in the proposals and no specific proposals to ensure that rigging the count or any other part of the process are made as close to impossible as is possible. Why allow the electoral commission? This is a Scottish independence referendum you are proposing - why allow the union that we are trying to leave have any say or control over any part of this? It's niaive at best.	Still unconvinced - my ballot paper was blank on the reverse and the 3 others who voted with me in 2014 were also - it looked like the entire book of ballot papers were blank on the reverse. Exit polls? Counts being announced at the location of counting. All ballot papers and associated paperwork and electronic files to be kept for 5 years and available for scrutiny.	No comment
3373	710034223	Ryan Finnegan	Individual	Individual	These seem to be fair and consistent in the same way as other elections voting is conducted. A system that works should be continued.	This should be acceptable that if you live in Scotland and are registered to vote then you vote, no proxy, no rushing to gain a vote before the day creating administration burdens. It should be that you have to register before a specific date if after that no vote.	As long as the rules are followed and everything is treated with the respect t it deserves and impartial view.
3374	593064399	David Berry	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There is no need for this discussion on a referendum.\r Scotland has already voted to remain within the United Kingdom and this vote should be respected.\rThe SNP's intentions to try and try again until they get the answer that they desire is to be deprecated.\r Scotland has not shown a willingness to remain within the EU. The question has not been asked, The referendum question related to the UK remaining within the EU.
3375	705255830	Sean Organ	Individual	Individual	These rules sound reasonable.	This sounds reasonable too. I like the inclusion of EU Nationals living in Scotland. That was the right decision.	I have no objections.
3376	174660790	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine do the thing as before.	Fine	allow Scots working in England the vote.
3377	449239646	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A further referendum would be an unnecessary and damaging event.\rI agree that the Electoral Commission should be responsible for oversight of any referendum. The Commission should report to the Scottish Parliament for its role in any referendum called by the Scottish Government, but it should also have a duty to report to the UK Parliament. It is the future of the UK which is at stake and the UK Parliament is responsible for the continuing success of UK, its territorial integrity, its defence, and the security of its citizens in all parts of the UK.\rI note that many voters in the 2014 and the European referendum felt they did not have enough information when they came to decide on our future. In 2014, in key areas such as the currency, more devolved powers, the future of the NHS, North Sea oil projections and basic economics, the public were let down by some politicians and campaign groups who indulged in ‘post-truth politics’. Many of these are still disputed two years later. How can we provide the public with indisputable, unvarnished facts which are not tainted by desperate campaigners whose will to win surpasses their sense of fair play or objective analysis?\r I believe that there needs to be some form of independent body agreed on by both sides to audit and verify facts that can be smade available to the public. Both campaigns could agree to an independent and qualified body to act as an fact-checker to review and arbitrate on areas of dispute\rVoters should be able to go to the polls informed and confident in their decision, not having to decide which politician is the most convincing. We cannot afford to take such a momentous decision with a ‘post-truth’ referendum. An independent and trusted fact-checker which both sides agree to respect would arm voters with the information they need to make a considered decision and allow any division to heal after the referendum.\rWith regard to management of the referendum, despite my view that it is unnecessary steps must be taken to reduce the possibility of intimidation and harassment.	The extension of the franchise to 16 and 17 year olds should not be an excuse to politicise schools. If school premises are used for campaign meetings (as is suggested in this consultation paper) such meetings should be outside normal school hours, and school staff must ensure there is objectivity in the classroom.\rThere is no explanation in the consultation paper as to why the local government franchise is to be favoured over the parliamentary constituency franchise. This creates an anomaly whereby some voters are eligible to vote for a Member of Parliament but not for the future of Scotland in the UK. It specifically excludes voters eligible to vote in a Scottish Parliamentary constituency but currently resident in other parts of the UK. We suggest a review of the franchise to confirm the fairest option and explain rationale for the decision.\rThe consultation paper makes no reference to the majority that would be required to change Scotland’s constitutional status within the UK. I note the inability of many people to accept a 55% result and acknowledges the diversity of opinion in what an appropriate threshold is for a major constitutional change. I would welcome a reflection on previous referendums and a review of all options to ensure we deliver an accurate result that everyone accepts. This would minimise the risk of anyone feeling unfairly dragged out or kept in.\rI note that the consultation paper suggests the Scottish Government is minded to propose a variation on the wording of the referendum question. The Scottish Government should be aware the Electoral Commission concluded that a Yes/No question would not be fair in the context of the EU referendum. There is some advantage to the side which seeks the ‘Yes’ answer, a fact acknowledged by Alex Salmond, First Minister at the time of the 2014 referendum.	I agreethat the Electoral Commission should again be responsible for policing the campaign rules, but In view of the importance of the result of a 2nd referendum, I believe it should report to both the UK and Scottish Parliaments. \r With regard to ‘permitted participants, I believe that all participants are self funding and not be funded by partisan larger organisations.\r I note that there are proposal to allow designated organisations to use meeting rooms in schools and other public buildings (paragraph 3.7). I do not believe that this should be allowed to avoid politicising them.\rThe Civil Service should be used to provide accurate and impartial information but care should be taken that the information provided is in no way partisan in either direction.
3378	381336785	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In agreement	In agreement	In agreement
3379	349688593	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I oppose the referendum in the first place. However, I have no objections to the proposed arrangements to manage the referendum if the Scottish government insists on carrying out another referendum despite their 2014 pledge to abide by the result of the 'once in a lifetime' referendum.	I am satisfied with the proposed changes to polling and count arrangements. Particularly I see no objection to restricting emergency proxy voting as long as due consideration is given to any circumstances described by the voter.	No objections to the changes above.
3380	312898572	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There seems to be little change to how any other Scottish election is handled and I believe it is a good thing 16 and 17-year-olds are allowed a voice on what could be a very significant change to their future circumstances, Even though they are not particularly well versed in the politics our society engages in as this could be the first vote they ever cast.	I'm not sure about the changes to proxy voting as much as it can help stop people who aren't registered to vote from voting its just as likely to stop people if there is an error with their registration. \r I agree with the changes to polling and count staff as this would help eliminate any bias for any person who is part of the count in any key position could tip a close result which these kinds of referendums appear to produce which then cause the kind of result that makes it hard to believe for one side or the other. Not that there isn't already checks and balances in place for such activity but this would help keep the result as accurate as possible.\r I also agree with the changes to verification statements such things should be accessible upon request and I am pleased that the Scottish government is making attempts to keep an election honest.	I agree with schedule 4 paragraph 3 as it allows recourse should someone abuse the responsibilities they as participants agree to take on.\r Paragraph 3A appears to be fair though scope for what is obscene or offensive is vague and leaves it open for personal bias.\r Paragraph 4 does not appear clear as to why this change is being made or what purpose it serves this appears as something I do not agree with but not really knowing its purpose leaves me dubious at best.
3381	37391863	Philip Smith	Individual	Individual	I object to a minority government spending any money at all on a completely unwarranted and objectionable exercise, supported largely by blinkered visionaries within the SNP and in possibly the people of only 4 constituency areas in Scotland . \rI accept that the Scottish Government was elected with a (clear?) mandate that the Scottish Parliament has a right to hold an independence referendum.\rI cannot accept that there is clear and sustained evidence that independence has become the preferred option of a majority of the Scottish People. Rubbish!!\r I cannot accept that the so called, significant and material change in the circumstances that prevailed in 2014, such as Scotland being taken out of the EU against our will is at all relevant . The decision to leave the EU was taken democratically (which I voted no) , by all registered eligible UK voters. Scotland simply formed part of that fair and democratic process and I am disappointed, but not surprised, that the SNP remain unwilling to accept, for a second time, (well within a lifetime!!) the will of the Scottish people .	No comments	No comments
3382	941705914	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is unhelpful at a time of uncertainty nationally and globally for there to be even more fear and lack of confidence and clarity for this even to be on the table. Please can the executive:\rA. Do what it promised and accept the last result as one lasting a generation.\rB. Behave responsibly rather than politically and take this off the table and focus on issues that require real consideration such as schools, hospitals and universities.	As above	As above
3383	761023797	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements as far as they are actually needed.	Since similar to the last referendum, this gives a like for like comparison of data.	These are acceptable.
3384	448384660	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Ok as they are same as before?\rHowever, you are not asking the right questions, e.g. should there be a referendum so soon again? \rWe were told that the last referendum was for a lifetime, say 30 years. \rSo why waste money on consultation when a further vote shouldn't take place for 20-25 years. (Apart from special circumstances-& not Brexit) \r Give me strength, as all Nicola Stugeon wants is independence!!!	OK	OK
3385	918295212	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My experience during the previous referendum was very positive and I think it is more than appropriate that any future referendum is managed in the same way.	I believe it is unfair for Scottish people living elsewhere in the UK or indeed further a field to be excluded from the referendum, and I believe this exclusion may be for political reasons as much as for the justifications given in the consultation. \r While I understand the administrative burden associated with registering Scottish nationals living in England, Wales, Northern Ireland or beyond I do not find it satisfactory that simply because it is difficult it should not be attempted. \r We live in globalised world and within a country which allows free travel and working opportunities between the 4 separate nations of the UK and the other 27 members of the European Internal Market and this should not be used as an excuse to exclude those who utilise that opportunity to work away from having their say on the future of Scotland. Therefore I believe an attempt should be made to expand the voting franchise of any referendum to those Scottish Citizens who live abroad, subject to certain restrictions to ensure the number enfranchised is manageable, for example; only extending the voting opportunity to those born in Scotland, or to those who have left Scotland within the last 5 years and who had lived in Scotland for a minimum of 10 years before that etc.\r I am also slightly concerned with alleged misuse of the postal vote system and I believe some form of increased scrutiny should be brought into this system to ensure its appropriate use.	I am happy with this proposal as I believe it will protect people from being appointed without their consent while ensuring donors etc. are more stringently controlled.
3386	118060684	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No means no, 18 Sept 2015\rRemove the sword of Damocles above the Scottish people and run Scotland for all the people. The majority who voted no must have their decision upheld.	14Sept 2015 NO MEANS NO ! ! ! Get on with your job Nicola. The Scottish economy is in critical state. Get it sorted for all of the people or resign.	NO MEANS NO ! ! !
3387	434082525	David Gardner	Individual	Individual	The management of any election or referendum that was done in 2014 was adequate. I don't not believe there should be another referendum.	I believe that everyone in the United Kingdom should be given the right to vote on Scotlands independence, as the outcome will effect everyone in the UK. I do not believe there should be another referendum and fully oppose it.	I do not agree with the proposals.
3388	746221000	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am wholeheartedly in agreement with the proposed arrangements.	I think all postal voting should be tightened up so that there can never be any suspicion of fraud.	I personally think voting should be confined to people born in Scotland as too many people currently living here have little or no loyalty to our country and may also have vested interests in the independence vote failing.
3389	213005085	none	Individual	Individual	We have had the referendum. No need for another one	no opinion. Should not even be necessary to discuss it.	Should not even be necessary to discuss it.
3390	166569255	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My view is that a second independence referendum is a wholly unnecessary exercise and therefore how it would be managed should be of no concern. The First Minister and others in the SNP bang on about respecting the EU referendum decision in Scotland whilst continuing not to respect the decision made in Scotland in September 2014. That caused much division that we may never recover from, as has the EU referendum - another independence referendum would only make matters worse. Instead of trying to exploit the situation for your own political ends, get on and make the most of the situation and focus on what matters to people - stopping the continuing and unacceptable decline in public services.	Should go further regarding polling and count staff as 'must not knowingly' employ people involved in campaigning is inadequate.	No comment.
3391	729300207	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	postal votes should also be limited to those who require one on the grounds of a disability, occupation, service or employment,
3392	801053468	Elizabeth Johnson	Individual	Individual	These are fine.	These are fine. However I consider there should be a 60% Yes vote threshold for Independence to ensure the outcome is respected as democratically chosen by more than 50% of the population to aid social cohesion afterwards. See what is happening post Brexit which was only won by 4%.\r I think there should be 2 Referendum questions, the second being If Scotland is an independent country, should it seek to remain within the EU? Again 60% threshold.	I agree.
3393	762523870	Derek Harold	Individual	Individual	I am strongly against any future referendums When is SNP going to accept that they lost in 2014 I will never change my views on it even when it comes to Brixit	Miss Sturgeon and Co will never get me to say yes to Independence Im prod to say im 100% BRITISH!!!!	In 2014 This was to be once in a life time so what UK decided to leave the UK we are apart of UK not EU and I voted to Leave the EU. No bulling as YES campaign bullied loads of No Voters. j calling them traitors to the country. Scotland is mixed race and wither they come from England US etc were not no longer can call the majority is Scottish!!!
3394	653080475	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel the proposed arrangement is adequate for the purposes of a referendum	No views	no views
3395	968069682	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As long as it is by individual vote and not a majority within a constituency vote.	no further comment	OK
3396	838826917	Michael Mouse	Individual	Individual	Rubbishrubish	Rubbish	Rubish
3397	837751983	David Shearer	Individual	Individual	No Answered	I am happy with the proposed arrangements.	I am pleased with the changes and also happy for anyone residing in Scotland to have their vote.
3398	1054663812	John Furlong	Individual	Individual	I believe the proposals to be fair and just.\rI believe the arrangements to be correct.	I agree with the proposed technical changes.\rI believe these are the right way to move forward	These proposals can only be for the good and as such i fully support them
3399	481465827	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The management structure appears to be consistent with previous elections. This is a tried and tested system that needs no changes.	I would like all voters to provide a legal form of photographic identification that should be visually checked by polling station staff prior to ballot papers being issued.	All parties involved should be vetted and accept third party verification
3400	864356519	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	they seem fine	they seem fine	It isn't fair for someone from other countries in the world not mentioned, who may have lived in Scotland for years not to get a vote. Why is this?\r If someone has gone through the Naturalization process from outwith the countries mentioned do they then become eligible to vote?\r At the 2014 referendum my remembrance was that people from some Commonwealth countries couldn't vote. Is this the case? and if so why?\r How can it be said that anyone living in Scotland should be able to vote when that clearly isn't true??
3401	626589154	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The 2014 question was biased. A "yes/no" response should not be used this time.\r 16 and 17 year olds are not yet mature enough or responsible enough to vote.\r Scots living elsewhere in the UK should be permitted to vote.\r In general the referendum is unnecessary and a clear breach of the spirit of the Edinburgh Agreement.
3402	862381479	Jane Rafferty	Individual	Individual	I think the vote should be for those 18 and over.\rI also think that we should not hold another referendum on Scottish Independence at this time, and that the EU referendum result is not sufficient grounds to require one so soon.	No comment	No comment
3403	504072035	Geoff Huijer	Individual	Individual	Given the mandate given to the SNP by the Scottish electorate with regards to a 'material change' in circumstances it would be remiss of the Party not to pusue all options to ensure EU membership and this, of course, means looking into Scotland's independence once again.	I would not allow Members of the House of Lords a vote given their commitment to the UK but understand why it would perhaps be right to do so.\r I have grave concerns over the misuse of the postal voting system.\r Otherwise I agree with the system.	It is not always the 'rules' that are in error but the misuse or complete disregarding of them that concerns me. I seem to remember the CBI having an issue when speaking out against independence in 2014 which was involved a lot of backtracking and denial.
3404	170770750	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We have already had a referendum; there is no need now for a further referendum which would be a waste of time and public money. The Scottish Government should concentrate on fulfilling its governmental duties.	See above, no need whatsoever for a further referendum now.	This is all gesture politics and a waste of time and money: this government should focus on its job.
3405	938276206	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Totally unneeded as we had a referendum in 2014 where the independence question was answered! A total waste of resources and divisive for our country.	As the Scottish government is proposing to leave the UK and the vote will affect the whole UK any UK citizen who is Scottish should have a vote. No EU citzen born outside the UK be involved in the vote.	No current employee of the Scottish government should take part in the referendum campaign due to a conflict of interest
3406	634678998	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Waste of public money another publicity stunt	No Answered	Wrong all persons who are entitled to vote in Scotland should be allowed to vote.\rThis is the snp attempting to control the voting system by restriction
3407	517680706	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Every voter should have to prove their identity at the polling station to minimise electoral fraud. Postal votes should be restricted to only those who cannot get to a polling station because of work, traveling away from home or disability.	There should be independent observers at all polling stations to observe the closing of polling boxes. Transportation and opening of boxes should also be observed independently. This would avoid the widespread mistrust which took place in 2014.	I agree.
3408	243678480	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There are still so many unanswered questions from the last referendum. The main ones being the financial stability of an independent Scotland given that so many of the calculation in the last bill were based on a very high oil price. We've seen, recently, how that can affect economies and jobs etc.\rThere is also the question of currency and Lender of Last Resort whic, as far as I know, has never been answered. Surely this is fundamental to any country's economy and wealth. \rLastly the whole crux of this bill is Scotland voted to stay a part of the EU. I agree and was extremely disappointed with the overall outcome of that vote, however Scotland also voted to stay part of the UK. Given that some EU member countries have publicly stated they would not welcome an independent Scotland into the EU there are no advantages in moving for another vote in my opinion.	All seems OK.	Is this relevant to an independence referendum? It talks about candidates?
3409	648530056	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't want one.	Don't want another devicive referendum.	No to another referendum
3410	427297336	Morag Sheppard	Individual	Individual	Sensible	Most of these are practical.\r I don't agree that all residents should be voting - only those with permanent residence.	Fine
3411	340313306	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In this matter I would prefer that the vote would be conducted by an independent international agency or trusted foreign country. I would entrust this to Norway, Denmark or Sweden. Of course it would be more expensive, but the result needs greater oversight than the previous referendum.	I agree in principal with the resolutions, however I feel that greater efforts should be made to elicit the votes of scots/young scots living in other parts of the UK or EU. I myself was living down in England when the 1997 vote was made for devolution and remember clearly the disappointment at not being able to vote. Just because I was away for economic reasons, I did not feel any less Scottish, or invested in the future of Scotland.	No objections to the changes.
3412	2290303	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements look fine, but extra care should be taken to ensure postal voters are eligible.	Sampling of postal votes, by representatives of any political party, should be barred. Neutral independent observers from the international community should be present at all counts and at all stages.	Seems OK.
3413	550740208	Harry Valentine	Individual	Individual	Quite satisfactory.	Agreeable.	Commonsense.
3414	1041314834	Andrew Kerr	Individual	Individual	Fairness and transparency are paramount	See no reason why citizens of another country should be allowed a vote unless permanently resident	No issues
3415	221722622	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum. The people of S Scotland voted to remain in the Union and the government should respect that vote.\rAnother referendum would be a total waste of time and money and considering the recent financial disasters of this government we can hardly afford it.	A total waste of time and money.	A desperate attempt by the Scottish Nasty Party to gain more support for a lost cause.
3416	687969049	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum.	There should not be another referendum.	There should not be another referendum.
3417	526128401	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am in agreement with the proposals as written.	I am happy with the statements. However from my perspective there does not seem to be the the same momentum and excitement with younger voters at present and perhaps there needs to be a focused effort to capture the same drive as in 2014.	I am in agreement with these.
3418	961080705	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe we need another referendum and more expense, The SNP leader stated back in 2014 Once in a generation ,	No Answered	Anyone over the age of 16 who is Scottish living in the U.K. Should be allowed to vote,. All UK residents living in Scotland should be allowed to vote .\r Eu citizens and all non U.K. Passport holders should be allowed to vote as this is about Scotland and the Scottish people .\r If we do ever become independent and it was close then we would be taken out the UK by EU citizens who would rather we remained in the EU for their own countries benefits and not ours
3419	563477094	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Should include everyone who is living in Scotland legally, irrespective of their status to vote in the General Election i.e. my partner who is a Swiss National and has lived here for over 20 years.	Should include people living in Scotland who are from the wider EEA i.e. Swiss nationals and the like.	Agree
3420	980505822	Alan MacKenzie	Individual	Individual	The Electoral Commission should be charged with overall responsibility for any referendum. In this respect, it is the so-called Scottish Government that should report to the Electoral Commission, not the other way round.\r The question to be used should be set by the EC. The biased format used in the Sep 2014 referendum is NOT acceptable. (It shouldn't have been accepted then either!)\r There must be no covert attempt to link 'independence' with membership of the EU. This will require a THREE option question:\r - Scotland to remain part of the UK (and therefore out of the EU)\r- Scotland to separate from the UK and apply for membership of the EU\r- Scotland to separate from the UK and not to apply for membership of the EU\r Better still would be TWO referenda\r - the first on the sole question of separation from the UK\r and then, in the event of a decision to leave the UK,\r - a second referendum on the question of applying for EU membership.	The vote should be restricted to UK citizens who are normally resident in Scotland, with the usual exceptions for forces personnel.\r The future constitutional arrangements of this country are no concern of non-UK citizens, who should therefore NOT be entitled to vote.\r 16 and 17 year olds are regarded by the so-called Scottish Government as children (in accordance with UN definitions), a point it stressed during the debate about the Named Person Scheme . Children are not entitled to vote in any country that I am aware of. Eligibility must therefore be restricted to those aged 18+.	It would be best to have a single 'Yes' campaign and a single 'No' campaign, both subject to strict spending limits. (As we were supposed to have in the EU referendum.)\r The so-called Scottish Government should play NO part in campaigning and absolutely NO public money should be spent on campaigning for either side.
3421	264119280	James Ritchie	Individual	Individual	Thank-you for the opportunity to be involved in this consultation re a possible second independence referendum . I felt that the arrangements for the previous referendum were good. If it is supervised independently by the Electoral Commission as before with no political or governmental interference or pressure then it should hopefully go as smoothly as the one in 2014.	Again the changes mentioned in the above information seem reasonable. I would hope that scrutiny of proxy & postal voting, which is considerable more popular than previously will be tight following issues in other parts of the U.K in the past few years.	I have no issues with this change if it adheres to the recommended changes by the E.C
3422	569153021	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I support the proposals for a second referendum	I agree with the procedures	I agree with this
3423	169853714	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	That all seems reasonable and appropriate.	That seems fair, though Scots living in the rest of the UK may feel that given the importance of the outcome of the vote they should be included. Scotland could be the only part of the existing UK to remain in Europe, this could trigger a number of Scots living outwith Scotland but within the UK to return.	Fair
3424	196806722	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This question asks for my views. Given that I am not an expert in what other possibilities could exist, I am unable to comment based on the summary given.	No Answered	I note that EU citizens living in Scotland are not eligible to vote - this is correct in my view. \r However, I would suggest that ALL British citizens should have a say in whether they wish their country to be split up. I therefore suggest that this be a UK wide vote - after all, it will affect those living in other parts of the UK as much as in Scotland.
3425	653894665	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Ok	Ok	Eligibility to vote on Scotlands future should be extended to include Ex. Pat Scottish born people, at least those living within the UK, world wide if possible. With those interested in voting giving proof they are genuinely Scottish, I.E birth certificate .
3426	882639087	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Waste of public money. You got your answer and promised once in a lifetime.	Should revert to age 18 and over as being eligible to vote.	Politicians must be prohibited from taking an active roll on Election Day.
3427	335354053	Philip Barnard	Individual	Individual	I would like to have a vote to force Scotland to leave the UK (I live in Essex)	No Answered	The sooner the better
3428	477135858	susan green	Individual	Individual	since the government has included all 16 and 17 year old in the named person scheme and hence consider them as vulnerable they should be excluded from the potential elections	No Answered	oversite should not be given to any scottish body since they will have been influenced allready by the past vote and by the government who want the vote to go in a particular direction. We should use a british ..ie english oversite organisation.....perhaps a un team as they do in other trouble spots where democracy is under severe threat like here in Scotland
3429	31231102	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No issues with this. My issue is that there is no appetite of the population for a referendum, this is solely an obsession of the SNP.	I am of the view that if non Scots currently living here would be entitled to vote then those born in Scotland and currently living in other parts of the United Kingdom should also be entitled to vote	No issues
3430	163204228	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am content with them.	I would not allow members of the house of lords a vote due to their impartiality.	No real views
3431	639735003	Susan Stewart	Individual	Individual	I feel that the Scottish people were given the chance to vote on a referendum and clearly voted no to independence. As to the vote on whether The UK should stay in Europe the Scottish people clearly voted to stya. My question would be what percentage of the population voted in the EU referendum. \rScotland is part of the UK that was decided by the last independence referendum The uk voted to leave the EU so ther is no need to have another referendum in Scotland.\rWe as a country voted to stay in the UK so we abide by the UK descion simple.\rWher does the money come from if The SNP calls another referendum? Scotland needs every penny we have so spending on a referendum would be a waste of tax payers cash. Also is the SNP do not get the Yes vote will we have a national referendum every 2 years untill they do?	Seems fair	Seems fair
3432	675313470	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think it is unnecessary as we don't need another referendum.	I think it is unnecessary as we don't need another referendum.	I think all this is a waste of time and money as we don't need another referendum.
3433	70019314	Neil Ballantyne	Individual	Individual	My view is that we had a 'once in a lifetime', (Stated publicly on numerous occasions by both Salmond and Sturgeon) referendum in 2014 which emphatically decided the future for Scotland Remaining part of the UK. The 2016 UK referendum on Remaining or Leaving the EU should not be used as a proxy vote for a second Scottish Indyref. \rBased on the result of the 2014 referendum Ballantynes of Walkerburn took on substantial loans to improve the ability of the company (we are a manufacturer and worldwide exporter) to grow its production. There are 19 jobs in this company that rely on the bulk of its business to customers across the UK. The MOD is our biggest customer. \r Indy ref 2 will stop any further plans we have to grow, and we will start seriously considering our long term future in Scotland. The business simply cannot make any long terms plans or investments with deep uncertainty hanging over us. By lying about how the SNP view the result of the Referendum in 2014 makes me deeply sceptical of any secure future in Scotland as long as they are in charge. \r Finally being part of, and trading with the rest of the UK, is far more important to us all than chasing after an EU ‘unicorn hiding in a distant rainbow’.	Any future referendum on Scottish independence should also be open to Scots living or working outwith Scotland. In the same way as the EU referendum was made available to UK citizens living across the EU. \r Time should be given for any Scots living abroad to register as an 'overseas' voter. A Scot should be defined as someone with direct, 1st generation family links to Scotland.	None
3434	975470542	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree that 16 and 17 year olds should have a vote in the referendum.	No Answered	I would prefer that only uk citizens are entitled to vote.
3435	1018950673	Frances Carney	Individual	Individual	Postal votes to be opened at count and not before. The evelopes could be coded for each consituency.	The option of recount must be in place. \r Tighter security in transferring votes from polling station to count.	None
3436	231884937	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Individual	ok
3437	216362635	David Watson	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum. The SCOTTISH people decided a short time ago to remain with a NO vote, the SCOTTISH government should abide by the democratic result and return to concentrate on the issues they have abandoned.	see answer to No 1.	Basically the answer to No 1 covers this however young 16 year olds who are leaving school less qualified now than they were prior to the detrimental policies of the SNP should be spared all this nonsense.
3438	697203107	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements.	In the interests of the referendum being seen to be fair and to minimise the inevitable conspiracy theories (whatever the result), I welcome the proposed tighter checks and controls on postal voting.	These changes seem reasonable.
3439	574274244	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no reason, or need, to manage another Referendum.\rSee my letter dated 19th December to Alex Salmond, enclosing a letter I wrote to the Glasgow Herald, and which the Editor decided not to print. \rIn my letter I suggested a route to Independence which did not require another Referendum.	No need for change.	No need for change.
3440	981996033	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am broadly in favour of the proposed arrangements and see no reason to make changes as to the way it was conducted in 2014.	The changes proposed seem fine, however I would be in favour of voter proof of identity regulations being added to this set of arrangements.	Happy with these changes!
3441	434425102	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree with proposals	Agree with proposed technical changes	Agree on proposed changes
3442	257022009	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Please put your efforts into sorting out Scotland's dreadful Education System, Dreadful Police Force, Dreadful NHS service, and invest more of the taxpayers money into properly restoring our roads - they are akin to a 3rd World countries roads, I have never been more embarrassed of our historic country and at this time I am certainly not proud to be Scottish.\r This Draft Referendum Bill shows the SNP is not out to protect Scotlands interests, the whole parties prime objective is Independance regardless of the implications, At this very fragile time surrounding that other idiotic Brexit vote we should be concentrating on stability rather than increasing uncertainty?\r BTW - The vast majority who voted against Brexit also voted against Scottish Independance - please poll that in Scotland? That will give N.Sturgeon a better idea of how the people of Scotland feel.	Please put your efforts into sorting out Scotland's dreadful Education System, Dreadful Police Force, Dreadful NHS service, and invest more of the taxpayers money into properly restoring our roads - they are akin to a 3rd World countries roads, I have never been more embarrassed of our historic country and at this time I am certainly not proud to be Scottish.\r This Draft Referendum Bill shows the SNP is not out to protect Scotlands interests, the whole parties prime objective is Independance regardless of the implications, At this very fragile time surrounding that other idiotic Brexit vote we should be concentrating on stability rather than increasing uncertainty?\r BTW - The vast majority who voted against Brexit also voted against Scottish Independance - please poll that in Scotland? That will give N.Sturgeon a better idea of how the people of Scotland feel.	Please put your efforts into sorting out Scotland's dreadful Education System, Dreadful Police Force, Dreadful NHS service, and invest more of the taxpayers money into properly restoring our roads - they are akin to a 3rd World countries roads, I have never been more embarrassed of our historic country and at this time I am certainly not proud to be Scottish.\r This Draft Referendum Bill shows the SNP is not out to protect Scotlands interests, the whole parties prime objective is Independance regardless of the implications, At this very fragile time surrounding that other idiotic Brexit vote we should be concentrating on stability rather than increasing uncertainty?\r BTW - The vast majority who voted against Brexit also voted against Scottish Independance - please poll that in Scotland? That will give N.Sturgeon a better idea of how the people of Scotland feel.
3443	761525012	Kevin McAuley	Individual	Individual	We need to hold the next Referendum before any EU nationals are disgracefully forced to remove themselves from Scotland\r We need to have more neutral observers from EU nations, as we should hopefully not have come out of the EU entirely by the time the next Independence Referendum takes place. I'm afraid there were far too many examples of discrepancies given during the count of the last vote to convine me everything was above board.\r We should have exit polls this time, along with pro/anti Independence representatives following the ballot boxes to ensure no interference. I am under no illusion that the security services will do absolutely everything in its power to subvert this process in order to keep Scotland's wealth funding the Treasury.	Postal votes should be removed altogether. There has still been no action taken against Ruth Davidson for her blatantly flaunting the rules and accessing postal votes, and on top of that Labour have history for 'helping' vulnerable persons fill in their postal votes.\r If you cannot attend, appoint an identifiable proxy.\r Remove Emergency Proxy votes altogether. If there is a long enough build up then people will have plenty of time to register themselves properly, or appoint their proxy's.\r Hopefully Pro-Indy parties will control most councils at any future Referendum. Maximum publicity must be given to reaching those not registered to vote, along with an amnesty for those not registered for fear of debt detection. Success in this Referendum will benefit the poor and vulnerable the most, but paradoxically they most likely won't vote due to their current circumstances and fear of being forced further into poverty.	As with Conservatives trying to pass themselves off as 'Independents' during previous elections, or campaigning with literature that doesn't explicitly say which party they represent, then this must be explicitly prohibited. \r If a candidate is ashamed, or thinks their 'brand' is harmful, then why should the electorate be tricked into possibly voting for them using promises which the party would historically break anyway?
3444	383657157	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Teh proposals for manging a refurendu are acceptable as they were in the previous refurendum. However any effort in pushing forward this second refurendum is illegitimate as the previous refuremdum demonstrated under these rules a clear and decisive majority in favour of maintaining the current union and arrangements. The Scottish government was given the mandate to govern Scotland under these conditions NOT to go forward under their agend of continued protest and expending time and effort on a policy that has been rejected and has been acknowledged should be left for a generation at least, in our society a generation is at least 25 years.	These are acceptable, but a second referendum is not acceptable as its already been rejected by a clear majority of the designated electorate.	These are acceptable, but a second referendum is not acceptable as its already been rejected by a clear majority of the designated electorate.
3445	872018168	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum anyway as the one we had was to be a ONE OFF, therefore the vote should be accepted as it is, and all this Independence nonsense should stop.\rWe cannot exist on our own and to be alone and in the EU is suicide.\rMs. Sturgeon needs to stop acting like a mini Hitler, it's ridiculous, and this attitude that Scotland voted to remain in the EU by a resounding result is simply not true, it was closer than she makes out. Her legacy should be keeping Britain together rather than tearing it and us apart, we are not living in the times now where the Scots wanted always to beat the English, those days are long gone and a United Kingdom should stay United	No Answered	As before
3446	165504388	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	referendum is not required or justified.	referendum is not required or justified	referendum is not required or justified
3447	420011142	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	OK...except there should not be another referendum.\rSurely the first question should be do we actually want the Scottish Government to waste more money on another "once in a generation" referendum, which by their own admission, is money badly needed for public sector services?	1. No EU or Commonwealth citizens other than British citizens domiciled in Scotland should be allowed to vote.\r2. Voting age should be 18.	So how are "unofficial" social media campaigns being managed?
3448	454227791	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine.\rAlthough, there should not be the need for this to happen at all.	I disagree that 16 year olds should have the Vote. Voting elegibility should match that of a General Election ie 18.\rAbsent voting changes are welcomed re proxy votes.\rID for postal voters should be subject to a three yearly verification process.\rAgree Prisoners should not be entitled to vote.\rThose entitled to vote should be those entitled to vote at a General election. This should not differ.	Fine.\rAgreed there should be no publicly funded grants.\rThere should be an upper limit on donations from "permitted participants".
3449	652363223	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would like the next referendum to be run in the same way as the 2014 one. With the added verifications of the results to be verified by neutral parties.	I agree with these arrangements.	I agree with the proposed changes.
3450	734393796	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We do not need another referendum it did not go the way I wanted but the people decided so that should be an end to it. What a waste of money to have another	N A	N.A.
3451	272362412	Mr & Mrs Raymond and Hilary Brooke	Individual	Individual	We agree with them.	Looks OK.	OK again.
3452	52153867	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe the proposed arrangements are fair.\r Further focus could be given to alleviating fears of Ballot tampering, however.	As before, more emphasis on Ballot scrutineering.	n/a
3453	88195964	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I disagree that another referendum should even be contemplated.\r Scotland voted and the result was NI, and I, as a UK Taxpayer think it is disgusting that this is even being looked into	Disagree with the whole thing - there should not be another referendum	Again i dont think this shoukd happen
3454	879203230	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The count must not be conducted in one or more vast arenas, but in all town centres as in general elections.\rI would have liked a question in this consultation to have been Do you want another Scottish Independence referendum within the next 5 years. Because I do not. I voted yes in the last referendum but will vote no in any future referendums.
3455	21015695	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	Eligibility should only be if you were born in Scotland not for people who have moved here and are only going to stay a few years.	again should only be people born in Scotland
3456	11311332	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The timing of the referendum should be after Scottish voters have something to compare the Scottish government's proposals with; i.e. the emerging direction of brexit. If, for instance, the U.K. negotiations with the other 27 nations appears to be heading for a hard brexit, then voters will understand the importance of EFTA membership, which also allows for a negotiated settlement between an independent Scotland and EnglandWales. I am thinking clarity should be appearing on the direction of travel the U.K. Government is taking round about mid to late 2018.	I approve the proposed arrangements and trust second home owners/residents will be restricted to only one vote only to those whose main residence is Scotland.	These have my approval.
3457	362021974	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am against another independence vote as I was promised that the September 14 vote was a once in a lifetime vote.	I have no opinion	Only British citizens residing in Scotland should have a vote and Scottish servicemen posted abroad should also vote
3458	930687292	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	More than happy to put my faith in the Scottish Government to do the right thing for Scotland.	It all looks good - better than last time.	Happy.
3459	346385693	Alan Steele	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I am still not convinced non Scottish nationals should get a vote.
3460	777002553	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Total waste of public money. Respect the outcome of the 2014 referendum and move on.
3461	41461672	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Total waste of more money, Nats Lost last referendum and would one held now by an even bigger margin	I object to Citizens of the Republic of ireland being allowed to vote on a Question about the United kingdom, don't see any fault in them voting in local elections, but this is totally different	Idiotic lottery winners should be barred from donating
3462	18911691	RODERICK NEIL BRUCE	Individual	Individual	Westminster must not be allowed any part of the organising and must have no part in the count, and there must be an exit poll.	No Answered	Concerned about Postal Votes, and could Votes not be counted at Polling stations
3463	605374914	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe this government is playing politics to detract from their poor performance in relation to NHS, Police and education targets. All MSPs should hang this head in shame at the plight of the homeless in Scotland. Instead of handing out tea and sticking buns the First Minister should do something meaningful to address this major issue (a croissant's throw from her Edinburgh residence).\r I truly hope we have seen the last of independence referendums as I fear this will cause even more strife within families and communities, with (I believe) little to be gained.\r Focus on what you were elected to do. Apart from afore mentioned l'm Ok with arrrangements to manage election, although I believe that those in favour of independence have an advantage if the "Yes" answer is used on ballot paper.	Answer as above.	Answer as above.
3464	511231224	Graham Taylor	Individual	Individual	I see no need for another referendum so soon after the last one.	I see no need for another referendum so soon after the last one.	I see no need for another referendum so soon after the last one.
3465	86469968	Fiona Scott	Individual	Individual	I do not feel there should be another referendum. The Scottish people were advised in 2014 that it would be a once in a generation referendum.	I agree with the proposed changes	No views
3466	454796302	Dr Hamish Meldrum	Individual	Individual	If one were to be held, which I don't believe should be the case, the arrangements seem adequate.\r I see no need for a further independence referendum in the foreseeable future. Apart from being assured that the last vote was "a once in a lifetime opportunity", given the uncertainty caused by the Brexit vote, adding to that with another independence vote would be sheer folly. \r There are also significant legal hurdles that would have to be overcome for Scotland even to have a chance of being independent in advance of the UK's exit from Europe and no guarantee (indeed given the views of countries like Spain there would be active opposition) that an independent Scotland could remain in or rejoin, the EU.\r In addition the the current economic uncertainty, the combination of falling oil prices, a new and uncertain US presidency and the current instability due to world terrorism, would all add to the risk of Scotland leaving the UK	There is a case for allowing Scots living abroad (as happened in the Brexit vote in the UK0 to vote in any referendum.	No comment.
3467	232914285	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The electorate have already given a firm guidance and it should not be ignored. Stop choosing which element of democracy you want!	Not required.	Not required.
3468	678647723	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
3469	466170009	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Sounds OK to me.	Sounds fine to me	Sounds fine to me
3470	1023178035	David Healy	Individual	Individual	Happy with arrangements to remain same as for previous.	It would be good to see all EC citizens able to vote in this referendum, their contribution to modern Scotland is immense .	Electoral Commission are smart people
3471	789052176	stuart mcintosh	Individual	Individual	In my opinion the 2014 referendum was hijacked by the UK establishment and the 2nd indyref should be overseen by EU regulators only, and there should be no postal voting as it is too open to corruption, if people in undeveloped countries can walk 10 miles to put their thumbprint on a paper, then people here can go 1 a mile to their polling station, if you are not in the country at the time then no vote.	see previous comment regarding postal voting, I would include proxy voting as well	that is fine
3472	74050788	Andrew MacDuff	Individual	Individual	You lost suck it up	You lost suck it up	You lost suck it up
3473	70811152	Margaret Tees	Individual	Individual	I am reasonably happy with the proposed arrangements but would be happier if independent international observers were there	yes these changes seem sensible	I agree with these changes
3474	279476218	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No issue with arrangements if a referendum is called.\r However as there is nowhere else on this consultation to express a view on whether or not there should be a referendum I will say here that I don't think there should be one. The EU referendum argument (and I voted Remain) is not a reason for another referendum on Scottish Independence. The vote was to remain in the UK therefore we should respect the view of the majority of the people who voted in the EU referendum.	Not sure what resident in Scotland infers. How long does a person have to live in Scotland to be resident ? There could be a case where someone has moved to Scotland within the past year and has little intention of staying more than a few years getting a vote where someone who has lived in Scotland for many years but their current employment situation means that they have to live outside of Scotland for a few years not getting a vote.	No issue.
3475	920720552	George Nixon	Individual	Individual	Proposed arrangement obviously debated & impossible to understand how it remains open to change	Proposed arrangement obviously debated & impossible to understand how it remains open to change	Proposed arrangement obviously debated & impossible to understand how it remains open to change
3476	15261661	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Ok	How long someone must have resided in Scotland to vote could be key.	Ok
3477	195801567	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm unhappy with any arrangements for any referendum.\r The Better Together camp clearly lied to us about EU membership during IndyRef 1. The focus should be on independence, not an independence referendum. A future Scottish Parliamentary election could easily be a test of the desire for independence - will most people vote for pro-independence parties?	No problem. Happy with 16 and 17-year-olds being involved.	None.
3478	941367805	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no requirement for a referendum bringing further instability to the country and economy	The vote should be removed from children	How much money did it cost to draft these changes and are the SNP funding this or is it the tax payer
3479	34574680	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe that the arrangements for the management of the referendum are as fair as they can be. However, rather than one chief residing officer I believe that there should be three chief presiding officers who all have to sign off on the referendum. I also believe that there should be external scrutiny at all points in the process. Everyone has seen the videos of the votes in the "wrong" piles and tales of bags of votes being "lost". Whether or not you believe these stories, there has to be external scrutiny and transparency to mitigate the rumours that abounded in the previous referendum.	I believe that the technical changes appear to be reasonable. However I would tighten the legislation surrounding opening postal ballots to avoid the debacle that Ruth Davidson became involved in at the previous referendum. No one should be able to open ballots early.	These amendments to participants seems fair. I would like to know if anything is being done about canvassers being bussed in from England.
3480	798631060	Craig Evans	Individual	Individual	Formal exit polls by an independent company or organisation should be taken to indicate the vote.	No comment	All participating parties and organisations should be registered in Scotland and have a formal Scottish address and presence at that address.
3481	565165727	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	there should be no further referenda at any point	there should be no further referenda at any point	there should be no further referenda at any point
3482	1034542496	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The next referendum should only be open to Scots born living in Scotland only.English Welsh etc should not be allowed to vote potentially stopping Scots from getting their independence. The precedent was set in the EU referendum when EU nationals could not vote on the leave or remain argument no matter that some of them had lived in the UK for 30 plus years.	The government must make sure that they have influence on postal votes and that these cannot be tampered with. postal votes time frame should be reduced and the vote should be done quicker and not allow too long a time thus allowing mainstream media to influence voters with scare story's and propaganda.	This is a must,500,000 non Scots who voted by 71% no, did influence the outcome.\r Its like giving slave owners a vote on whether slaves should be freed.\r The next referendum should only be open to Scots born living in Scotland only.English Welsh etc should not be allowed to vote potentially stopping Scots from getting their independence. The precedent was set in the EU referendum when EU nationals could not vote on the leave or remain argument no matter that some of them had lived in the UK for 30 plus years.
3483	60886933	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The management structure seems reasonable but there is a question over it being fair and transparent as it would seem that any opportunity to ignore the result unless the incumbent government wins is being robustly sought.	Scope for voting is too wide. Commonwealth and RoI / EU citizens should not be included and I have concerns about the ability of 16 year olds to appreciate the complexity of the issues with the lack of life experience and responsibility.	Agree with the above.
3484	968661604	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Give up the idea. There has been a referendum. The people have spoken	No view	Do not think 16 and 17 year olds should have been given vote. Too young
3485	119745484	N/a	Individual	Individual	If there is a vote the same arrangements would be fine	The above worked fine at the last vote	Technical changes are all suitable
3486	952623502	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do NOT want a referendum	None	No views
3487	542987196	none	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
3488	510732205	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	complete and utter waste of time and money	No Answered	16-17 yr old should not have vote. Not mature enough, but hits the present Scot Gov demographic
3489	746657555	Malcolm McDonald	Individual	Individual	I am strongly against another referendum on independence.	I am strongly against another referendum on independence.	I am strongly against another referendum on independence.
3490	565392069	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No issue with this, however I do not support a fresh referendum	No issues	No issue
3491	976036275	Malcolm Loudon	Individual	Individual	Calling another referendum at this stage is no more than gesture politics which seems to be blatent attempt to divert attention from the manifest incompetence of this government particularly in health and education. The world dies not revolve around Ms Sturgeon and the SNP playground demands.	See above. We should not be wasting time on this.	See Q1
3492	484441199	Duncan McGregor	Individual	Individual	I am unhappy that a new referendum is eve n being considered as it indicates a complete reversal of Scottish governments election promise	If Eu and Republic of Ireland citizens are to be allowed a vote they should have a minimum residency period of at least 5 years	I would have no issue with these changes
3493	252148047	James Samson	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	All Scots resident in U.K. Should be allowed to vote.
3494	539134549	Robert Gordon Adams	Individual	Individual	My view is that there should be no further referendum on the matter in question	As above	As above
3495	249482595	Paul McFadden	Individual	Individual	Unnecessary and not wanted. Scotland decided in 2014 that we did not want independence. That vote should have sufficed Scottish government. \r No need for another. We have already decided.	You mean fixing them to an snp sheep follower.	People should be allowed to vote from 18 only.
3496	536770929	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no objection to the proposed arrangements, but I object strongly to another vote on Independence taking place. The people of the country voted and stated that they were not in favour of total independence and parliament have not accepted this decision. I thought we were meant to live in a democratic country, it's a pity that those in authority cannot accept NO. All I can see at the moment are spoilt children who are having a strop because they didn't get what they wanted. What example is this to give to our children? It appears that we now live in an age of bully boys instead of showing by good example.\rThe cost of a referendum could pay for better roads, nurses, education, and many other far more important needs.	no objection	in favour
3497	222574188	Ronald Dickinson	Individual	Individual	OK - but non-Scots-born voted No by a significant margin.	There were widespread reports on Twitter primarily about voter fraud via postal ballots. In particular, England-based Scots using family mailing addresses to vote in the referendum. Almost all of these votes would have been for No.\rThe Ruth Davidson "encouraging reports" comment on postal ballots is also very worrying.\rSecurity and checks on postal votes have to be improved.\rIf I understand from the changes outlined, it does appear these concerns have been addressed.	OK
3498	505424117	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Lets be quite clear there is no need for a new referendum. The SNP should get on with managing the country and stop this now. We do not need to spend any more money on this question. The people have spoken.	The age in all case should be 18 years of age.	No comment
3499	612151498	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	So long as everything is done in a impartial way with full clarity throughout then i have no objection.	Personally I would prefer eligibility to vote in a future referendum on independence to include a condition that requires everyone to have been resident in Scotland and paid tax or claimed benefits in Scotland for the past 5 years. Anyone living permanently outwith Scotland (even if undertaking military service) should not be allowed to vote.	I have no objections to the current rules.
3500	407303940	Brian McGarry	Individual	Individual	In general I am content with the proposals. However, with regard to section 3.4 of the Consultation Document I would urge that the UK government should/must be subject to the same conditions as "the Scottish Government and public bodies" in respect of "the 28-day referendum restricted period". Also, with regard to section 3.4, does the BBC fall within the definition of "public bodies" in this context? If not, it certainly should do!	I am content with the proposals, in particular 100% verification of postal votes.	I am content with the proposals.
3501	253562999	Miss	Individual	No Answered	Individual	I think non-EU/UK residents currently living in Scotland who have attended (are attending) a Scottish University should be allowed to vote in the independence referendum, as they have made a substantial financial investment into the country's economy. I also think those currently living in Scotland on a Tier 2 or Tier 1 visa, or who have indefinite leave to remain, should be allowed to vote for the same reasons.	no opinion on this matter.
3502	362256913	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I strongly disagree with having a referendum at all. 2014 was divisive, unpleasant and ultimately a waste of time and money as the SNP did not respect the result. They had it all their own way in terms of timing, franchise and the question itself. They agreed to a once in a generation time frame and the then leader went further and said it would be once in a lifetime. The argument that holding another referendum was part of the SNP manifesto is irrelevant. On Brexit many who voted Remain would not want another indyref. Similarly an estimated 400,000 SNP supporters voted for Leave. More in Scotland voted in 2014 to remain in UK than in 2016 to remain in UK. So why, other than to flatter their supporters, are the SNP wanting to have another referendum? It is an outrageous assault on democracy, decency and plain commonsense.	I believe that all voters should produce a form of photographic identity at the polls and that postal votes should be subject to increased scrutiny. Having taught for many years in secondary schools in Scotland I can see no reason to allow 16 and 17 year olds to vote as in many cases their intellectual powers are limited to the extent that they have no idea of what is at stake. In view of the well publicized decline in Scottish educational standards and the continuing efforts of the SG to dumb down the exam results to cover for this, I regret to say I do not have any confidence in this arrangement.	No comment.
3503	499152016	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It seems odd to be looking for a second referendum when the Brexit arrangements are not completed. It is odd that a second Brexit referendum is rulkes out of order despite the tiny majority while Scotland is preparing for a further referendum is spite of independence being firmly rejected last time. My advice to Scottish assembly is wait and see .	To be fair it should allow Scottish citizens currently abroad or in the EU to vote too	As above
3504	456870634	James Reid	Individual	Individual	I do not believe there is an appetite in Scotland for a second referendum	This is a huge waste of money which could be better spent elsewhere	Why does this need a change ?
3505	837364152	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	don't want a referendum	don't want a referendum	don't want a referendum
3506	1003842224	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel people should provide confirmation of identity when polling in person. And the use of postal ballots looked into further and tightened up for any future election use.	Fine	Fine
3507	705797385	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	'THE referendum' What referendum? \rThe only view I have is, there is no need for a referendum. There was one in 2014, the vote was clear. The economic questions that went unanswered, remain unanswered. No one appears capable of answering anything on the economics of an independent Scotland. Some have to have the difference between the deficit and the debt explained to them. \rAs for protecting 'our position' in the single market, (you know we do not have a position)is purely to be contrary to the English,which is now bordering on hatred. Something I want no part of. If we were independent, we would have been out of the EU, but that didn't seem to matter in2014. 15% trade with the EU, 65-70% with UK. Imagine going to the Dragons Den with this, you would be laughed out of there. Makes no sense.\rThe SNP's record in running of the country for the past ten years has been pretty woeful.\rFrom the NHS, education, police (you were told), farmers payout, FRB closure, falling foul of EU rules, named person.......... list goes on. Does not make me believe you can run an independent Scotland.\rDo more for the betterment of whole of Scotland instead of the constant and devisive harping on about independence.
3508	496907618	Pippa Plevin	Individual	Individual	From the Glasgow Herald 8th May 2016 "A TORY MP is a director of a company that has become a major player in how elections are managed in Scotland, it has emerged.\rConcerns have been raised with the Electoral Commission about the involvement with Idox of former Tory Cabinet minister Peter Lilley, who is a senior non-executive director.\rIdox has had a hand in providing count software, including postal vote management support, among other services, for elections since at least 2012"\rThis should be investigated as there should be absolutely no chance that count software could be compromised.	The Postal votes for Indyref went down to England at some point why was that? This should not happen again. In fact the number of people eligible for postal votes should be restricted to those with a medical reason as there have been studies that show there are some serious concerns of fraud with postal votes.	Should be more transparent who is actually contributing and behind some of these groups.
3509	890219050	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Content	Content	Content
3510	981633584	Hamish Wilson	Individual	Individual	If the mandate to hold a referendum is dependent on the EU referendum vote that should be taken into account on any new independence vote as people voted to be in the EU as with UK membership, not as an independent Scotland. If the mandate depends on a higher % of independence support there is not yet a mandate for a second referendum and that should be made clear on the ballot paper. There should also be measures taken that any new referendum in the near future should not be paid for out of public funds.\r One further point is the wording of the question on the ballot paper. A simple yes/no is biased in favour of yes-simple psychology will tell you this - therefore the question should be posed without the use of "yes" or "no".	I consider that Scottish people living outwith Scotland should have a vote in any future referendum. The definition of "Scottish" would be anyone born in Scotland having at least one parent who had been also born in Scotland. I appreciate lawyers may be able to give a better definition and pre-registration would be required timeously to enable checks being made. In parliamentary election residents abroad are entitled to a postal vote so it is not beyond the wit of man to have this applied to a future referendum. Scots work abroad in huge numbers and may not have a residence in Scotland but they should not be deprived of a vote.	Any referendum should be conducted on a strictly non-political party basis to avoid block voting and undue pressure.
3511	597431823	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	this bill should be scrapped. there should be no 2nd referendum. the independence question was decisively decided in 2014. The SNP at that time stated that this was to be a "once in a lifetime" decision. the Scottish government should honour that statement.\r it is further my view that this "consultation" is a sham. you have not asked whether there should in fact be a 2nd referendum, presumably for the obvious reason that you know full well what the answer to that question would be.	same answer as 1. above	same answer as 1. above
3512	929461085	Ross Hood	Individual	Individual	I think that people that were born and raised in Scotland but have since moved away to find better employment or to create a better life for themselves should be able to vote on this matter. They should be able to register and interest and then verified to confirm they born in Scotland and live in Scotland until they became an adult. To not allow them to vote is not right in my opinion what if they planned to move back to Scotland in the future?	Same as the comment I made in section 1.	Not interested
3513	880164466	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Totally opposed	o.k with it	o.k
3514	151176710	Diane McWade	Individual	Individual	I have four points.\r 1. Voting should be compulsory for such an important decision.\r2. Postal votes must be managed better, after the still unresolved issues last time.\r3. Further non U.K. independent oversight should be put in place for counts and the movement of ballot boxes made 100% secure.\r4. There is still time to investigate, pilot and introduce digital voting, counting and verification. It's 2017, paper based systems have too many flaws & risks.	Good changes.	Agreeable.
3515	280459621	Carol Walker	Individual	Individual	If the majority of the population voted to stay with the UK a few months ago why oh why are we wasting all this money to vote again?	No Answered	All Scots should be eligible to vote especially those living in the rest of the UK. This affects them too.
3516	572291086	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No need for another referendum. One was held in 2014 and the outcome is well known. - NO to independence.	No Answered	16 and 17 year old should not have vote.
3517	184090931	Ewen Robertson Scott	Individual	Individual	I firmly believe that there should not be another referendum.	The proposed changes are acceptable	I agree with the proposed changes
3518	393330765	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think there should not be one. The Scottish people made it clear in 2014 that they wished to remain part of the United Kingdom. That democratic decision must be respected.	They are irrelevant for a referendum which should not take place because it would be a betrayal of the democratic decision made by the Scottish people in 2014.	See above.
3519	980593922	Robert Gibson	Individual	Individual	A waste of time and money and in my view not using powers to better Scotland	Giving all and sundry the vote will not give the result the SNP are trying gain.	No comment
3520	187760374	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	My view is that there is no need for a 2nd referendum . I voted remain in the EU referendum but I did not intend this to mean that I wanted a 2nd referendum on independence . I think you have taken these votes and manipulated them for your own purposes and claimed a mandate . This is a big presumption by you of people's intentions . I object strongly to my vote being used this way .
3521	948451211	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There shouldn't be one
3522	851138669	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree generally with the procedures currently in place excepting the fees paid to returning officers. Their fees should be no more than those given to officials at polling stations.	I disagree with EU citizens being given the right to vote. There ought to be a residency threshold of 5 continuou years residency prior to any voting entitlement.	I agree with the proposals.
3523	631355413	Jason Grant	Individual	Individual	The management of the referendum as proposed is satisfactory and meets all transparency requirements. Addition of independent international observers would be a welcome addition to add an oversight level, particularity in areas such as postal vote storage, delivery and counting. \r Allowing campaign teams into counts has always been a questionable practice and should be re-thought.	I agree that the changes proposed are a positive addition, adding to the safety and transparency of the ballot.	I agree with the changes to the 2014 referendum procedures. Additional thought should be given to the 28-day referendum restricted period or purdah period. I feel that the Edinburgh agreement around Purdah was not correctly enforced, or rather that the rule of the law was tentatively acknowledged by both sides in the 2014 referendum, while the of the legislative reasoning behind the law was ignored. This was particularly evident in the later stages of the previous referendum, where government ministers and civil servants were openly violating Purdah though the press, public institutions, international government relationships and through public and private business press releases.
3524	979689660	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As the terms on which independence can be achieved will not be be known until after the negotiations any referendum should be a two stage process. First there should be a referendum on the principle of independence and if that is aprroved then negotiations can take place. Once the terms are agreed we should have a second referendum on the precise terms.	No comment	No comment
3525	880954066	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Although I am opposed to holding a second Independence referendum in the first instance, if a second vote was to proceed then the arrangements put in place in 2014 were fair and democratic.	Seems sensible.	The Scottish people do not need or want a 2nd referendum vote, therefore this is not required,.
3526	924952423	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In agreement	Question regarding whether there should be a minimum length of residency for right to vote (e.g. EU or RUK students resident in Scotland to study at university- do they automatically get vote even if they have only been resident for a short time?).\r Agree changes in e.g. Proxy voting should be in step with changes currently discussed for national elections.	Agree
3527	437987469	John Sturrock	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I believe that the question to be posed should be discussed as part of this consultation. \r The present form could be enhanced by referring to the personal beliefs of the participant in the referendum, ie \r "I believe that Scotland should be..... Yes / No" \r This makes the vote less abstract and more personal, requiring individual consideration and engagement. \r It would also be possible to pose the question in a non-leading way, ie:\r "Scotland should be an independent country....\rScotland should remain a part of the United Kingdom..."\r Tick only one box."\r This would make the choice a clear and direct one.
3528	890116215	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These seem appropriate	These are a major step forward to ensure impartiality of poll counters	These seem appropriate
3529	144868698	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe that there should be another referendum so don't believe this question is relevant in this case.	I do not believe that there should be another referendum so don't believe this question is relevant in this case.	I do not believe that there should be another referendum so don't believe this question is relevant in this case.
3530	876866208	Chris Smith	Individual	Individual	Happy with previous arrangements but thoughts on eligability outlined in more detail below. Overall though I am against holding another referendum on this issue. Irrespective of recent events and the Brexit outcome the democratic voice of the nation was given recently and should be respected...the country and its people suffered enough then and a further referendum in next year or so is too soon...the case on the world, European and indeed UK stages has not changed sufficiently in my opion to merit another upheval.	Happy with general arrangements although serious consideration should be given to allowing Scots living abroad/in other UK countries the opportunity to vote irrespective of them having a base/postal address in Scotland. Other foreign countries allow their citizens living abroad to register/prove their right to be registered to vote etc effectively and appears to work well. Our citizens should be given this right as they may not always be based abroad and may wish to return or alternately have no other option but to return, they too should have the democratic right to have their voices also taken into consideration...it is too an important discussion/decision etc to exclude them!	Happy with general arrangements proposed.
3531	451169646	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is ridiculous that Scots living elsewhere in the Uk i.e. registered to vote in London cannot vote in a future referendum. It is their country too and they should have a say.	No Answered	It is wrong to restrict the ability of Scottish citizens to use proxy votes - the numbers were so high because due to the nature of our small country many people work elsewhere in the UK, and the postal ballots did not provide enough time to be confident they would return on time - I had only 3 days to do my postal ballot last time, and worried it would not be counted. proxy voting is essential to ensure any bureaucratic hiccups elsewhere in the process can be rectified and no one is excluded.
3532	477822785	bob pritchard	Individual	Individual	Acceptable.	Good .... residence in Scotland is important. "Ex-pats" should have no say.	No comment.
3533	488009400	chris marlowe	Individual	Individual	the answer was quite clear and specific in 2014 , unsure why only a salmond resigned. why not entire party as you clearly are not working as public servants ignoring democracy ,are you ?	not required as referendum is surplus to requirements	do you understand democracy ?
3534	54265083	Chris Donnelly	Individual	Individual	Given that the constitution is a reserved issue, and that it can only be called by the UK Government, the Electoral Commission should report to the Secretary of State for Scotland in its handling of the referendum. \r Consequently, the voting eligibility should be the same as for the UK Parliament, in addition to Scots living elsewhere in the UK but who would be profoundly affected by any changed constitutional status.	It is not an internationally accepted principle to base eligibility on residency; many countries base it on citizenship, for example Australia, where expatriates have to vote in referenda at their embassy.\r As foreign nationals would not have to live with the consequences of Scotland leaving the UK if they did not elect to do so, the eligibility should not include EU or Commonwealth nationals. \r As the issue affects Scots around the world as it would change their citizenship rights, they should be allowed to vote as UK nationals can at General Elections.	I agree with this provision.
3535	749661860	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the arrangements.	I agree.	I agree.
3536	756221040	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum. It is unnecessary and disrespects the result of the 2014 referendum which was decisive. I am totally against another referendum.	No EU citizens should be eligible to vote unless they are UK citizens as well.	No comments.
3537	947084219	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Waste of time	Worked OK the last time	Worked OK the last time
3538	867476619	Jane Russell	Individual	Individual	These look to be eminently fair.	I agree that postal voting needs to be more closely and impartially scrutinised this time around. Many voters last time felt there had been some flaws in the system and its execution, and their concerns were not fully addressed subsequently.	Agreed: no-one with a direct or personal interest should be involved.\rI'd be inclined to suggest using counters from another country, such as Denmark or Norway, though that's probably not feasible!
3539	1007197953	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Dishonest, respect the vote taken recently and respect the wishes of the voting public.\rScotland does not need or want more time and money wasted on a minority view, get on with managing the country.	Meddling for meddling sake. Democracy worked well during the referendum and no one made recommendations for any need for change.	The cynical would say the government are trying to fix the vote in their favour.
3540	73843511	Iain Dykes	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals	I have no views on this	I have no views on this
3541	1055601593	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	You haven't addressed the need for Westminster to grant you constitutional authority to carry out another referendum, so this question is as utterly irrelevant as it is morally bankrupt.	You haven't addressed the need for Westminster to grant you constitutional authority to carry out another referendum, so this question is as utterly irrelevant as it is morally bankrupt.	You haven't addressed the need for Westminster to grant you constitutional authority to carry out another referendum, so this question is as utterly irrelevant as it is morally bankrupt.
3542	989840683	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The wording of this question (regarding the management of the referendum) implies a second independence referendum is already going ahead.\r I am against a second referendum on Scottish Independence. I feel it is not required and should not be pushed by the Scottish Government.\r Australia operates a compulsory voting system - such a system would have likely resulted in a Remain vote in the EU referendum. Any referendum should require at least 50% of the electorate (not just those who voted) to qualify as a vote to leave. To illicit a major constitutional change, the majority of the electorate should vote for it - this removes complacency and ensures a representative & fully democratic outcome.	Again, in the event that a referendum is going ahead - which I hope it isn't, I feel:\r Those born in Scotland but living elsewhere within the UK, Commonwealth & EU should get the right to vote. Most of whom will identify as Scottish and call Scotland Home - they're also likely to be less susceptible to the anti-english zealot rhetoric and have a well-balanced worldly outlook. Any suggestion to exclude them is an attempt to affect the outcome in favour of independence.\r Any referendum should require at least 50% of the electorate (not just those who voted) to qualify as a vote to leave. To illicit a major constitutional change, the majority of the electorate should vote for it - this removes complacency and ensures a representative & fully democratic outcome.	More transparency is a good thing.
3543	226408383	Hamish Low	Individual	Individual	Scottish people living elsewhere in the UK should be allowed to vote in any possible referendum due to how it will have huge ramifications for scots anywhere including in the rest of the UK and so there opinions should be considered and they should be eligible to vote	No Answered	Proxy voting should not be limited in any way as democratic involvement should be encouraged and efforts should be made to ensure that there is high participation and making voting simpler for people through proxy voting is an important element of this
3544	559614442	Tony Siegerson	Individual	Individual	The management of the referendum seem robust	All seems good and sensible	All good here
3545	99673179	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree with the proposal to hold a further referendum. I voted for the UK to remain in the EU. This vote was in answer to the question asked on the ballot paper and NOT in response to the non question' do you want Scotland to remain in the EU?'\rHad that been the question, I woukd have voted differently as I neither want an Independent Scotland nor have any wish for it to remain in the EU without it being part of the UK.\rI therefore contend that the First Minister and her party have not had any mandate to hold a further referendum on the issue of an Independent Scotland and is falsely claiming that 'Scotland voted to stay in the EU' \r/Scotland voted for the U.K. to remain part of the EU....different issue entirely	I see no reason to change voting arrangements from 2014 should this go ahead.\rI see this as the SNP attempting to gain some advantage by widening the scope to hopefully gain more pro independent votes	No comment to make
3546	352103155	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think constitutional matters are right to be reserved as they affect whole of UK\r Further more as Brexit was flagged as a risk during the Indy campaign & we were told it was a once in a generation opportunity I do not accept that there is due cause for a 2nd referendum and feel very strongly that the interests of Scotland would be better served by a SG who were determined to work with the UK government to get the best available deal and for further vesting of powers ( including immigration). My remain vote is not a proxy for further division in Scotland and I feel is being hijaked to part political ends.	I am OK with these	These make sense
3547	976822464	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum we had a once in a generation vote 2 years ago. The EU referendum was a uk vote, Scotland did not have a vote. This is not acceptable and is an affront to democracy.	SNP trying to swing the vote by including demography that fit their parties support base, this is no better than vote rigging and is disgraceful	Disgraceful everyone who lives here or was born here should have a vote in these situations
3548	599278959	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	normal procedure...i do not agree with another referendum	normal procedures...i do not agree with another referendum	we shouldn.t be having another referendum..there is no need when we had such a large majority against in 2014
3549	244690831	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These arrangements are fine but there is absolutely no need or desire from most Scots for a divisive and costly referendum.	All fine.	Can't disagree.
3550	945225656	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	we don't need another referendum	do not change	leave the rule as they are
3551	914167649	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Adequate. Care to be taken regarding individuals taking photos at counting locations and making false accusations of fraud	It is paramount that those who are serving abroad with their normal residence in Scotland are able to vote.	No view
3552	850504048	JOHN SCOTT MCLAREN	Individual	Individual	NOT REQUIRED, SCOTLAND IS TOO IMPORTANT TO ME TO HAVE ANY FURTHER TRUCK WITH THIS NONSENSE	SCOTS RESIDENT FOR CAREER REASONS SHOULD BE ENTITLED TO VOTE ON MATTERS AFFECTING THEIR HOME COUNTRY TO WHICH THEY, WILL IN THE MAIN, RETURN TO RESIDE AT SOME STAGE IN THEIR LIFE	AGAINST THE INVOLVEMENT OF OFFICERS OF POLITICAL PARTIES
3553	556002060	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree in principle but completely disagree that 16 and 17 year olds are allowed to vote in something so important when they have little understanding of the consequences. I am sure a minority are able to articulate on the subject but unless they are a majority of the age group they should not be allowed	No Answered	completely disagree that 16 and 17 year olds are allowed to vote in something so important when they have little understanding of the consequences. I am sure a minority are able to articulate on the subject but unless they are a majority of the age group they should not be allowed.\rAgree on tightening up of proxy voting rules and postal vote verificaiton
3554	746092062	Khalid Khurshid	Individual	Individual	I used to be an SNP voter but I am now fed up with SNP's obsession with Independence . Why don't they take NO for an answer. The UK market is far more important than the EU. Instead they should concentrate on their normal job of looking after the matters important to the Scottish people. Just one example of how this obsession affecting other things, my friend had to go to emergency department yesterday and was admitted to hospital but there were no beds available and had to spend the night on a chair at reception.	None	None
3555	264394554	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As presented these arrangements seem perfectly reasonable.	Good.	Good.
3556	737955613	Grant Mccormack	Individual	Individual	A total waste of time and money,,we've had our once in a lifetime vote to stay part of the union and my opinion and vote should be respected,,	You mean vote and figure fiddling by the SNP?a	Waste oh time and money
3557	903491721	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with your proposals.	I agree in general but I have some doubt about students whose home residence is outside Scotland, i.e. overseas and rUK undergraduates and post-graduates, being given a vote in an independence referendum. If Commonwealth and EU citizens have chosen to live in Scotland long-term then of course they should have a vote. But if they are here attending university or with a similar short term, 3-4 year, appointment then I don't think they should have a vote. \r I agree with the other technical proposals and changes.	I agree.
3558	176381620	John Bowie	Individual	Individual	With such reference to the 2014 referendum I am left to surmise that the wishes of the people based on the vote will be ignored if it does not go the way of the nationalist Government.	No objection to the technical arrangements. For the voidance of doubt and to prevent the Nationalists presenting these answers as being no objection to another vote, I object to another vote being called.	No objection to the technical arrangements.\rFor the avoidance of doubt, I object to the calling of another referendum.
3559	75843479	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think there should be another referendum. Its time for the SNP to focus on whats important for Scotland - the economey, jobs, education, health, etc. The relentless focus on the referendum creates even more uncertainty in already difficult times. \r As a firm beliver in the EU I am very disappointed by the brexit result. I think that the true consequnces of this will come to light in 2017 - the price rises, the struggle for labour, the inflation and continued depreation of the pound, capital flight and the relocation of business. Despite this I do not feel it is Scotlands interest to deliberately break the union. With over 65 percent of Scotlands trade with England it would be economic maddness to complicate trading arrangements. \r If there must be a referendum there should be a clear majority of people in favour or not. As with Brexit a close result does no one any favours and makes the political choices for the way forward extreamly difficult. As such a clear 20 percent should be in favour or not. At least its decisive.	no comment	Seem sensible
3560	652775131	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As far as I am concerned - and as far as the then First Minister was concered in the run-up to the Scottish Independence Referendum - the Referendum was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Scottish people to vote for, or against, independece.\r The fact that Scotland voted to remain in the EU has no bearing whatsoever on Scottish indepence. Many parts of the UK voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU but, as part of the UK - as is Scotland - they have to accept the wishes of the majority of people who voted.\r Scotland has never been a member of the EU; that comes through being part of the UK. In consequence, Scotland cannot remain following the result of the June 2016 Referendum. There is a long process to enable membership of the EU and it is naive for the SNP to imagine that they would be allowed to fast-track that process.\r The SNP should focus of the £15 billion budget defecit that is subsidised by the remainder of the UK rather that squandering taxpayers' hard-earned cash on another referendum. The SNP should also reflect on the fact that their obsession with indepence has resulted in a Scotland with a mis-managed and ineffective Police Force, poor educational standards, lamentable rail services and roads that are in a digraceful state of repair.\r Save the cash and start thinking about Scotland and not the SNP	No views	No views
3561	970081557	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	OK	The "People of Scotland" seems to include many categories that are probably better thought of as "People IN Scotland" and does not require them to be Scottish. \rThey could be thought of as "temporary residents" and as such should not have an equal stake in Scotland's future.	OK
3562	232669840	John	Individual	Individual	WE DO NOT WANT ANOTHER REFERENDUM..!!!\r Do the job we are paying you handsomely to do and keep your promise to respect the result of the 2014 referendum, instead of continually lying through your teeth to your own people and trying to split up the UK.\r The SNP are a bunch of lying cheats that deserve to be kicked out of office and back to the gutter where you all belong, you are all hateful lying cheats and malcontents.\r Stop it, stop it NOW!	WE DO NOT WANT ANOTHER REFERENDUM..!!!\r Do the job we are paying you handsomely to do and keep your promise to respect the result of the 2014 referendum, instead of continually lying through your teeth to your own people and trying to split up the UK.\r The SNP are a bunch of lying cheats that deserve to be kicked out of office and back to the gutter where you all belong, you are all hateful lying cheats and malcontents.\r Stop it, stop it NOW!	WE DO NOT WANT ANOTHER REFERENDUM..!!!\r Do the job we are paying you handsomely to do and keep your promise to respect the result of the 2014 referendum, instead of continually lying through your teeth to your own people and trying to split up the UK.\r The SNP are a bunch of lying cheats that deserve to be kicked out of office and back to the gutter where you all belong, you are all hateful lying cheats and malcontents.\r Stop it, stop it NOW!
3563	514641967	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This draft bill is built on the premise that "Scotland voted to remain in the EU". THIS IS A LIE. The people of Scotland voted for the UK to remain in the EU. As a Remain voter, I object in the strongest terms possible to my vote being wilfully misrepresented in this way.	This draft bill is built on the premise that "Scotland voted to remain in the EU". THIS IS A LIE. The people of Scotland voted for the UK to remain in the EU. As a Remain voter, I object in the strongest terms possible to my vote being wilfully misrepresented in this way.	This draft bill is built on the premise that "Scotland voted to remain in the EU". THIS IS A LIE. The people of Scotland voted for the UK to remain in the EU. As a Remain voter, I object in the strongest terms possible to my vote being wilfully misrepresented in this way.
3564	470541924	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am totally opposed to another referendum.	No strong views apart from being totally opposed to another referendum. The result of the last one was clear and should be respected.	Again, no strong feelings apart from total opposition to another referendum. The result should be accepted.
3565	44723994	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the method of gathering results.\rWith more scrutiny of postal votes.	Agreeable to proposals	Happy with proposals.Agreeable to policy on any changesagreeable to changes
3566	776597093	Scott Henry	Individual	Individual	I do not agree that we should be holding another independence referendum. Scotland voted to remain part of the UK and both sides agreed to respect the result. By proposing another referendum Nicola Sturgeon is not respecting the result of the 2014 referendum.	I feel that Scots living in the rest of the UK should be eligible to vote. I do not agree that 16 year olds should be eligible to vote.	No strong feelings.
3567	1033217324	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Find this satisfactory	Satisfied with this.\r Feel that the House of Lords should be abolished, but I suppose that, as individuals, Members have as much right to vote as I have.	Satisfied with this
3568	372462538	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree with another referendum	NA	NA
3569	188619511	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Sounds fine to me	Yes this seems appropriate	It is appropriate that EU citizens have a say
3570	590976328	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Proposed arrangements are fine.	Arrangements are in order.	All seems fine.
3571	528865767	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The government needs to accept the will of the people and the democratic process. They must get on with running the country instead of running it into the ground. They have a very narrow mindset and view and do not represent the best interests of the country on the world stage. We need to re-establish our dignity and pride and earn back the respect we have lost through becoming an apparent bunch of winging gits.	The government needs to accept the will of the people and the democratic process. They must get on with running the country instead of running it into the ground. They have a very narrow mindset and view and do not represent the best interests of the country on the world stage. We need to re-establish our dignity and pride and earn back the respect we have lost through becoming an apparent bunch of winging gits.	The government needs to accept the will of the people and the democratic process. They must get on with running the country instead of running it into the ground. They have a very narrow mindset and view and do not represent the best interests of the country on the world stage. We need to re-establish our dignity and pride and earn back the respect we have lost through becoming an apparent bunch of winging gits.
3572	796176164	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Along with the majority of Scottish People I am against any further discussion about a further referendum. I believe the SNP have put their own personal desire for Total independence from the UK at the fore front of all activities. Regardless of the result of the last\rReferendum which was supposed to be a lifetime event they have neglected proper running of the country's affairs in order to obtain what they want against the majority views. The have wasted time and money with their propaganda. This so called consultation is a total smoke screen and no doubt the result will be slanted the way the SNP want things to be. \rIf another referendum is imposed on the Scottish People I believe along with many, many others that there should be a second question on the voting paper which should ask - Do you think that the Scottish Parliament should be disbanded in order to save money which could be spent directly on services within Scotland?\rOur greatest trading partner is the rest of the UK. Therefore part and parcel of exiting Europe should be a return to rule in all matters from Westminster.	Irrelevant no referendum.	Irrelevant. No referendum.
3573	4964288	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If there was to be another independence referendum it must contain 2 questions 1) should Scotland be an independent country and 2) should Scotland be part of eu .\rmany people like myself would answer yes to question 1 and no to question 2 also I think polling stations need to be better as voting using a pencil is crazy in this day and age also I do not agree with 16 year olds and people not living in this country for very long should have the right to vote either	No Answered	the vote procedure should be replaced the outdated paper and pencil system is not suitable in this day and age
3574	1009732726	Kevin T Lynch	Individual	Individual	I think the Scottish governments time would be better spend working on our failing education, policing, social care and NHS rather than holding a referendum that the majority of the scottish people clearly don't want.	I disagree that 16 and 17 year old's are voting particularly as according to the SG they require a state guardian.	I think any one who contributes has wasted their money.
3575	276368307	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree with the proposed management arrangements , but not eligibility criteria. \r I also disagree with having a 2nd referendum, there have been two referendums in my lifetime, both times the majority voted to stay in the UK. While my heart would vote for Scottish independence , the calibre of politicians in the current Scottish government makes my head vote a resounding NO	I strongly disagree with giving EU citizens, resident in Scotland, the right to vote. EU citizens are not Scottish and may, or may not, settle here permanently. \rThe Scottish government has tied BREXIT and a possible 2nd independence referendum together, stating Scotland would attempt to stay in the EU if it gains independance. Allowing EU citizens to vote is just a means of gaining YES votes for independence as obviously most EU citizens living here would want Scotland to stay in the EU.\r I also disagree with giving 16 and 17 year olds the right to vote, a majority of young people will vote YES for independence, its natural for them to be more idealistic than older people. Young people are not allowed to buy tobacco or alcohol before the age of 18, their elders (i.e. politicians ) don't believe they are capable of making good decisions about their health and need to be protected. If they aren't capable of making good choices regarding smoking, they certainly aren't capable of voting in an independence referendum . The lowering of voting age is a SNP tactic to gan more votes for their cause. \rThe argument that young people should have the vote, because they will live longer with the results, with the results is fallacious. This argument could also be used to disenfranchise 90, 80 , 70 ,60? year old people because they will only live a relatively short time with the results of a 2nd independence referendum.	agree
3576	970657872	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements seem fine.\rBut why ask this question first?\rShould the first question not be if I think a second referendum is necessary/required/wanted?\r Answering this will give the impression in your statistics that the principal of Indyref 2 is acceptable.\r To me Indyref 2 is not acceptable.	See answer to Question 1.	Fine\rBut see answer to question1.
3577	489975770	Eleanor Williams	Individual	Individual	I would expect that the Electoral Commission were stricter than they were in 2014 regarding what was prohibited during the purdah period and enforcing their own rules.\r I would prefer if the Chief Counting Officer ran a tigher ship than in 2014 regarding the seals on ballot boxes, the transfer of ballot boxes being in sight of approved people and that the counts themselves were more highly supervised, in line with recommendations made by the observers during the 2014 Referendum.\r I would prefer if any opening of postal votes was only by dint of following a clearly stated set of rules, in front of the Chief Counting Officer and representatives from both Yes and No campaign groups, and that the results were put to press by the Chief or by a neutral Electoral person.\r I would prefer if there were International Observers allowed in from the UN.\r I would prefer if photos of the ballot papers and an explanation of any codes and/or barcodes was made public leading up to the vote itself, in order that members of the public had a chance to look and learn what would be an official ballot paper.\r Basically, I'd like for all of the complaints and concerns people had after the 2014 Referendum could be addressed. I myself had a ballot paper with no barcode on the reverse of it. I did attempt to report it to the Electoral Commission, but like hundreds (thousands?) or other people, was told point blank that this 'could not have happened'. Then - once enough people had complained, a contact email for the Police was circulated on social media asking people to report there. I did - and heard nothing back from it. I still have doubts about the legality of the 2014 Referendum because of my own personal experience. Most gutting was having nowhere to go with complaints or concerns after voting that would take what I was saying seriously. \r I want the legislation changed (if possible) so that \ra) individuals can access their ballot paper after the vote for a certain period of time\rand \rb) an independent organisation could be allowed to conduct a full recount where necessary.	I would like the ballot papers to be 'read' by a computer fit for the purpose, as well as by people. Whenever there was a large enough disparity between the computer scan count and the people count, those ballot papers should be counted again by another member of count staff. \r I would advise that the above if undertaken in the following manner; \r1. ballot paper bundles counted by count staff\r2. ballot paper bundles counted by a computer fit for the purpose\r3. where there is a large enough disparity in the total number of ballot papers declared for that bundle, or in the total number of votes one way of the other, or all of the above, the bundle is handed to another member of the count staff for a second person count.\r4. if a count member is found to be unable to count accurately two times in a row notwithstanding spoiled papers or oddities that the computer may not highlight properly, they are relieved of their counting duties immediately.\r This system, or something like it, may help accuracy somewhat. Dumfries & Galloway required a staggering 3 recounts in the early hours of the morning after voting day in the first ScotIndy Ref in 2014 - and some of the count staff may have been making errors due to their being very tired. A system which can factor in the need to positively dismiss staff (Awa' to yer bed!) that are exhausted would help somewhat.	This is all good - I've nothing more to add here, thanks.
3578	645775021	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think that the current system is fair.	I agree.	Don't know.
3579	480288104	Personal	Individual	Individual	It is a waste of time - NO MEANS NO\r If a region of Scotland votes to stay in the UK e.g. Glasgow, will the Scottish Government permit Glasgow to leave Scotland?\r GROW UP	It is a waste of time - NO MEANS NO\r If a region of Scotland votes to stay in the UK e.g. Glasgow, will the Scottish Government permit Glasgow to leave Scotland?\r GROW UP	It is a waste of time - NO MEANS NO\r If a region of Scotland votes to stay in the UK e.g. Glasgow, will the Scottish Government permit Glasgow to leave Scotland?\r GROW UP
3580	1069430304	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The question should be clear that that you wish us to vote to leave the uk, in favour of being part of the EU instead, as this si the reason given for ignoring the 2014 result.\r Just like the rationale given by the government for the referendum, no single part of the country should be able to drag the country of the UK, i.e. just because Glasgow and Dundee vote to leave then this should not be considered and mandate for the whole of the county to leave.\r The Scottish Civil service should not be used to support the government who wish to leave, as was the case the last time, as was the last time. They should be allowed to be completed impartial.	IF we are going to use other internationally recognised practises then we should use them whole heartedly, not pick and choose. These changes are nothing more than the attempt to skue to voting by having the ability to claim a spoiled vote, or restrict the ability of people out of the county from voting.\r The ability for EU citizens temporarily resident in Scotland should not be allowed to vote, as the reason for the election is leaving the EU as such this would be considered a prejudiced vote. Equally this could lead to undue influence by Europeans not staying or permanently working in scotland temporary registering to influence the vote.\r Only people who register to vote in all election should be eligible, i.e. if you cant vote in local elections or general election you should not be allowed to vote in a referendum, The same as how other european countries work.	This appears nothing more than an attempt to restrict the rest of the uk participating in the debate. Given this is about leaving the UK then this should remain as previous. It is especially important in the context, the current Scottish government does not reflect the will of the people nor does it speak up for no voters. As per the last election Civil servant were instructed to publish material that favoured the SNPs view, as such skewed the facts and the ability for impartial information to be published. Given this fact then there should be public bodies allowed to speak up on behalf of no voters.
3581	540153154	Robert Lawrie	Individual	Individual	I hold the view that a digital voting arrangement (while ensure access to all) could increase participation and also demonstrate a modern, technologically advanced nation - alongside other countries now using digital voting - I can understand the motivation to stick with the familiar. I would hope such an option will receive due attention.	More resources required; however, sensible changes that will help to minimise concerns voiced post 2014.	no concern other than participants should always be pressed to declare their interest before being afforded any promotional platform - more for indirect participants.
3582	706941176	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No comment	Cut down pre referendum period	Allow all Scots living overseas and in England to vote
3583	731449049	Peter Russell	Individual	Individual	Unnecessary - there should not be a further referendum at this stage. The 2014 referendum was not contingent on later foreign policy positions; it was defined in the Edinburgh Agreement as "decisive"; and described by the former and current FMs as "once in a generation" and "once in a lifetime."	see above.	see above
3584	1023291227	Frances McCart	Individual	Individual	Not necessary as we already voted NO . Why does the SNAP not accept the will of the majority and stop wasting money?	Voting should only be open to those who reside in Scotland and nowhere else.	No problem with this
3585	446253718	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements in the consultation document.	I agree with the government proposals.	I agree with the Scottish government's proposed changes.
3586	288951525	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I support this.	Glad changes have been made. There were issues when I voted by proxy on behalf of my partner during the last referendum. I had to contact the voting line to have this rectified. I therefore recommend that all staff are fully trained and that the procefures in place are the same for those of all people working at polling stations. The lady I dealt with seemed unsure and there seemed to be two separate piles laid out on the table (which didn't exactly fill me with ease). I was assured on the callback that they had talked with the lady and it had been sorted and both votes would be registered. I remember her asking the lady nezt to her what to do with the proxy vote. The idea one of our votes could have been lost was really unnerving considering what was at stake.	I support this.
3587	623846324	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree with arrangements to run refurendum	Agree with changes	Agree with permissible participants
3588	688479646	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	NO NEED TO MANAGE A SECOND REFERENDUM I VOTED TO KEEP THE UK AS ONE ALONG WITH A MAJORITY IN THE LAST REFERENDUM
3589	416944485	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The management of the referendum process is fine. \r But we had a referendum in 2014. The answer was very clear and I do not agree we should have another. My answer was no to independence then, and it will remain no. \r Please stop wasting time, money, resources and effort on ideological objectives and get on with using the powers the Scottish Parliament has today.	The the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements of the referendum process is fine. \r But we had a referendum in 2014. The answer was very clear and I do not agree we should have another. My answer was no to independence then, and it will remain no. \r Please stop wasting time, money, resources and effort on ideological objectives and get on with using the powers the Scottish Parliament has today.	The the proposed technical changes to rules on permissible participants of the referendum process is fine. \r But we had a referendum in 2014. The answer was very clear and I do not agree we should have another. My answer was no to independence then, and it will remain no. \r Please stop wasting time, money, resources and effort on ideological objectives and get on with using the powers the Scottish Parliament has today.
3590	158460709	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
3591	941956979	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not applicable, NO second referendum should be held.	N/A see above.	N/A
3592	33919234	Jocelyn Seligman	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I am opposed to another referendum on Scottish Independence. The clear result of the 2014 referendum should be respected by the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government should do as directed in 2014 and work with the rest of the UK. This consultation is an unnecessary and divisive measure which distracts the Scottish Government from governing effectively.\r If another referendum was held the following changes from 2014 would make for a fairer and more representative decision for the Scottish People:\r - A majority of Scots (not votes) would be required to vote for Independence.\r- The question should be whether to remain or leave the United Kingdom, in the same manner as the Electroral Comission ruled for the 2016 EU Referendum;\r- The franchise should include all Scots regardless of whether they live in Scotland at the time of the vote;\r- The franchise should exclude any non UK nationals living in Scotland;\r- In the event of a vote to leave the United Kingdom, a second referendum using the same franchise should be held to ratify the terms of exit from the UK negotiated by the Scottish Government.
3593	36461619	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As only the UK Government can legally call a referendum, the Electoral Commission should report to the Secretary of State for Scotland, not the Scottish Government. \r I also think there ought to have been a question asking whether people want another referendum on this subject at all.	No Answered	It is not an internationally accepted principle that residency determines electoral eligibity; most countries base it on citizenship and expats need to vote at their embassies even when they live abroad.
3594	12415732	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These are ok	I think the 100% checking of postal votes is good	This is ok
3595	659108672	William James Murray	Individual	Individual	In general, the proposed arrangements seem satisfactory.\rMy only slight reservation is over Section 7 : Power to make supplementary etc. provision and modifications, where Sub-section (1) appears to give the possibility of enabling Scottish Ministers to interfere in the arrangements for and information about the Referendum.\rAs I'm not a lawyer, I would be happy to accept an assurance that this is not the case.	In general, the proposals seem satisfactory.	In general, the proposals seem satisfactory.
3596	721598249	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is a reasonable way to manage the referendum that should ensure it is done in a transparent and open way.	I agree with the technical changes to ensure that the referendum cannot be open to any claims of inappropriate operation.	I agree with the changes proposed.
3597	945775840	john laurie	Individual	Individual	I believe any referendum is totally unnecessary and a distraction from improving the lot of the Scottish people at a time when our economy , our living standards, our education and our healthcare are all deteriorating, while the Scottish government obsesses about independence despite the clearly expressed majority preference against this	Not interested, any referendum is unnecessary	Not interesyed any referendum is unnecessary
3598	912872160	Stuart Wilfred Wilshaw	Individual	Individual	Nothing to object to.	Nothing to object to.	Nothing to object to.
3599	65503784	Alan Cadden	Individual	Individual	No Answered	The poll count had some well published irregalities in 2014. The postal vote must be counted in Scotland. Proper management of polling station is essential as people were having to walk by Better Together campaigners at the entrance door. I saw this with my own eyes. Also people should not be coheresed or scared before voting as many foreign nationals were.	This needs to be closely monitored. Individual contributions must be capped. In additions groups aligned to government and media organisations must not be allowed to disguise themselves through organisations such as "vote no borders". Large organisations should have contribution limits. The result last time was influenced by funding. Also funding should not be allowed for organisation participating in deliberate scaring, otherwise known as deliberate lying.
3600	873106807	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We have already had an Indy Referendum. There is no requirement for a further vote within the timescales previously pledged by the SNP. The SNP signed up to the Edinburgh Agreement and that's that !	Given the conduct of many SNP supporters and activists, I would be deeply concerned about you having any input at polling or counting procedures. The public were intimidated by some of 'your people' during the previous Indy campaign and vote..The scope for tampering seems substantial and many of your supporters seem more than motivated to engage in such behaviour.	N/A - you've had your referendum
3601	559357354	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am totally against a second referendum. No means No. Since 2014 I am even more convinced that Scotland is better off in the Union. \rSave money don't hold a referendum.	Not applicable as I am against the referendum.	No view as I am against a referendum being enacted upon.
3602	755040639	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We held a referendum in 2014 and should abide by that result. \rThere should be no further referendum.	We held a referendum in 2014 and should abide by that result. \rThere should be no further referendum.	We held a referendum in 2014 and should abide by that result. \rThere should be no further referendum.
3603	1016801753	Gordon Muir	Individual	Individual	agree with this view.	Agree with these statements.	Agree.
3604	100985758	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I see no need for a second referendum since the will of the Scottish people was clear the last time.	Don't see the need for Indy ref 2	Don't want another teferendum
3605	259132448	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe that there should be the tightest possible control of postal voting which should only be available to those who are absent from their registered electoral address or incapacitated through illness on polling day. In addition postal vote scrutiny and checking should not be started until the close of polls on polling day even if this delays the final result. After the announcement of a referendum the circumstances of all those seeking to join the electoral register should be exhaustively checked to ensure that they are properly resident at a Scottish address. I believe strongly that the work of the Electoral Commission should be independently monitored by an appropriate international body.	All of the proposed technical changes appear to be sensible and add to the security of the referendum process	The proposed changes to the rules appear to be sensible.
3606	303775851	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Disagree as feel that regardless on how many votes, referendum or consultation the voice of the Scottish people will go unheard.\r We life in a poisonous and divided country and silly consultations like this do us no favour when living in the real world.	Makes no difference as the SNP will use what ever facts they see fit and continue to ignore the electorate	voting age should be 18 no question
3607	107413871	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not see the need for another referendum, Scotland voted against independence just over two years ago. Another referendum now, in my opinion, is both a waste of time and deflects the government from the job of governing the country.	This has little or no impact on those voting.	This seems to me to be technical change and should have no impact on the voters.
3608	874031807	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I voted NO in 2014. You should respect that vote. \r This year, I voted to Remain in the EU but, under no circumstance, did that mean I wished to engage in any Indy 2. Please do not try to poach this vote to further your cause.	No views as it shouldn't be required	See answer Question 2
3609	161148424	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have a concern regarding the electorate for the referendum. My understanding is that there are around 500 thousand UK citizens living in Scotland at this time who are not Scots, and equally there are a large number of Scots temporarily living abroad. Assuming those non-Scots residents comprise about 10% of the voting population they will have a considerable influence on the outcome, and I assume they will to a large extent be anti-Independence and not with any proper interest in Scotland. Also if the residential qualification is simply current residence, then does that mean that anyone resident for six months can vote. Surely a minimum of five years would be logical to ensure that a reasonable knowledge of Scotland's life and political situation would exist. I appreciate that selecting the electorate by any other means than current residents is very problematic, but I feel something ought to be considered. After all there are a considerable number of Scots working in the EU who are at least as affected by Brexit as those living in Scotland.	OK	OK
3610	979145747	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	What a complete waste of money	Again - a waste of money. When we have massive problems with funding for NHS, child poverty and schools needing more financial input why on earth or we spending money on something that was decided less than 2 years ago ?	Why are you doing this?
3611	254501249	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This appears reasonable. I am wary of the postal voting arrangements following an abnormally high rate of returns in 2014. We know by the admission on TV by Ruth Davidson that there had been tampering with the postal ballot. Scrutiny of security arrangements needs to be robust and demonstrably impartial.	I may have answered this in my response above.	Let's just get on with it. If the conservative party continues to persist in the position of not wanting a second referendum to take place I would personally bar them from participation but I understand that would not be possible.
3612	393297063	Sandra saunders	Individual	Individual	Happy with that	Difficult to ascertain without analysing what the consequences are for allowing eu/commonwealth and other British citizens to vote... are they really interested in the long term impact on Scotland ? Do they have other vested interests?	Ok
3613	93568125	Andrew G. Agnew	Individual	Individual	The process followed during the 2014 Referendum was adequate.\r ***However, in line with the Edinburgh Agreement of October 2012, to which the current First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is a signatory of, it states that "The governments are agreed that the referendum should...deliver a fair test and a decisive expression of the views of people in Scotland\rand a result that everyone will respect." In proceeding to legislate for a second referendum, and ignoring the will of the Scottish people, Nicola Sturgeon is in breach of the Edinburgh Agreement.\r A second referendum is a distraction from governing, to which the SNP sought as their role in the 2016 Scottish General Election.***	Greater clarity as to a person's domicile in Scotland, rather than merely being registered to vote in Scotland (i.e. rUK/International students living in Scotland during term time as opposed to those domiciled in Scotland).\r ***However, in line with the Edinburgh Agreement of October 2012, to which the current First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is a signatory of, it states that "The governments are agreed that the referendum should...deliver a fair test and a decisive expression of the views of people in Scotland\rand a result that everyone will respect." In proceeding to legislate for a second referendum, and ignoring the will of the Scottish people, Nicola Sturgeon is in breach of the Edinburgh Agreement.\r A second referendum is a distraction from governing, to which the SNP sought as their role in the 2016 Scottish General Election.***	Acceptable.\r ***However, in line with the Edinburgh Agreement of October 2012, to which the current First Minister Nicola Sturgeon is a signatory of, it states that "The governments are agreed that the referendum should...deliver a fair test and a decisive expression of the views of people in Scotland\rand a result that everyone will respect." In proceeding to legislate for a second referendum, and ignoring the will of the Scottish people, Nicola Sturgeon is in breach of the Edinburgh Agreement.\r A second referendum is a distraction from governing, to which the SNP sought as their role in the 2016 Scottish General Election.***
3614	461814182	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No opinion	EU and Irish citizens should not be able to vote until they have been full time residents in Scotland for 5 years\rScottish citizens resident in the remainder of the World should be allowed to vote.\rE.G. Scottish people resident in New Zealand Australia etc.	No comment
3615	757956775	Morna Kirk	Individual	Individual	Broadly agree but I would like external independent observers to verify that no dubious practices were being used all the way through the process as it would be extremely nieive to expect the unionist side (including the Westminster government and civil servants, security forces et al) to behave fairly as they have so much to lose.\r I would prefer the moratorium over the last 28days of the campaign on anything likely to influence the vote to include U.K./ British media as to restrict it to Scottish would be tying the hands of the Independence side, while giving free and unopposed reign to the unionist side of the debate.	Agree with the changes and would go further in preventing use of postal votes for anyone other than those outwith the country on the day in question and those incapacitated by illness/disability.\r Any way to prevent people who have second homes in Scotland but whose main residence is not in Scotland must be rigorously enforced to prevent misuse of their Scottish address.	Agree.
3616	67256978	Danny Bowers	Individual	Individual	We do not need a referendum this was decided in 2914 no need to revisit	No view	On Scottish residents should vote
3617	606817417	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Seems reasonable	Ok	Ok
3618	340830322	Samuel Cook	Individual	Individual	Agree in full	Agree fully	Agree fully
3619	888995501	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	It is an anti democratic way of circumventing the unequivocal settled 'once in a lifetime (or generation) referendum ' sovereign will of the people of Scotland stated clearly in September 2014 and completely set aside by the 'dream will never die' nonsense spouted by Mr Salmond within days of the result. The EU was of no importance in 2014 and is a less secure option in 2017. It is being sold to the people by the SNP as a pig in a poke convenient excuse to pick a grievance with the UK.	I would only let Commonwealth and EU residents vote if they have lived in Scotland for at least five years. I would not want to give a vote on my country's future to someone who could spend a few weeks of their entire life, living in Scotland, coinciding with a constitutional referendum.
3620	1038475280	Alan Paton	Individual	Individual	It should be possible to allow one or more 3rd parties to count (or recount) all votes if required. Ballot papers should be held in escrow for up to 3 years to allow this to happen.	It should be possible to allow one or more 3rd parties to count (or recount) all votes if required. Ballot papers should be held in escrow for up to 3 years to allow this to happen.	those born in Scotland but not currently resident should also be allowed to vote.
3621	497040159	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I don't want a second referendum. We have already had one and it was a highly negative time in Scotland. \rThe answer was given.
3622	429834517	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	I feel that Scots living elsewhere should qualify for a postal vote especially those in the armed forces. Excluding these people is democratically unfair as they may intend on returning to Scotland or only be away temporarily and have an interest in its future. If necessary they should show they have resided in Scotland within the last 5 years.
3623	893724884	JONATHAN MACDONALD	Individual	Individual	I DISAGREE WHOLEHEARTEDLY AND COMPLETELY WITH THE HOLDING OF ANOTHER PLEBISCITE DESIGNED TO BREAK UP THE UNITED KINGDOM.	REGARDLESS OF ANY COSMETIC CHANGES IN THE PRACTICAL MINUTIAE OF FACILITATING THAT WHICH I CONTEND TO BE A TREASONABLE ACT, THE CONCEPT IN ITS ENTIRETY IS COMPLETE ANATHEMA TO ME.	GERRYMANDERING OF ARRANGEMENTS IN AN ATTEMPT TO REVERSE THE RESULT OF THE FIRST SUCH EXERCISE DOES NOT IMPRESS ME. MOVING GOALPOSTS WILL NOT ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL.
3624	7625246	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No referendum. We had one in 2014 please respect the democratic will of the Scottish people who voted NO. I voted for the UK to Remain in the EU Referendum not for Scotland to remain if rest of U.K is leaving. PLease do not hijack my vote to further your own aims.	No referendum	No referendum
3625	699849026	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No comment
3626	275342717	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The consultation is seeking the view of the Scottish people on independence as the best or only way to protect Scotland's interests in the wake of the EU referendum. The questions the people of Scotland are consulted on miss the point entirely. Simply asking questions on the process and technical details of how any referendum will be run does a disservice to the people of Scotland. Frankly, we are a fairly fair country and generally we hold legitimate and non-corrupt elections and tinkering around the edges as these proposals do is neither here nor there. \rFundamental questions need to be asked and addressed fully as to why it is necessary at this stage to have a consultation on process and technicalities to a potential referendum taking place when much more pressing issues need to be addressed in parliament which would improve the lot of the Scottish people. Issues such as the Scottish Government's funding of NHS Scotland; the failure of the Education system to deliver even mediocre world class pupil results ( as we used to as a nation). \r Before any decision to hold a referendum is taken we need to have some idea of what the scenarios are for Scotland both inside the UK and out. Nowhere is it identified what are the "interests of the People of Scotland" and these need to be spelled out before any decision to hold a referendum takes place. \rAsking the same question as in the 2014 referendum "Should Scotland be an independent country?" is far too simplistic as it does not address some fundamental issues as to whether this independent country should try to remain part of the EU, whether there should be free movement between Scotland and England (our largest trading partner) and whether this would be acceptable to the rest of the EU or whether Scotland should be an independent Country simply because we voted for it. \r At this stage in the process of "Brexit" it is not known what the effect on the people of the UK including Scotland will be and therefore it is somewhat premature to be asking the people to give any sort of informed opinion. Indeed there is no information provided in the consultation document on what are the likely outcomes of leaving the EU on any substantive area whether it be trade, citizenship, freedom of movement around Europe. Without this knowledge it is impossible to make a judgement call as to whether an independent Scotland would be in the best interests of its people.\r There is no plan or blueprint given of how Scotland would trade with the rest of the world as an independent nation. It is not stated whether Scotland could immediately becomes a member of the EU on implementation of independence and if so on what terms - membership of the Euro; payment of contributions towards EU finances and if so how much; how as a member of the EU Scotland would trade with its biggest trade Partner, England without the introduction of trade Tariffs and controlled borders and which is likely to damage trade or increase costs; how free movement of people would be policed so that they could not cross the border illegally; what the likely cost of independence in the EU would be.\r I understand that the purpose of campaigning is to draw out some potential answers to these questions and issues but frankly I do not believe that we have either the full knowledge of possibilities to make a judgement or the political talent to fully debate the possibilities in an informed and dignified way.	The proposed eligibility to vote is the same as in 2014. although EU immigrants who have chosen to make their homes in Scotland are eligible many are transient and also have homes in their native countries and ties to those homes. There are thousands of Scots who live outside of Scotland who do not have the right to vote on perhaps the most important issue that will affect them should they wish to return, which as a nation we may well want and need and who also have ties to their homeland. Why should these Scots not have a say in the future of their nation? This is not a vote which can be overturned in 4-5 years time as in a normal plebiscite. I would propose that if you allow say, a Lithuanian temporarily living in Scotland to have a vote, a Scot living in Bristol should also have one.\r It is right that a proxy voter should be able to identify him/herself to the election officer and that identifiers should be checked on 100% of postal votes. Though making a comparison between the number of emergency proxy votes in the EU Parliamentary election and the 2014 referendum and drawing any conclusion from them is spurious given the differences in the reason for casting votes and the turnout (35% for EU election in 2014 across the UK)	No Comment
3627	71360071	William Main	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements are fine, although I'd like to see a simple test at the polls to make sure everyone knows what they are voting for.	Only British citizens resident in Scotland should get a vote.\r Although there are a lot of mature 16 and 17 year olds , there are a lot of young folk who couldn't even tell you what a referendum is. A referendum is probably the biggest thing anyone in the UK will vote on. A referendum could changes everyone's life forever and shouldn't be taken lightly.\rUnder 18's should not get a vote.\r All voters should need photographic I.D. Votes should be registered on a computer database that cannot be changed, in front of the voter.\r The polling staff should be made up of a 50/50 mixture of yes and no voters sitting together. This would make it harder for any individual to rig the system.	All fine on this one.
3628	291791997	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Ok.	No Answered	Voting should be restricted to those resident in Scotland full time. Second home owners must be excluded. The franchise should exclude service personnel stationed in Scotland (unless they serve in Scottish regiments) who normally have little to no permanent connection with the area in which they live and could be living in England, Wales, Germany or elsewhere within months of the vote. Scots living outwith Scotland should be excluded.
3629	242751505	James Stewart	Individual	Individual	1. As only the UK Government can legally call a referendum, the Electoral Commission should report to the Secretary of State for Scotland, not the Scottish Government.\r2. As Scotland is a region within the UK. A UK wide vote, voted to leave the EU. This is a legal and binding decision for the people of the UK and is out side the remit of the Scottish regional parliament.	1. It is not an internationally accepted principle that residency determines electoral eligibility; most countries base it on citizenship and expats need to vote at their embassies even when they live abroad.	As Scotland is a region with in the UK any changes to the referendum are outside the remit of the Scottish government .\rIt is for the British government to make any changes to the referendum procedures.
3630	722535923	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree with the statement regarding the mandate for another referendum. The question at the at the ballot in 2014 did not make any reference to having another referendum if circumstance changed in the future.\r Therefore my view is that the people of Scotland gave their decision in 2014, and that should stand. A second independence referendum should not be held.\r The Scottish Government should be supporting the UK government in it's efforts to manage our exit from the EU successfully.	See my above comments.	See my above comments\r No second Independence Referendum.
3631	787860977	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Eligibility to vote should be the same as for Scottish Parliament and local government elections - so I agree with this component. \r I am unconvinced of the capability of the Electoral Commission based on their previous performance in 2014. The spending caps and regulations were weakly if at all enforced, with political parties printing out their materials through official government channels which was not meant to be permitted. Spending cap breaches were only investigated after the referendum and the result was not called into question as a result of these. There needs to be a tougher enforcement of these things throughout any referendum campaign as the stakes are far too high for government officials to be expected to adhere to rules which are poorly enforced.	Regarding the following groups of people being entitled to vote in the referendum, my views are as follows:\r British citizens resident in Scotland\rCommonwealth citizens resident in Scotland\rcitizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland\rMembers of the House of Lords resident in Scotland\rService/Crown personnel serving in the UK or overseas in the Armed Forces or with Her Majesty’s Government who are registered to vote in Scotland - \rI feel that anyone falling within any of the above categories should have resided in Scotland for at least 18 months. I recall many students arriving in the summer of 2014 to Scottish universities who were surprised to have received polling cards to vote in a momentous decision in a country they had barely set foot in, simply because their university accommodation had registered them with local authorities. I recognise that this may add costs and be problematic to enforce, but I do not feel it is right that those who arrive with little other than the final days of the campaign coverage can be given the same right as those who have followed or been subject to a more extensive campaign period and who therefore could make a more informed decision.	MPs and Lords should not be allowed to donate money within referendum campaigns and if any of their immediate family members wish to do so, this has to be declared publicly. This includes spouses, parents, siblings and children. \r Campaigners for either side of the referendum must be unpaid volunteers and not paid to be 'bused up' by political parties in England and Wales. This undermined the Better Together campaign in 2014.
3632	760399983	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want a second referendum. We were promised one in a generation (dictionary definition 25 to 30 years). The last one proved very divisive and has harmed national unity and cohesion when we should be focusing on inequality in society.	The only clause that should be included as a statute is the frequency with which referenda can be called. This would prevent the constant threat and uncertainty.	The jury is still out on whether the majority of 16 year olds have the necessary maturity and independence of thought to make such an important choice. I didn't nor any of my friends when I was 16.
3633	360841095	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	1. There is no requirement for a second referendum as the result of the last one was clear.\r2. If a second one is mooted the rules should be much sharper. There should be a requirement that a minimum of 51% of scottish voters come down on one side or the other.\r3. Expatriate Scots should be able to vote. They may return and they should have a voice.\r4. The franchise should be extended to 16 year olds. They are the future and must be heard.\r5. The scottish Government should be more concerned about dealing with the urgent issues of the time such as educational standards, health and welfare, and the infrastructure of the country than with trying to prove independence could be the future panacea. \r6. There should be rigorous control over spending by any political or lobbying group in the run up to any referendum.	No Answered	As I said I think 16 year olds should vote. \rI think expatriate Scots should also have access to the franchise ;if they carry current valid GB passports that would be straightforward.
3634	878296570	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't need another referendum	I assume the changes are so if I vote no it will be recorded as a yes so eventually you will sound the death knell that you crave for Scotland	Yet again so a no will be recorded as a yes . We voted no . Leave it
3635	843687789	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no quibble with how the 2014 referendum was managed but my concern is that there is no need for another referendum now. Why are we not accepting the outcome of that 2014 referendum?	As per my answer to the previous question, my concern is that there is no need fir another referendum. My understanding when I voted in the 2014 referendum was that the outcome would be abided by.\r I see the relevance of 16 year old people being able to vote in all elections across the U.K.; however, its introduction for the 2014 referendum it could be interpreted as a tactic to skew the referendum towards the SNP independence agenda at that time.	As per my previous responses, my issue is that there is no need for another referendum. I am sick of hearing the word referendum.\r The time and energy spent on refining how this referendum would be conducted should be exerted on actually governing Scotland.\r There are many aspects that need proper attention in Scotland: for example, the state of the Police Service, Education and the railways are prominent issues at this time and appear to have suffered from flawed SNP decision making. These are issues on which there should be consultation as the basis for future improvement. The very thought of a Scottish Government managed railway makes me shake my head in disbelief. The SG awarded the contract to Abellio but rather than recognise that other bidders might have better plans for replacing Abellio, they envisage themselves at the helm of a nationalised/cooperative service.
3636	990326882	Andrew Todd	Individual	Individual	The Referendum should happen in a similar way to the 2014 one with a single yes or no answer. It should happen within the 2 years of Brexit negotiations to protect Scotlands place if a yes vote wins.	Surely Scottish students should also have the right to a vote as they do make up a sizeable number of many of Scotlands cities and the view of the young is vital as any 2nd Referendum would have to be final.	The changes all appear to be sensible
3637	711096130	Robert Barclay	Individual	Individual	As before, when we the Scottish people had the last referendum.	I have no quibble with the last voting..	Have no views.
3638	305129425	Gary Macfarlane	Individual	Individual	Very strongly against.\r When Scotland voted to stay part of the UK, that was a clear vote to remain, and your Government said it was once in a generation - that was an undertaking which you are now seeking to break only 2 years after. You are deliberately going against the will of the Scottish people - hugely undemocratic\r The SNP determination to bring forward another referendum, would mean that your Government would be asking the Scottish people to come out of the UK, which would mean we were out of both the UK and Europe, and with no knowledge of the detail of any deal with Europe.\r It would also lead to a loss of the finance that we get through the Barnett Formula\r This would cause economic disaster for our Scottish economy, and a period of much greater uncertainty than Brexit has already done.\r Frankly, if such a referendum was held, I am very confident that the Scottish people would still vote to remain in the UK. \r Time for the Scottish Government to get on with Governing, and making this country a great place to live in.	The allowing of European Citizens who are resident needs a definition of a period of time resident, otherwise the vote may be significantly shifted by people who are transient residents - which I would not support	No strong view
3639	852147541	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with the arrangements as occurred during the 2014 vote.	I think that eligibility to vote should be extended to Scots who live outside of Scotland but within the UK and internationally and have proof of their Scottish birth.	Happy with these changes.
3640	624818342	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My only comment is that EU nationals should not be entitled to vote in this poll. Given that this referendum will only take place if post-EU arrangements are not in Scotland's interest, we can assume that EU citizens will not be free to live in Scotland unless and until Scotland negotiates some separate deal, which could only happen if Scotland becomes independent AND we can negotiate a deal with the EU, neither of which can in any way be certain. So logically EU citizens cannot participate in the independence referendum.	See answer for q1. EU national should not be included in the poll, for reasons previously noted. My reading was out of sync. Other Technical details of how to run an election are frankly beyond any view I can have, so I leave it to the expertise of the government of the day.	No view
3641	831644752	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Unhappy	Unhappy	Unhappy
3642	270739791	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with this arrangement.	Fine	Fine
3643	1034374463	Gordon hesketh	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum	As above	As above
3644	775179591	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Postal voting must be better managed. People with multiple properties have multiple votes, it's simply wrong. Residents should have a uniuqe ref number therefore allowing only one postal vote to be counted.\r Identification or polling card must be produced at polling stations.\r Exit polling is a must.\r International supervision is essential.
3645	841488518	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't want another referendum - 60% of our trade is with UK - 40% with EU. SNP want to leave UK but remain in EU - economic madness!	I don't want another referendum	Don't want another referendum
3646	646257589	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Unhappy	Unhappy	Unhappy
3647	669613776	Chris Ferns	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	It has to be managed by outside/neutral bodies to avoid the establishment rigging the result.
3648	209860794	Robert marshall	Individual	Individual	SNP wording would not fully trust	No-one below age of 18 should get a vote and ex pats should as they may return at anytime	Sounds a bit iffymore SNP dodgy dealing as previous comment
3649	943809713	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The current Scottish Government was elected with a clear mandate that the Scottish Parliament should have the right to hold an independence referendum if there was clear and sustained evidence that independence had become the preferred option of a majority of the Scottish people – or if there was a significant and material change in the circumstances that prevailed in 2014, such as Scotland being taken out of the EU against our will. \r Your words not mine!\r The referendum has been held and a clear majority of the Scottish people voted to remain. The Scottish Government needs to get on and solve the awful problems in our NHS, our transport infrastructure (getting rid of that clown Hamza would be a good starting point!), and our public services rather than wasting time and energy on a second referendum. How many does Sturgeon want to hold, or do we keep voting until we get the answer she wants (the EU has form on this...........	No comment	I believe that the rest of the UK is entitled to express an opinion on whether the UK is to be broken up.
3650	978323799	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want the chaos of a further referendum. If there is one, and Perth and Kinross vote no and somehow Scotland as a whole votes yes - I will immediately seek a Perth and Kinross referendum on keeping these counties in the UK and outwith the clutches of the SNP in Edimburgh.	No doubt further gerrymandering by the SNP will emerge - to improve their already very thin chances of success. It didn't work the last time.	Well you couldn't win the last time by giving 16 & 17 years olds the vote - if you are truly Scottish you will recognise the word pochle but will likely fail to understand that this is how the population is beginning to charecterise the SNP now.
3651	545270638	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals on eligibility to vote and for the management and regulation of the proposed referendum. \r I would like all the votes to be processed and counted in Scotland. \r I would like the voter's main residence to be verified for postal votes, to prevent voter fraud from non-residents eg holiday homes, which could impact on the rural vote especially here in the Highlands and Islands. \r I would like an exit poll and sampling verification of postal votes to be carried out, as postal vote turnout at the 2014 referendum appeared to be abnormally high in, for example, Argyll and Bute.	I agree with the proposals on eligibilty to vote, absent voting, polling and count staff and verification statements. I am particularly pleased that:\r The draft bill restricts the access to emergency proxy votes to electors who require it on the grounds of a disability, occupation, service or employment, where the grounds have arisen after the cut-off date for a normal proxy application. \r The counting officers will check 100% of personal identifiers on ballot papers. \r I do however still have concerns about postal vote integrity. I would like the main residence to be verified for postal votes, to prevent voter fraud from non-residents eg holiday homes, which could impact on the rural vote especially here in the Highlands and Islands. This could be achieved simply by only allowing postal votes to be sent to a verified address within the relevant constituency.	I agree with the technical changes on permissable participants.
3652	858173646	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe the proposed ballot question is fair. There should be two options along the lines of - \r1) Do you want Scotland to remain part of the U.K.\rOR \r 2) Do you want Scotland to be independent.\r A vote for change should need a majority of at least 60%.	Citizens of the Irish Republic & the EU should only be allowed to vote if they have lived in Scotland for over 3 years.	No views.
3653	621215213	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe that the result of the referendum cannot be decided by a 50% plus 1 vote of the people who decide to turn out on the day.\r It must either be 50% plus 1 of the entire electorate - or 60% of those who voted on the day in order to make the result not just legitimate, but overwhelmingly clear.	I believe that the result of the referendum cannot be decided by a 50% plus 1 vote of the people who decide to turn out on the day.\r It must either be 50% plus 1 of the entire electorate - or 60% of those who voted on the day in order to make the result not just legitimate, but overwhelmingly clear.	I believe that the result of the referendum cannot be decided by a 50% plus 1 vote of the people who decide to turn out on the day.\r It must either be 50% plus 1 of the entire electorate - or 60% of those who voted on the day in order to make the result not just legitimate, but overwhelmingly clear.
3654	967623168	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I can only state my deeply held belief that the holding of a second referendum so soon after the first is an act of madness. A decision of such immense importance should not be decided on a 50 - 50 vote. At least 60-40 should be required. The cynical attempt to sway the vote by including impressionable young people of 16 and 17, nothing like old enough to make a mature judgment about anything, should be abandoned.
3655	923896246	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Unhappy	Unhappy	Unhappy
3656	998940856	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Another referendum is unnecessary as you already know the view of the Scottish people from the last "once in a generation" referendum.	Another referendum is unnecessary as you already know the view of the Scottish people from the last "once in a generation" referendum.	Another referendum is unnecessary as you already know the view of the Scottish people from the last "once in a generation" referendum.
3657	195346058	Raymond Stone	Individual	Individual	I would suggest that the purposes of transparency that independent international observers be invited to monitor the vote and counts.\r I would also suggest that main stream media should be monitored by these impartial observers and any broadcaster found to not be truly impartial in their broadcasting should be forced by law to register as a political campaign group and this list should be made public at all times.	No Answered	I would suggest that armed forces voting be restricted to those who are either resident currently in Scotland (and register as such) or those who can confirm a previous residency in Scotland before their current deployment. There was certainly a large mention of service personnel being encouraged to register in 2014 even when they had no intention of relocating to Scotland after their service was complete.\r To avoid the issues with postal vote sampling being divulged (illegally) before the vote again I would suggest that no sampling take part before the count albeit that this will add to the counts time. The inner envelope should remain unopened until the count in all cases but the personal information in the outer one could be checked beforehand.
3658	1004196855	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe the proposal will manage the referendum fairly however I feel there is no real desire to have one again.	Do not have an opinion other than perhaps consultations like this be delivered to individuals using terminology that everyone can understand. \rThe question we should be asking is do Scottish people want another referendum rather than how we	Do not have an opinion in this matter.
3659	769016204	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	unnecessary distraction from dealing with areas of devolved responsibility which are failing e.g. Education, Health, Police	The Scottish Electorate already expressed their democratic wish that they did not want to leave the UK. The SNP should respect that vote as they should respect that Voters in Scotland voted for the UK to stay in the EU. There was NO vote on whether Scotland should stay or leave.	No comment
3660	359749248	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposals seem fair. However, a second referendum is inappropriate and unnecessary.	These proposals appear fair. However, a second referendum is unnecessary. A definite answer has already been made by the Scottish people.	Good to see so much attention to detail for something which is totally unnecessary. We don't need a second referendum. The people have spoken. Why is democracy being undermined?
3661	124794874	Thomas hart	Individual	Individual	Quite happy with them	No issues with them	Ok with them
3662	854652345	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Worked last time. Same again should do fine.	Votes of citizens under 70 with children under voting age should be weighted. Eg family of four with two children under 16 - each adult's vote should be worth 1.5 in the count. Single parent family with two children under 16 - legal carer should have vote worth 2.0 in count. This is a vote for the FUTURE of Scotland.	Sensible
3663	449269295	Chris	Individual	Individual	Absolutely no way, \r1 - all votes counted in polling stations.\r2- any individual allowed to keep eye on box before/during/after vote.\r3- postal votes are kept to very mininum with third party to count and recieve.\r4- Russia or other country to watch over and organise live feeds of all counting rooms.	As above, no riggerendum this time or we will finally snap.	Yes
3664	858066414	John Hopkins	Individual	Individual	All these questions are irrelevant. There should be No Indy 2. The people of Scotland made their choice, we should respect that choice. Constantly bringing up Indy 2 removes the democratic decision of Indy 1. If the decision had been Yes in Indy 1 there would be no prospect of Indy 2 regardless of the EU Ref result. Democracy is Democracy.Our politial representatives should respect our decision, even if they don't like it.\rThe issue of the EU refendum is a red herring. Indy 1 settled that Scotland should be part of the UK, consequently the democratic unit for all subsequent decisions is the UK.\rFor the record, I voted No in Indy 1 and Yes in EU.	No Answered	Eligibility arrangements were fine, with the exception of the 16 and 17 year olds. This group should not have the vote, they are still juniors and under age. It was an attempt to fiddle the result.
3665	86631563	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Where will postal votes be counted? In Scotland I hope. I am also concerned about the transportation of votes. Why can't they be counted at the polling station? If they must be transported I would like two pollind staff and a secure van with gps tracking to ensure no irregularities. Following the high no vote in the RUK population living in Scotland I would prefer that they don't get a vote. I am all for 16 and 17 year olds getting one too.	I wholeheartedly support all of these changes. 100percent checks for postal and proxy votes are required.	I agree.
3666	746966042	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not consider that there is sufficient mandate from the electorate for a further referendum	If 16 and 17 year olds are allowed to vote then they should also be allowed to vote in elections as well	no comment
3667	170353713	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The managing for the referendum is good. Worked perfect in the past, so need to change	The proposed technical changes are good	The proposed technical changes are good
3668	337263579	Neil Gillespie	Individual	Individual	Ok	Very happy with 16/17 year olds getting vote. Would it not be possible to allow only Scottish tax payers including 16/17 year olds and pensioners to get vote. If someone has a residence in Scotland but their main home and business is elsewhere in the U.K. I personally feel they are not elagable for a vote. Basically you MUST live here to get vote	Ok
3669	289845132	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements fit the requirement assuming the lower age group is allowed to participate as before. The 16 to 25 year old part of the population are the most important as the decision will affect their lives, the opinion of retired people, such as me, is of less importance.	I believe that voting should be by an eligible person physical voting at a voting station and when supplying identification with a photograph, e.g. Drivers license. The only exception should be forces personnel serving overseas or on exercises etc. This proposed referendum must be seen to be absolutely clean and allowing electronic, proxy, or postal voting is just too insecure and open to abuse.	The proposed referendum must ensure that the open investigations following abuse in the EU referendum and the last General Election must not be allowed to cloud the count. The worst offenders appear to be the major political parties and their supporting lobbyists. Simplicity should be the key, and lobby groups and expenditure should be far more closely examined and restricted.
3670	130105977	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with it.	Fair proposals. Questions were asked after the last referendum which cast doubt over some issues.	Happy with them
3671	997266034	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	don't want a referendum	don't want a referendum	don't want a referendum
3672	950313365	Neil Boss	Individual	Individual	No second referendum. Please respect the result of the 1st democratic referendum.	No second referendum.	No to second referendum.
3673	296511192	Allan Marshall	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No one is interested in another referendum bearing in mind 2014 was a "Once in a generation" ballot quote A.Salmond / N.Sturgeon
3674	285364132	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This seems a fair and transparent method of managing the referendum but I would prefer better security at the counts than in 2014	The postal voting system was of great concern in 2014, particularly when the Leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party announced just after 10pm, on live television, that people in her party had "seen the tally" and were pleased with the results. No police action was taken about this.\r This is an area where increased security would be welcomed\r Also of concern among many campaigners for independence was the lack of a "residency" period, a minimum amount of time someone had lived in Scotland before they were eligible to vote in the referendum. In discussion with my friends and fellow activists this subject always causes debate and disagreement and none of us can ever agree on what this length of time should or could be. It was a worry that people with their main home in England and second, or holiday, homes in Scotland were able to vote in 2014 but with no numbers of these, or whether they voted yes or no, again it is difficult to assign a definition or restriction. \r Another question is that of presenting ID when voting - whereas not everyone can present photo-ID, or even a utility bill in their own name. I feel it should at least be compulsory to bring ones Polling Card to the Polling Station in order to vote. There seems little point in issuing this document to all entitled to vote and yet not insisting on voters bringing it when they come to cast their vote.	Agree with these changes
3675	999051338	Andy Ferguson	Individual	Individual	Happy with this process	Happy with this	Happy with this
3676	864255379	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree that there should be another referendum. As the much used phrase goes, "what part of No does the SNP not understand. The majority of the Scottish population voted to remain in the United Kingdom in 2014, as a once in a generation decision.\rSo here we go again. I do not want any more time or money wasted on this consultation. I wish our nation's money spent on more useful and much needed services.\rAre you getting the message? No referendum.	Irrelevant - no referendum	Irrelevant - no referendum
3677	227159570	Gian-Luca Oppo	Individual	Individual	Very good proposals. The referendum worked well in 2014.	Excellent to include eu residents and young adults in expressing their view on a referendum. Their exclusion was a major mistake in the brexit referendum. \rThe new provisions for absent voting are well thought and appropriate.	Again very reasonable modifications with respect to 2014. Fully supportive.
3678	619425154	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Do not agree with any proposal for a second referendum	Do not agree with any proposal for a second And definitely not including citizens of Republic of Ireland and EU Countries	Do not agree with any proposal for a second referendum
3679	335086003	Leona Girdwood	Individual	Individual	They are fair arrangements and have previous standing for working efficiently abs fairly	These changes seem appropriate and take into account lessons from the last referendum	Adequate
3680	735796990	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think there is no need for a second referendum. The result of the first was clear and there has been no substantial change in public opinion that warrants 'another go'. I would urge the Scottish Government to get on with the job of running the country instead of encouraging another prolonged period of introspection. \r * Scottish education is massively under-achieving and failing the school population, their parents and the country as a whole;\r* the Health service is becoming a bureaucratic nightmare that should focus on patient care, rather than target setting.\r* one positive aspect of SG's performance is their investment in infrastructure - bridges, roads, rail etc. Well done on that score.\r I have no views on the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum, other than to say it shouldn't take place in the first place. There is no demonstrable desire for independence. \r One further thought. We are massively over-represented by the SNP in Westminster. Around 45% of people who respond to polls favour independence, but we have all but 3 MPs in Westminster representing separatists. There needs to be a massive re-balancing of the electoral system to stop such a nonsense occurring in the future. \r But most all of, get on with sorting out the country's many problems rather than indulging in this independence fantasy.	These technical changes are not necessary as the referendum is not required.	I have no views on this subject.
3681	25295100	Steven Lamont	Individual	Individual	Fine.	Fine.	Ok.
3682	681896091	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Satisfactory	Satisfactory	Satisfactory
3683	413119929	Gordon Thomas	Individual	Individual	All seems to be in order.	All seems in order.	All seems in order.
3684	795917136	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Currency to me is a big, if not the main hurdle that would need to be really thought out.	No Answered	I believe that that it's far better with these changes than how it was done in 2014
3685	686542997	Gavin Ogilvie	Individual	Individual	Management of the referendum, in my estimation are correct and should be held similarly to the referendum of 2014.	I would agree with the proposed changes to the bill for 16 & 17 year old to determine the future of their country.	I agree with the above statement and changes.
3686	282886349	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is my opinion regardless off whether you were Yes or No in indyref and I voted Yes but although saddened I fully excepted the result that more people wanted to remain part of the UK and guaranteed at that time part of the EU, when the leave voters won the EU ref I accepted that but although the last thing I wanted was a indyref2 but you can't ignore the percentage of Scots who voted to remain that to me was significant to require either some kind of deal or a indyref2 to put the debate to rest as we now know or future is uncertain either way.\r Whatever the outcome will be if indyref2 is required then that is it regardless of how close it should hopefully put the question to rest for a generation.\r Now what I would like to point out how biased the bbc and newspapers can be the link from BBC news that brought me here partially quoted results from a poll at 45.4% or so in favour of independence excluding the "don't knows" and went on to say that was the same percentage as the outcome of the indyref, I have one or two problems with that report it neglects to say the percentage that abstained and voted NO which could actually show more support for indyref that before for all I know so why don't the publish the full facts instead of distorting the facts to get the story they want. I believe nothing I read or watch in the news regarding politics from all quarters and every party including the SNP, before I'm tarred with the same brush.	personally I think it should be the same as indyref	that's sounds fair
3687	822833730	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no second referendum at this time.	No referendum.	No referendum.
3688	145119506	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements seem fair and transparent but I feel there should be better security at the transfer of the votes to the counting venues and during the counts	Concerns about the postal vote system in terms of security at the counts (leader of Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party admitted on live television just after 10pm on referendum day that her colleagues had see postal votes and were happy with the tallies. No Police action was taken over this)\r Should there be a residence requirement in Scotland in order to vote in the Referendum i.e. person should have lived in Scotland as their main residence for a minimum number of years \r Presentation of identification when voting - some form of ID should be presented at the polling station, for example why is a polling card sent out to everyone eligible to vote but it is not compulsory to take this to the polling station ? In Northern Ireland polling card and photo ID are necessary and voters can obtain a free electoral identity card which means people who do not have passport/drivers licence etc can still vote :\r "If your Electoral Identity Card has expired, you do not need to renew it to vote at a polling station - identity documents produced at a polling station are no longer required to be current, as long as the photograph is of a good enough likeness to allow polling station staff to confirm the identity of the holder" Source : http://www.eoni.org.uk/Electoral-Identity-Card/How-to-apply	Agree with these changes
3689	847346336	dave maclean	Individual	Individual	on something as major as Scottish Independence there should be a minimum residence qualification of say 5 years, therefore people with a proven investment in Scotland decide her future.\r Also an expansion of qualification to include non resident Scotts qualification being born in Scotland and have resided in Scotland for twenty years prior to moving,	this in effect will mean that non Scots will be deciding the future of Scotland , can't imagine any other country doing this.	ok
3690	684451711	Alasdair Whyte	Individual	Individual	there should exit counts at each polling station\rthere should be better security of the ballots such that no-one is able to have seen the ballots before they are opened for counting (see Ruth Davidson at the last referendum)\ras in elections it should be theoretically possible to trace who voted what (security perforations which were absent last time)\rInternational / UN overseers should be mandatory	agree with this	no opinion
3691	350161231	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Since I am now against the holding of a second referendum, the question is irrelevant.\r There seems to be no place to express a view that a referendum should not be held.\r The referendum on EU membership was a UK referendum not a Scottish one.	Since I am now against the holding if a second referendum the question is irrelevant.\r In fact all 5 questions are dealing with matters of low priority.	The question is irrelevant. \rI no longer support the SNP. I see wasted years of government with many failures surfacing now.\r The present Scottosh government has failed(sadly) to demonstrate responsible and competent government that could be applied in an independent Scotland to give it success.
3692	777465943	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree.	Agree.	I do not believe British citizens from England, Wales and northern Ireland to participate.
3693	54450363	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no requirement for any further referendum.	There are no requirements for that as no referendum is required	There are no requirements for this as there is no requirement for another referendum.
3694	429217254	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Technically it seems OK but why would this be needed - it was a once in a lifetime opportunity.	Seems to be ok. What is the reason for doing this again? We have already voted and not that long ago.	Looks ok. Why are we doing this again so soon. Don't our wishes/votes mean anything?
3695	609150448	Jim Bradley	Individual	Individual	I do not think we should have a second referendum	Not relevant as I strongly object to a second referendum	Acceptable
3696	933442813	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There simply shouldn't be any serious discussion relating to a second referendum little more than two years after the first. It was meant to be a once in a lifetime decision. It's ludicrous to consider another "once in a lifetime" a mere couple of years later. This is especially so, given the global economic instability and the massive uncertainty around the Brexit negotiations.	No Answered	Any polling and count proposals should apply to the normal diet of elections. We simply shouldn't be re-asking the just answered 2014 question in such an unbelievably short period.
3697	248045630	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Include-\r -exit polls.\r -Secondary ballot box watchers either in the transport vehicle on observing in second vehicle, until ballot boxes reach designated counting areas.\r -clarify and verify primary residents/primary address holders and "declaration of connection" and or limit voter registration to an agreed time scale for example registered primary address holders for 3 years/pay taxes in Scotland for min of 3 years. To avoid transient visitors manipulating the voters roll. \r -reinforce postal registration or restrict to essential need (infirm, disabled, overseas worker/military etc) to avoid further potential manipulation or fraud, including postal votes being kept in Scotland and counted and verified IN Scotland.\r -Ensure all UK, Irish and Commonwealth, EU citizens registered to vote in Scottish holyrood elections are enfranchised to vote in said referendum from age 16. \r - recognise that this referendum mandate is for an independence referendum from the UK with no secondary question attached. This should not be an Indy in the EU referendum, that question is wholly the responsibility of the Scottish people to decide in another referendum post independence from the UK and after Indy Scotland has negotiated with the EU post indy, and no attempt to claim a mandate to do so should be made as no mandate in SNP manifesto was sought.... Only an indyref2 mandate was sought in the snp manifesto using brexit with Scotland voting remain as a caveat.	See aforementioned section.	Fair enough assessment, I agree.
3698	944731397	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No management is required as we were promised that the first referendum would be the only referendum for a generation	Accceptable but no referendum should be held for a generation	Accceptable but no referendum should be held for a generation
3699	444659313	James brown	Individual	Individual	We need better informed	Independent counting would be nice as in an other country counting it	None
3700	941623755	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They are useful but certainly more scrutiny and information required for voters.	There should definitely be restrictions in place for postal voters and proxy voters.	Agree with consultation mostly.
3701	1067640167	Carole Mckellar	Individual	Individual	Another referdum should not be done, the vote in 2014 was decisive	Another referdum should not be done, the vote in 2014 was decisive	Another referdum should not be done, the vote in 2014 was decisive
3702	343635871	Steven Aitkenhead	Individual	Individual	They seem realistic and relevant	Residency should be the foremost issue to be eligible	I agree with them
3703	894524367	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not wish the Scottish Government to go ahead with a second referendum. I would like to see the Scottish Government concentrate on other matters of national importance.	I have nothing to add to this as I do not wish to see a second referendum	I have nothing to add to this as I do not wish to see a second referendum
3704	201963894	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agreed	Agree	Ok
3705	213916367	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think another referendum would be an appropriate use of public funds. While independence is a mainstay of SNP policy, the Scottish government should be satisfied with the result of the 2014 referendum and allocate money to support job growth in Scotland.	No Answered	I think there should be a qualifying residency period ( 3 years minimum) for non British citizens.
3706	909398085	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The UK voted to leave the EU. It was not a regional vote. Therefore, your premise that Scotland voted to remain is invalid and the requirements for a second independence referendum have not been met.	No Answered	The poll should be conducted allowing all U.K. Residents to vote.
3707	752906674	Robert Grant	Individual	Individual	no real concerns here	firstly I would exclude members of the house of lords from voting as their appointed status as unelected members of what will become a foreign parliament will be a serious conflict of interest.\rRegarding postal votes I would NOT transfer them to an English Postal warehouse first before returning them to regional counting centres. I would also defer all counting of postal votes until the polling stations close on referendum day thereby ensuring security of the count.	A stricter upholding of the rules here are reqd in order to prevent a rerun of the CBI registration/deregistration fiasco with far greater penalties imposed should these rules be broken.
3708	700552248	neil howlieson	Individual	Individual	There is no need for another referendum, irrespective of the Brexit vote. What part of the 2014 referendum result do the SNP not get?	There should be no vote.	Participants are irrelevant, we have had the vote and the public has already decided to remain part of the UK
3709	347024933	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If the Scottish government abided by their once in a generation pledge then we should not have this.	No Answered	I thInk all voters should be required to bring photo i.d.
3710	909588498	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	UN-NECESSARY. THERE SHOULD BE NO 2ND INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM	UN-NECESSARY. THERE SHOULD BE NO 2ND INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM	UN-NECESSARY. THERE SHOULD BE NO 2ND INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM
3711	254382955	Mark Anderson	Individual	Individual	I'm very happy regarding the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum.	I would prefer if any future vote on Scottish independence were for Scottish people only as too many people from outside Scotland we hardly lived here had a vote on the future of Scotland. I would also prefer if any future vote was a vote at polling stations only as postal votes I feel aren't safe from people snooping such as the Tories sampling votes weeks before the polls closed at Ruth Davidson mentioned they had sampled votes.	I'm fine with the changes
3712	86559221	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the outline described above.	I am happy with the above arrangements including changes to 2014 arrangements.	I am happy with the above details.
3713	237326491	James Timmons	Individual	Individual	The proposals are reasonable.	As above seem reasonable.	Reasonable.
3714	73361346	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree with arrangements but feel those being taxed as Scottish but live in England should be included.	agree	Agree
3715	635299714	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	I feel that while not everyone who is Scottish outside Scotland should get a vote, I think that those that left within 2 years before the vote perhaps should. For example, I feel that many Scots living abroad have a view to return at some point, or also many young people leave for a couple of years after graduation, it seems unfair that being a global citizen may take away our rights to make a statement in relation to our global position.\r Also I would suggest better emergency procedure for those that have applied for proxies and had problems, as many people have had issues with this over the last two referendums.
3716	675812266	caroline furze	Individual	Individual	I agree with the recommendations as they were applied in 2014 and are carried out presently for local and parliamentary elections	I agree with these changes	I agree
3717	429868460	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'd like to see police presence all day at each polling station. This will mitigate any bad behavior and also make sure the polling boxes are not tampered with. Also would like to see a police escort with the boxes until they arrive at where they are being counted.\rAlso would like to see postal votes guarded 24/7 and kept in Scotland.	Counting should be supervised by the police or even another state's officials, brought in to supervise. Westminster will never play fair.	Donations should only be allowed from Scotland. \r I was under the impression that in international law, when the first state seeks to break away from a second state, the first state cannot in any way interfere.\rYou cannot say that about the referendum held in 2014.
3718	849782169	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't Do It	Redacted text	Don't Do It
3719	709539379	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fair and appropriate.	Appropriate and acceptable.	Acceptable.
3720	474959063	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy to agree to this they are fair and by no means under hand or one sided.	I am happy to agree to this and make note that the changes in voting ages at the last referendum have been changed on a permanent basis	I am happy to agree to these changes
3721	997498069	Bertie Bassett	Individual	Individual	The majority do not want a referendum	No Answered	If the Scottish government think that under eighteens require a named person what makes the Scottish government think that a sixteen years old is capable of making an adult decision with regard to voting.
3722	380920699	Richard Howe	Individual	Individual	I am sure they are fair however it is important to have widespread consent on the question asked as the question in the first referendum was generally considered to be biased in favour of a 'YES' vote. This bias must be eliminated with a question that is much more fairly framed.	no comment	satisfactory.\r However I feel it is only fair to widen the vote to Scots not currently resident in Scotland
3723	556026875	John Findlay	Individual	Individual	A second referendum should not be held. The aftermath of 2014 has not healed in spite of the result. To hold a second is totally destructive. The silent majority will not continue to be silent anymore. Hold another at your peril.	Those of Scottish birth but resident in other parts of the United Kingdom should be allowed a vote in any future referendum.	The changes are cloaked in too much reference to other rules, paragraphs in related documents that have to be viewed elsewhere. Too much effort required to comment.
3724	123069497	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Forget the referendum-try to manage the country which you are singularly failing to do.	See above response	See above respnse
3725	220019729	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not required as there wa a clear democratic process that the people of Sotland made clear their will to remain part of the UK.\r The EU referendum was never a part of the debate, Scotland would have left the EU if it became independent regardless of the fantasies peddled by the SNP.\r Spend your time improving our failing education, healthcare and other devolved matters than you have made a mes of in the 7 years you have loosely governed.	Not required as there wa a clear democratic process that the people of Sotland made clear their will to remain part of the UK.\r The EU referendum was never a part of the debate, Scotland would have left the EU if it became independent regardless of the fantasies peddled by the SNP.\r Spend your time improving our failing education, healthcare and other devolved matters than you have made a mes of in the 7 years you have loosely governed.	Not required as there wa a clear democratic process that the people of Sotland made clear their will to remain part of the UK.\r The EU referendum was never a part of the debate, Scotland would have left the EU if it became independent regardless of the fantasies peddled by the SNP.\r Spend your time improving our failing education, healthcare and other devolved matters than you have made a mes of in the 7 years you have loosely governed.
3726	818070506	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum on Independence.	No comment.	No comment.
3727	1063719199	Martin McNeil	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
3728	954655934	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not trust the uk electoral commission as they do as the UK government dictates. There should be an independent Scottish electoral commission, who (if need be) can work in tandem with the uk electoral commission.	I think voting age should be 14. The independence referendum impacts younger people too. It is their country too, and impacts their futures, perhaps more so than old people and pensioners (who with all due respect, will feel the impact for the least amount of time). Young people's views will not necessarily be reflected by the voting choices of their parents. 14 year olds are old enough to understand what they are voting for.	I am happy with that.
3729	75594443	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No comment. I am against a second referendum. The Scottish people said 'no' in 2014. I certainly did not vote on the basis of whether or not the UK might or might not remain in the EU. I believe any second referendum to be an unnecessary expense.	No comment. I am against a second referendum. The Scottish people said 'no' in 2014. I certainly did not vote on the basis of whether or not the UK might or might not remain in the EU. I believe any second referendum to be an unnecessary expense. .	No comment. I am against a second referendum. The Scottish people said 'no' in 2014. I certainly did not vote on the basis of whether or not the UK might or might not remain in the EU. I believe any second referendum to be an unnecessary expense.
3730	363588290	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Adequate	Adequate	Adequate
3731	240776533	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	not adequate	only uk nationals should be allowed to vote.	no comment
3732	329014980	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Accepted	Accepted	Accepted
3733	185183736	Ann Marie Dalziel	Individual	Individual	All seems fine	All seems fine	Fine
3734	155907909	Craig Blackie	Individual	Individual	Management arrangements have worked well for all past elections and referendums. No need to change the arrangements for this proposed referendum.	I do not believe that 16 and 17 year olds should be eligible to vote and the franchise should be the same as that for UK general elections with the extra provision for ensuring Scottish residency. Residency should be better defined by setting a specific number of years required to have reside in Scotland, perhaps 5 years.\r Better scrutiny is required of the Absent Voting system and the provisions outlined are welcomed.\r Changes made to Polling and Counting Staff provisions as per the Electoral Commissions recommendations are welcomed.\r Changes made to rules surrounding Verification Statements are welcomed.	Changes are sensible in line with the Electoral Commissions report.
3735	995486807	Duncan Peddie	Individual	Individual	A waste of time I voted for independence last time since then oil has crashed and Scotland cant stand alone with a £15 billion yearly debt.	a waste of time	a bunch of clowns
3736	834461154	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
3737	488320433	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree	Agree	Seems reasonable
3738	554814386	Jackie Cunningham	Individual	Individual	It could be better in many ways	It should be brought up to date and more secure.	Yes
3739	199797084	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These arrangements are ideal as they add continuity.	no views,	yep
3740	286193465	James Cooper	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	there should be no more referendrums
3741	18605738	George Gemmell	Individual	Individual	I am happy with this	No member of the unelected lords should have a vote on this issue	I am happy with this
3742	993173254	Christopher White	Individual	Individual	These procedures and arrangements sound necessary and relatively straightforward should a vote go ahead on Scottish Independence.	Positive arrangements made.\r Only residents should vote as it affects those more than it does of Scottish emigrants.\r This would be a more 'just' vote as a result.	Absolutely agree with all details outlined above.
3743	192676096	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree?	Exit Polls should be included and greater security for the transporting of ballots i.e. At least two Guardian Angels to accompany all transports. Proof of identity to be shown at ballot station. Tightening of postal ballot entitlement and again proof of identity. All results to be securely stored in perpetuity.	I agree.
3744	1058444489	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I was told it was a once in a lifetime/generation in 2014. Who is lying?\rWill we keep having referendums until SNP get the answer they want. When I was being brought up, I was told that no means no.	I don't need to vote again.	Why have another referendum?
3745	1018488812	david adam	Individual	Individual	I am happy with them	I am happy with them	I am happy with them
3746	6607560	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am not aware of a referendum, I voted in the last referendum and that vote stands	You are kidding ? other eu citizens living in Scotland ! Commonwealth citizens living in Scotland ! I am tottally against those procedures.	If there was another referendum ( I dont support another referendum) it should be under the same rules. It would only be fair to add the clause that if its a result that we dont like we will have a third referendum
3747	757049468	dylan roberts	Individual	Individual	I like the proposed arrangements.	They are good.	they are good.
3748	744360290	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My issue is that I really do want Scotland to be independant but I have not seen enough information that is factual to decide in favour of it. When all sides are debating, they only tell it from their side, which can mean truth is not there. One question is that the rest of the UK must help us with our currency, stop acting like kids who are in a huff and act like adults. Deal with as equals then gain our respect. That wat we can decide with all the information.	Good	Happy, good change
3749	179933591	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Providing the same process would be followed as the referendum in 2014, and providing there is a clear mandate for a further referendum, I have no problem with this process. I would also like to make it clear that I do not think a further referendum is in the interest of Scotland	Have no comment to make on this matter	I have no objection to the proposed changes.
3750	1035167973	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Do nothing ,waste of public money,should be off table and do the job elected for	do nothing to con count in SNP as before	Do nothing
3751	791558932	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't agree there should be another referendum.\rI voted for Independence however, it is now clear that Nicola Sturgeon does not actually want Independence but wants joined to the EU. That is not Independence.\rI would rather be joined to the 5th biggest economy in the world that is England than joined with the EU. There is no way I would vote for Independence this time around if it means trying to get into the EU.\rThe SNP (who I have always voted for) have become Power Happy....the Brexit vote , where only 1.6M Scots actually voted was a U.K. Vote so to say that is a clear mandate that Scots voted to Remain is absolute nonsense. I say get on with running the country!	None	I don't think you should have another referendum
3752	1049957380	Nancy Conroy	Individual	Individual	Honest transparency is first.	I agree.	I agree.
3753	175465923	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am broadly content for the process to be managed in the same way. It must be expected though that there will be massive scrutiny of (especially) the voting system, the voting papers; and the collection and opening of postal ballets and how they are brought into the counts. Oversight scrutiny by Counting Agents at the counts themselves is likely to be effective, but the other parts of the process need to be be very visibly transparent - beyond perhaps what is required of a normal vote. \r The EU referendum saw very significant amounts of deliberately false information being presented; which was abandoned as soon as the referendum was over. There must be systems to ensure robust and VISIBLE fact-checking and correction during the campaign. This role should be assigned to all media operators with a public service remit; and there should be mechanisms to challenge and halt and rebut any false statements made by either side; and to make these rebuttals a routine part of the campaign process. \rClearly, both campaigns will make statements that are open to interpretation, and some will never be objectively disprovable; but any Scottish referendum MUST build in systems to confront and avoid the obvious lies; and must punish those who make such lies - in real time and NOT after the campaign.	Residency in Scotland feels like the correct criterion. Has there been any consideration of defining a minimum period of residency before the referendum date? Otherwise, what is to stop people moving to Scotland and taking up residency soon before the referendum, with a specific purpose of voting against independence? \rThe mere suggestion of people moving here to vote in particular ways might shed uncertainty about the fairness of the voter registration.	no comment. I don't really understand this enough.
3754	720209788	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This seems acceptable. The only problem I can see is that an independent body should handle spoilt papers during the count. There were rumours, true or false, of papers being damaged. This needs to be totally transparent. \rI do feel that a further referendum is not needed at this time as it is using funds needed for the economy. Also I think people do not have the stomach for a further vote.	I would like to know how the appointment of counting staff is handled, how it can be determined if they have campaigned or not. As this is a very divisive topic and having heard discussions within my own workplace it is difficult to see how to work out who is campaigning or not and There were people in my workplace who held string views and were quite intimidating to other staff if they disagreed.	If this is truly put into effect then this would be acceptable. Will both sides agree not to have a battle which becomes quite nasty and on occasion violent? Those who participate should be obvious and recognisable to everyone. A stop to those who use intimidating tactics.
3755	779731165	James Black	Individual	Individual	In general I agree with the proposals, with extra safeguards in place if deemed necessary	They seem fair	They seem reasonable
3756	108974578	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
3757	862259209	Laureen Gilmour	Individual	Individual	All seems fair. The fact that eligibility for the vote remains the same it good.	No Answered	Why are Scottish citizens resident in Northern Ireland not included in the vote?
3758	442348478	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
3759	441635140	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for another referendum, therefore management changes are not needed.\rWe are part of the UNITED KINGDOM and will remain so. Scotland was NOT balloted separately to join the EEC.\rWhat is the point in being 'independent' then being ruled by Brussels? That is why the UNITED KINGDOM voted to leave Europe. The Scottish government must accept the outcome of the referendum, just as Northern Ireland and Gibraltar will have to.\rIncidentally, I voted to remain.	No Answered	Why shouldn't Scots living abroad be allowed to vote, after all it is there homeland? If you insist on campaigning for independence, maybe the whole of the UNITED KINGDOM should have a say.
3760	814594265	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Photo ID should be required not just on this but on every vote \rAlso would like any ballots to be escorted to the count by reps of all involved and should never be out of sight\r Postal votes should never be transported out of Scotland like they were before and should never be opened until the time of the count	At the count every counter should be covered with a camera, just to make sure there is no funny business	sounds ok
3761	25548451	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree on a second referendum being held at all	I do not agree with another referendum being held at all	No need. No referendum required.
3762	778767331	JAMES ALLAN	Individual	Individual	Given the aftermath of the 2014 Referendum I do not believe a simple majority for a constitutional change is sufficient. There is no precedent for our situation in Europe with fairly evenly balanced sides. Had the YES side won with the same majority as the NO side obtained the Scottish Government would have proceeded with independence negotiations resulting in the establishment of an independent state with no possibility of a further vote to re-enter the UK. A split in opinion over such a fundamental question with deeply entrenched views on both sides would have been a very unstable foundation for a new state. In my opinion any future Referendum on a constitutional question should require a winning margin of two-thirds of those voting YES.\rOtherwise the arrangements proposed are acceptable.	the technical changes are accepable	Only British citizens resident in Scotland, Commonwealth citizens resident in Scotland, members of the House of Lords resident in Scotland and Service/Crown personnel serving in the UK or overseas should be allowed to vote.\rgiving a vote to EU citizens will mean that votes will be cast from their perspective on the future of the EU and not the constitutional future of the UK
3763	217921075	Jay	Individual	Individual	I am very strongly opposed to the draft referendum bill. I urge the Scottish government to respect the will of the people and accept that Scotland wishes to remain within the United Kingdom has clearly demonstrated in 2014. No point in recent British history has caused more polarisation, caused more damage to families and threatened our way of life more than the Scottish national parties obsession of tearing the country into two.\r Britain has a bright future outside of the European Union and has the opportunity to renter the world stage has a great power, by Scotland threatening to walk out on the union will be an unnecessary distraction and obstruction with Britain to meet its true potential. The SNP have used the arguement that there should be another referendum has a small majority voted to remain the EU. I rebuke this logic and argue that it should have occurred to the SNP that a reason for voting remain in both Scotland and Northern Ireland was not for their love of the EU but the fear that nationalist governments such as the SNP and Sin Feinn would use a leave vote to stir up anti-British sentiment. Again if leaving the EU means that Scots will now have an appetite for leaving the union then this would have shown a sharp spike in pro independence onion poll voting followed by a steady decline, however the majority of scots are still opposed to independence.\r I urge the Scottish government to do the reasonable thing and respect the will of the people. Scotland wants to remain within the United Kingdom.	I do not believe that 16 or 17 year olds fully understand the far reaching consequences of large political decisions such as this, and are likely to be brainwashed by teachers or parents to vote the way they want them to. I am also opposed to non British citizens being able to vote on a decision which could destroy the nation. British citizens outside of Scotland should be included in the referendum has other British citizens are likely to suffer from an independence vote as much as the Scottish people.	No views
3764	235482079	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the agreement	I am happy with the agreement	I am happy with the agreement
3765	409314026	Jonathan Attenborough	Individual	Individual	I am happy with this proposal.	I am happy with this proposal.	I am happy with this proposal.
3766	44290728	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	there should not be a second referendum	no second referenum	no second referendum
3767	501667174	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe our country made our decision when we voted the first time. The government shouldn't keep giving referendums when they don't go our way.\r Membership of the UK is more important that membership of the EU.	I believe our country made our decision when we voted the first time. The government shouldn't keep giving referendums when they don't go our way.\r Membership of the UK is more important that membership of the EU.	I believe our country made our decision when we voted the first time. The government shouldn't keep giving referendums when they don't go our way.\r Membership of the UK is more important that membership of the EU.
3768	1029678032	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
3769	1026986136	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no further referendum.the snp needs to respect the 2014 result which was NO.	No further referendum	No further referendum
3770	96469840	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	N/a	N/a	N/a
3771	1035076584	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There should be no 2nd referendum. I made my vote clear in the first that I want Scotland to remain in UK. I would like the outcome of that vote respected. I voted to remain in the EU but I also respect the majority of UK's decision to leave.
3772	530163746	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We don't need a referendum. We have already decided this.	This questionnaire is very scewed towards insinuating that there will be another referendum?	Don't care
3773	1042023877	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine	No Answered	Only uk residing in Scotland
3774	981714331	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't have a 2nd referendum.	Don't have a 2nd referendum	Don't have a 2nd referendum
3775	50580006	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want more precious public resources spent on another, politically motivated referendum on independence.	I do not want more precious public resources spent on another, politically motivated referendum on independence.	I do not want more precious public resources spent on another, politically motivated referendum on independence.
3776	1036393099	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for a further referendum as we voted in 2014 on a once in a generation and the majority wisely elected to remain part of Great Britain.\rFurther suggestions or a push for another referendum is harmful for business, personal confidence and distracts from the government from dealing with pressing Scottish problems	The voting age should be 18 and over and only for Scottish citizens resident in Scotland \rIt should not include people who are simply living in Scotland but are not actual citizens	Voters should present photographic ID to minimise fraud
3777	843832997	Keith burdett	Individual	Individual	Better security for postal votes	None	None
3778	451843945	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We don't need another referendum. Its political agenda that SNP government have.Please respect results from 2014 and please stop constantly treating us with another referendum.	I don't have view. Full stop we don't need referendum.	No view
3779	40608747	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no requirement for a referendum, the Scottish people voted in 2014 with a clear majority to remain as part of the UK. The vote on the EU was taken as a U.K. Vote and the SNP are using this as an excuse to push to try and overturn the 2014 vote	Individuals from other countries out with the UK should not have a vote, even if resident here. Someone from Poland, France or any other country even if resident here should not have a vote on this issue.	No comment.
3780	915075732	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't believe there is a case for a new referendum but if it does go ahead then should not be a simple majority vote. It is clear from the previous referendum and Brexit that this is insufficient to ensure a popular support for the outcome. A minimum turnout requirement should also be used as an independence outcome is irreversible and so no time the same as other polling events.	No comments	No comments
3781	924037002	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I dont want another referendum.	I dont want another referendum.	I dont want another referendum.
3782	297912467	Nasroodin Diloo	Individual	Individual	fine	fine	fine
3783	893429059	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Where is the question asking if you want the government to focus on running the country instead of continually beating us around the head with threats of indyref2?\r Just get on with improving the NHS, the Police and all the other areas you already have control over.
3784	40668024	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No need for a further referendum.	No need for a further referendum, so no need for technical changes to procedure.	Agree with changes for electoral procedures.
3785	857551177	Karen Gold	Individual	Individual	The country has already voted in 2014 and rejected a Referendum for Independence. I see no reason for this country to have a further Referendum. Stop de-stabilising the Scottish economy.	The country has already voted in 2014 and rejected a Referendum for Independence. I see no reason for this country to have a further Referendum. Stop de-stabilising the Scottish economy.	The country has already voted in 2014 and rejected a Referendum for Independence. I see no reason for this country to have a further Referendum. Stop de-stabilising the Scottish economy.
3786	427183838	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Scotland does not need another independence referendum in this generation.	Not required.	Not required.
3787	652812892	Robert McCulloch	Individual	Individual	There is no need for a further referendum as the Scottish people voted in 2014 that they did not want independence. I call on the Scottish Government to accept the 2014 and not to proceed with further referendum.	No comment.	No comment.
3788	942009903	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These proposals are acceptable and meet any legal requirements to ensure accurate reporting of results	These proposals should ensure that any attempt to misrepresent or fraudulently submit votes would be made very difficult.	These proposals clarify expected responsibilities, and should ensure this referendum is carried out in professional manner.
3789	357568909	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with these proposals	I agree with these proposals	I agree with these proposals
3790	213621209	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think a second\rReferendum would be a complete waste of public money. Granted I think the organisation of the referendum in 2014 was fine and therefore I expect any second one to be similarly so.	As noted above, I do not think there should be a second referendum but the above changes sound fine.	Fine.
3791	267777930	Alistair McKie	Individual	Individual	We do not need another referendum. We are just creating uncertainty and division	This is not relevant\rWe have existing rules and should not be reviewing procedures for a referendum driven solely by political opportunism. The cost in time, staff effort and finances for political reasons is unacceptable	These questions are not relevant at this time
3792	715336100	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need to hold a 2nd referendum as the decision was clear.	No need.	No need
3793	969546207	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Raise the voting age back to 18 .	No Answered	No Absent Voting\rNo 16 and 17 year-olds
3794	565405180	Christopher Banks	Individual	Individual	This is standard for all elections and so I have no issue with our electoral system, this is for any vote that runs.	Disagree. \r It should only be for residents of Scotland that hold a British Passport or permanent residency.	No issue
3795	1039113585	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Surly, the country has already voted just because you are not happy with the results does not mean that you should keep pushing for independence and refuse the will of the people.	See comments above.	See comments above
3796	855128825	Katherine Bell	Individual	Individual	Do not approve of holding another referendum	Do not approve of holding another referndum	Do not approve holding another referendum
3797	822735140	Location	Individual	Individual	I do not see the need for a second referendum unless the whole process of recognising that we live in a democracy is to be ignored by those who decide after a Vote, that does not give the desired outcome that the rules can be changed.\rI voted on the basis that this was a once in a generation vote, only once the result was published did it become apparent that if something significant changes then the ruling party could call another referendum.\rThe wishes of both the Scottish people and of the whole of the UK have been recorded and another generation will have to take this vote. This was the promise made by the current SNP govt. and it should be upheld by all parties in govt.\rThis is clearly a power struggle and the rules will be changed to suit whoever holds the most power, like a tinpot democracy!	If the first referendum is going to be ignored then we have to insist on a minimum turnout for voting of at least 75% and o majority decision of over 60%. Unless of course there are some significant changes.\rAll other rules as to the impartiality of who counts the votes and who manages the votes have to be the same as all other elections in Scotland.	All donors to the campaign's have to be registered and monitored and liable to the fiscal laws and scrutiny of the country. To include pop up funding and crowd sourced funds, if these exceed a limit of £5000 then they have to be publicly listed, not £10000 as is suggested.
3798	342973681	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Referendum not required	Irrelevent	Not applicable
3799	925677614	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the arrangements provided all the problems from last time are sorted out. These were questions over the barcodes, questions over the postal votes, and the lack of independent international monitors.	This all sounds good. The postal voting in particular is a concern as it was easy for people not resident in Scotland to get a vote and there were questions over the number of postal votes returned, in some places a 96% return rate (which is unprecedented apparently). Why was this never investigated?	Fine
3800	23385801	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am very unhappy at the prospect of another referendum. I voted no in the last one and I expect that to be respected inline with the Edinburgh agreement.	We as a nation voted against separation, therefore I do not want another referendum, asking the same question. I want my vote to be respected.	I do not want a referendum for the rules to be changed.
3801	623104685	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In agreement with the current measures	In agreement with changes	Agree
3802	901138062	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No objection	No objection	No objection
3803	695907155	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
3804	94396050	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No comments	I agree strongly that more verification is required in some voting procedures	No comment
3805	972468312	Frances mcmeeking	Individual	Individual	Happy that these arrangements are fair and transparent	Agreed	Agreed
3806	676796654	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I diagree with the proposals and am concerned that the format of tbe question, if I answer yes or no, could be used to view my response as positive toward another referendum. \r I am 100% opposed to another vote. The Scottish government should focus on fixing policing, education and the NHS. Scotland has already voted and you need to respect this and move on.	I disagree for the reasons already stated	I disagree for the above stated reasons
3807	1045619361	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Reasonable and fair.	No problem.	Prudent
3808	113393872	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No comment on the proposal.	No comment on the above.	No comment on the above.
3809	978184814	Alan W Gold	Individual	Individual	This country and the majority of its people voted in 2014 to reject a Referendum for Independence. I see no reason for this country to have a further Referendum. Stop de-stabilising the Scottish economy.	This country and the majority of its people voted in 2014 to reject a Referendum for Independence. I see no reason for this country to have a further Referendum. Stop de-stabilising the Scottish economy.	This country and the majority of its people voted in 2014 to reject a Referendum for Independence. I see no reason for this country to have a further Referendum. Stop de-stabilising the Scottish economy.
3810	243218692	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Pointless consulting on proposed arrangements when the 2014 referendum returned an overwhelming No vote based on the proposition that this would be a once in a generation vote. There should not be a second referendum before 2030 public money has been wasted producing this consultation paper.	Totally unnecessary to propose any changes.	No point in commenting. The real comment was made in 2014 with a vote in favour of No
3811	379203182	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a further referendum at this time, because of the ongoing uncertainty over the UK's future relationship with the EU. With the current state of its economy, Scotland would be unable to meet the fiscal conditions for admission as an EU member. The risk of finding the country penalised in both UK and EU markets is too great. While I am a passionate believer in the EU, and opposed to Brexit, I believe only one problem can be tackled at a time, and this is NOT the time to hold a further independence referendum.	No Answered	I believe that UK citizend born in Scotland but living elsewhere in the UK should be eligible to vote.
3812	520912628	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am content with the proposed arrangements	I am content with the proposals.	I am happy with the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
3813	953650381	James Greenoak	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum as a clear decision was made in 2014\rIt is devisive and sets Scots against each other	No ciews	No viewd
3814	974927190	Calum Duncan	Individual	Individual	Anything the SNP decide I will agree with.	Fine by me, though this time I would prefer UN and EU Observers rather than just Russian Federation.	Again, fine.
3815	76666820	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no new referendum.	Don't bother WE ALREADY SAID NO	Stop wasting time and money. We said NO
3816	834092583	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The referendum in 2015 gave a clear response against independence. It is both undemocratic and against the interests of the Scottish people and the Scottish economy to have another. A new referendum will be deeply divisive and as we have learned from Brexit, it is unlikely those who want independence have the will or intelligence to create a flourishing and united nation. Brexit has already had a dramatic impact on our lives in the UK. Independence would compound this deeply worrying economic uncertainty for Scots. Now is not the time for independence - it needs to wait a generation at least,. A referendum should be held during economic prosperity, not recession.	Totally ridiculous. We had a referendum and voted to remain in the UK. Any arrangements for voting are undemocratic. Personally, I would not accept the result of a referendum re-run that gave independence a majority - I would suspect manipulation of voters and vote. Only those Scots by birth or residence should have been allowed to vote.	This exercise is a waste of government time and money - and as I work through this form - of mine too.
3817	732220508	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Do not agree	Do not agree	Do not agree
3818	870073267	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Plans for another referendum is not required as we had one already.	No Answered	Do not have this referendum
3819	54980963	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I don't think that there should be another referendum. Scotland doesn't need any more uncertainty at this point in time.
3820	900203360	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I strongly disagree with the proposal that there should be another referendum therefore the proposed arrangements are meaningless to me.	I strongly disagree with the proposal that there should be another referendum therefore the proposed technical changes are meaningless to me.	I strongly disagree with the proposal that there should be another referendum therefore the proposed rule changes are meaningless to me.
3821	804498737	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	much the same as before , do not see any difference.\rNeed tighter controls on the actual vote collections/deliveries and especially the postal votes	resident in Scotland needs clarifies - Resident meaning!? elite have more than one address, and will chop and change this dependant on what vote is happening where	no views
3822	131912468	Jim Houston	Individual	Individual	No comment on this as there has already been a democratic referendum in which a large majority rejected the SNP plans.	Not necessary.	See above.
3823	628795418	william james crawford	Individual	Individual	they are completely unnecessary as we have already had a referendum on the subject, and the Scottish people firmly said 'no thanks'. It is obvious to all that were another held, the Scottish people would say 'no thanks' even more firmly.	all irrelevant as we dont want another referendum anyway	it would probably do more for responsible democracy to put the voting age up to 25 rather than down to 16.
3824	403895282	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They are irrelevant. The Scottish people voted no to independence in the last referendum. The Scottish government has a duty to respect this vote and support the union.	See above. All this is irrelevant and disingenuous.	All proposals irrelevant and a betrayal of the Scottish vote in the last independence referendum.
3825	952694037	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a further referendum.	These are an irrelevance as there should not be a second referendum.	See 2 (above)
3826	669795329	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with it.	Happy with it.	Happy with it.
3827	445676739	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My view is that these arrangements are unnecessary as there should not be a second referendum for Scottish Independance for at least another generation	My view is that these arrangements are unnecessary as there should not be a second referendum for Scottish Independance for at least another generation	My view is that these changes to the rules are unnecessary as there should not be a second referendum for Scottish Independance for at least another generation
3828	409360099	Gordon Kerr	Individual	Individual	I'm happy with those arrangements, and hope that mistakes made by the electoral commission in the previous referendum is not repeated.	I think the technical arrangements are very thorough and inclusive.	I'm happy to see more rigid and a tightening of the voting processes that encourage people to be more careful, and take seriously their voting responsibility.
3829	891346841	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	N/A - a second referendum is not necessary - the previous (once in a generation) referendum has caused unacceptable divisions within Scotland. \r Instead, this government should be concentrating on governing Scotland, and not continually looking for excuses to blame Westminster for Scotland's problems. \r In addition, this consultation should be asking people if they agree whether a second referendum is welcome or not!	N/A - a second referendum is not necessary - the previous (once in a generation) referendum has caused unacceptable divisions within Scotland. \r Instead, this government should be concentrating on governing Scotland, and not continually looking for excuses to blame Westminster for Scotland's problems. \r In addition, this consultation should be asking people if they agree whether a second referendum is welcome or not!	N/A - a second referendum is not necessary - the previous (once in a generation) referendum has caused unacceptable divisions within Scotland. \r Instead, this government should be concentrating on governing Scotland, and not continually looking for excuses to blame Westminster for Scotland's problems. \r In addition, this consultation should be asking people if they agree whether a second referendum is welcome or not!
3830	751552579	George Simpson Scott	Individual	Individual	They look fine, as long as any chance of fraudulent voting can be controlled.	They are fine.	Agreed
3831	238093728	LUCY JOHNSTONE	Individual	Individual	i am satisfied that the proposed plans for management of the referendum are satisfactory.	I approve of the suggestion that no campaigner should be a counter.\rI have no opinion on the postal vote changes.	I have no issue with these changes.
3832	91107228	Frances mcmeeking	Individual	Individual	No ,no need for a referendum,the public voted and that vote stands	Do not agree	Do not agree
3833	76979463	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Plans for another referendum should be dropped. Stop the uncertainty, we voted to stay in the UK only two years ago.	Not relevant	See above
3834	680595538	DAVID WREN	Individual	Individual	arrangments should remain the same	same as before, but people who are living oversaeas and have therefore left this country should not get a vot	fine
3835	930136436	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Postal voting should be banned unless there are medical reasons for it, or porof that they will be out of the country.\rEligibility should be UK nationals only. NOT EU citizens who will be biased.	AS above, UK citizens only to vote.	No views
3836	1040003480	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As I consider a further referendum to be unnecessary I also consider any arrangements and plans for such a vote to be a waste of both time and money	I have no disagreement with this	I am broadly speaking in agreement with this
3837	93594093	matthew wotherspoon	Individual	Individual	I agree with these arrangements	I don't agree with postal voting, as I'm suspicious of how this was handled at the last referendum	I agree
3838	1053664499	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are legal	I don't think that non Scots or Scots living outwit Scotland should have a vote	not applicable;e
3839	249253418	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum	We have already voted. Accept the original vote	As above
3840	1052831818	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Either get on with it and then never speak of independence again when the vote is lost for a second time or stop wasting time talking about it and get on with something productive.
3841	130042539	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't think there should be a referendum	See Q1	See Q1
3842	179647114	Euan Mackie	Individual	Individual	I have no comment other than I think another referendum should NOT happen.	If this was to go ahead, and I think this consultations should ask this first...\r I think those of Scottish birth, should have a say in the future constitutional future of Scotland.	As above\r I strongly do not believe the credence or legitimacy of this consultation.
3843	156749538	Rory Macpherson	Individual	Individual	ID Should be shown at polling stations to reduce voter fraud.\r External monitors from abroad	Posta votes shold be banned, proxy votes only for people out of the country, and other existing reasons, passport must be shown to reduce voter fraud.	ok
3844	836887347	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Referendum not required	As long as they comply with recognised, non biased procedures.	Comply with UK voting rules.
3845	452938868	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm quite happy with the system put in place to manage the proposed arrange mets for the referendum. \rAlthough I strongly disagree with the call for a second referendum. I feel the public have already voted to remain part of the U.K. And I don't agree that in a democratic society we would be looking to hold a further vote just because a small number of individuals are not happy with the rest. \rThe original result should be the end of the matter. This is the will of the majority of the voting public. We can't just keep having a vote until some people get the desired result.	Think feel the age should have been set at 18 to vote for the referendum as 16/17 years olds can be very impressionable there for it should be kept in line with the nation nail elections in my opinion.	Understand why the changes have been made.
3846	204835184	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements are adequate	Changes seem sensible	Changes are fine
3847	449913783	Michael Reilly	Individual	Individual	Keep it the same, as for elections.	I like the proposed changes.	I like the proposals.
3848	923771876	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Should a referendum be undertaken, I am content with the proposed arrangements.	Should a referendum be carried out, I am content with the proposed technical changes.	Should a referendum be carried out, I am content with the proposed changes to the rules.
3849	663177028	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No referendum should be held while the royal family are resident at Balmoral or Holyrood.	No comment	No comment
3850	106185253	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Too many bad feelings were generated during the previous referebdum. Nearly all the 'no' voter placards were vandalised and little appeared to be done to protect these.\rAny future referendum must ensure people with different views are protected by the authorities. Secondly, the SNP must not hijack the saltire or infer their opponents are 'not true scots' last time their supporters did this everywhere,\r.	Generally fine although extending the franchise to 16-17 year olds should not be repeated, unless it is extended for all elections.	This is fine
3851	17510691	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I am an SNP voter in U.K, Scottish and local government elections. Nevertheless I voted for the UK to leave the European Union. \r I do not want to see another Scottish Independence Referendum
3852	118954791	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Since I don't think there should be one at all I regard this question as irrelevant. I thought you wanted my views on that. I think a referendum would only be a distraction from the real business of government. I also think it would be better to wait at least until we see how Brexit works out, since even if Scotland becomes independent we would have to leave Europe at least temporarily	See answer to previous question	See answer to first question
3853	234646129	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Scots living outside Scotland should be included in this exercise, particularly those with properties in Scotland.	I do not think that all British citizens, Commonwealth and EU citizens resident in Scotland should be eligible unless they can show residence for a period of at least 4 years.\rThis would exclude transient eligibility, e.g. Students.	No views.
3854	772169022	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The information on this website is not very informative but the whole process is a waste of our money. You should be concentrating on running Scotland efficiently and effectively and forget about having another referendum.
3855	443063642	Bob Gray	Individual	Individual	It must be by the Electoral Commission to maintain impartiality.	The groups allowed to vote should include Scottish born (British citizens) living and or working abroad.	Only changes should reflect recommendations for the 2014 referendum.
3856	460860843	William Cooper	Individual	Individual	I do not approve of the arrangements there should not be a second referendum.\rHowever, were there to be one I would approve the arrangements as proposed with the proviso of my comments below.	16 and 17 year olds should not have the right to vote.\rPeople who identify as Scots because of birth or upbringing should have a vote irrespective of where they live.	In order
3857	512085777	Ewan Scott	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	This consultation solely deals with the technical arrangements for holding a referendum, which are largely controlled by electoral law and good practice. It is totally irrelevant as the technical arrangements for elections, and by extension a legally constituted referendum, are already laid down. Your plea for the electorate to participate is a sham. Their views cannot alter the electoral structure under which a referendum must take place.
3858	845030432	Bruce H Ritchie	Individual	Individual	Another referendum is not required and the Scottish Government should spend more time dealing with the growing problems faced by Scotland at the present time.\rDecrease the gap in attainment by employing more teachers.\rSplit the newly formed Police Scotland so that VAT payments would not be applicable - a situation the government were warned about but ignored.\rUse the available tax powers to raise more money.\rReform the Council Tax - a promise in the SNP Manifesto.	None\rAnother referendum is not required and the Scottish Government should spend more time dealing with the growing problems faced by Scotland at the present time.\rDecrease the gap in attainment by employing more teachers.\rSplit the newly formed Police Scotland so that VAT payments would not be applicable - a situation the government were warned about but ignored.\rUse the available tax powers to raise more money.\rReform the Council Tax - a promise in the SNP Manifesto.	None\rAnother referendum is not required and the Scottish Government should spend more time dealing with the growing problems faced by Scotland at the present time.\rDecrease the gap in attainment by employing more teachers.\rSplit the newly formed Police Scotland so that VAT payments would not be applicable - a situation the government were warned about but ignored.\rUse the available tax powers to raise more money.\rReform the Council Tax - a promise in the SNP Manifesto.
3859	143315959	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Am in full agreement with proposed arrangements.	In full agreement with proposals.	In full agreement.
3860	122003322	Stephon Bishop	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum	I do not want another referendum	I do not want another referendum
3861	114142915	-	Individual	Individual	We don't need a further one so comment on the arrangements is not necessary, the country decided to still be part of the uk ergo nothing has changed, Brexit was a uk wide opinion & also has to be respected as such	Above comments are equally relevant here	See above
3862	167267054	Craig Walker	Individual	Individual	There should not be another vote, the way this 'consultation' has been arranged exemplifies the underhanded tactics of he current government.	These changes would be fine if their was a need for a referendum.	No money from any source should be spent on this nonsense.
3863	129665002	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	You have got to be kidding me? We had a democratic, 'once in a generation' vote on this topic in 2014, Alex Salmond and David Cameron signed the Edinburgh Agreement, meaning the vote would be respected either way. Clearly, this Scottish Government, a Minority Administration may I add is not respecting the democratic will of the Scottish people, it is not accepting it's own responsibility to represent Scottish people by simply saying "Scotland voted to Remain in the EU whilst the rest voted to Leave, so we need independence" because let us be honest with ourselves and let the Scottish Government be honest with itself, an independent Scotland in the European Union was a fantasy in which Scottish people were taken as fools. I, as a Scot, feel betrayed by these proposals, for another referendum on Scottish Independence, dividing the country even further and potentially going against any legal will at all.	I do not want a vote, but if such ludicrous and embarrassment was passed to allow such a foolish referendum when there are plenty of more things the Scottish Government should be thinking and working on, for instance running the Country and our public services accordingly and stopped fierce Austerity then maybe there would be an agenda for such a vote, then yes.	Answer similar to above.
3864	358299605	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think there should be a referendum so managing the referendum should not be required.	As answered above, the referendum in 2014 was clearly stated by the Scottish Government to be a once in a generation referendum and the fact that the Scottish Government is continuing to waste time is both insulting to the majority who voted No and a disgusting waste of public money. Therefore no technical changes are required. There should be no referendum.	No changes are required. There is no need for a referendum. The majority voted No in 2014.
3865	598145900	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I voted previously and this would undermine that decision, the Scottish people vote to stay.\r In addition with the brexit campaign continues to cause concern and is being used to have the referendum vote again.\r Politicians should stick to the rules they layed down when the referendum vote was first ratified.	No Answered	EU residents currently residing in the UK should not be allowed to vote.\r I feel their vote would be biased EU voters believing exit from the UK could allow a re-run of the brexit vote to remain.
3866	690091658	J Robertson	Individual	Individual	These plans should be dropped. We voted to remain in the U.K. only two years ago!	Not relevant to me	As above
3867	1026900042	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum so soon after the last one	There should not be plans being made for another referendum as it is too soon after the last one	This consultation should not be taking place as there has already been a successful referendum
3868	19051418	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Ill thought out, badly planned and wholly undemocratic. additionally, a second referendum is unneccessary since the Scottish people have already expressed their views on 'independence' or, more accurately, separation or divorce from the rest of the UK.	Slightly better than the last idiotic arrangement where anyone resident, even temporarily, in Scotland (Poles, Lithuanians, Americans, French) could vote.	Completely unneccessary since another referendum is not required.
3869	1025557023	James Boyd	Individual	Individual	I would arrange with the proposed arrangements if they are similar to that used for the first referendum.	I have no opinion on the changes.	I have no opinion on these changes.
3870	787352857	Thomas muir	Individual	Individual	Go for it	Have an independent country look after it, NOT ENGLAND.	Ok
3871	509098714	David Taylor	Individual	Individual	We MUST have exit polls and can't allow postal votes to be counted down south. We also need more observers for the count from unconnected countries with no ulterior motive	Owners of holiday homes in Scotland must not be allowed to vote	Agree
3872	1060310333	Paul Cleugh	Individual	Individual	This all seems fine.	I would prefer only those born in Scotland to be able to vote.	Fine.
3873	226405626	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	already had your chance and the Scottish people said NO, BELIEVE THEM,	Dont do it!	DONT do it!
3874	884468206	Patrick Byrne	Individual	Individual	The proposals sound fair - they're inclusive and allow people who live in Scotland to decide its future.	The proposed changes are sensible and should address any doubts over postal voting.	The changes look sensible, especially the formalisation of making permitted participants aware of their responsibilities.
3875	344593436	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with all these arrangements.	I agree with the proposed changes.	I agree with these changes.
3876	686121920	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No referendum necessary	IonE U residents should not have a vote	Difficult to follow this. Simple English would be helpful. This will put off replies from people who just want to make the Scottish Government realise that although a vote was given to remain in the EU it did not mean it was a vote to break up the Union.
3877	247247434	Nici Carmichael	Individual	Individual	Me myself as a Scottish citizen born and bred raising a family want the best future possible for my children and generations after me so I want more than ever an independent Scotland	I think it should be more strict as I know from personal experience that a lot of votes were deliberately not counted	I agree with the view and fully support this
3878	189351062	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with what is proposed.	I do not agree with that part of the proposal regarding Irish and other Eu citizens being given a right to vote. This right should be reserved for UK citizens only.	I agree with this.
3879	858390691	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As far as I was aware the last referendum vote was a once in a generation question, therefore any proposal for a new one should not be entertained and the SNP should get on with running the country.	The same as I responded above.	See my answer to question 1
3880	1020919831	Ian Grant	Individual	Individual	I'm happy in general with the proposed arrangements for the referendum, although I am unhappy with the involvement of the Electoral Commission, which in my experience is ineffectual in its monitoring role.	Any measure to tighten up postal voting is to be welcomed, but the changes do not go far enough. The whole postal voting process is open to abuse by unscrupulous parties, and for a referendum which is as important for the future of the country, postal votes should only allowed if there are personal bereavement or illness, or employment reasons for not being in the country.	No problem with those.
3881	605555761	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements for management of the referendum.	I agree that those who actively campaign should not be employed at polling stations	I agree with the proposals
3882	113151590	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No views- any further referendums should follow previous format\r I don't believe there should be any further referendums on Independence as we have already had one and the result should be respected. \r I feel that this consultation paper should have a section for views on whether a referendum should take place or not. \rI feel that this consultation does not allow views to be expressed and therefore shows bias as it is stating that a referendum WILL take place. I Voted for Independence and voted for BREXIT. \rI believe that the results of both referendums should be respected. Scotland is part of the UK and as such the BREXIT referendum should be respected and the Scottish government should be focused on looking after the economy as it stands as part of the UK.	No views. Should follow previous procedures	No views on proposed changes
3883	676816787	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not required as 2014 result was clear, stay with UK.\rTo keep asking until you get the answer you want shows desperation.\rLike a child demanding sweets, will keep demanding until they get what they want.\rPoor leadership.	Not required as 2014 result was clear, stay with UK.	Not required as 2014 result was clear, stay with UK.
3884	831669833	David Booth	Individual	Individual	I am against any further referendums.	I am against any further referendums.	I am against any further referendums.
3885	424841573	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum.	There should not be another referendum.	There should not be another referendum.
3886	561227653	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Unnecessary as the Scottish people voted against Independence	Are biased towards achieving the result the SNP want!	As above
3887	309330870	John Black	Individual	Individual	I support the arrangements for a referendum given that Scotland voted to remain in the EU. I regard this as "a major change in the circumstances" as detailed in the GE prospectus of the SNP and that an independence referendum should be held to determine whether the Scottish people can remain in the EU.	I support the changes	I support the technical changes on permissable participants
3888	649386546	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Total waste of time and money	Fine	Fine
3889	54633898	James Watters	Individual	Individual	A waste of time money & effort\rThis is also a waste of my time now having been through it. If it was covered by the trade descriptions act you would be prosecuted. I see no consultation on the bill only the admin of managing the technical aspects of polling.	No opinion	no opinion
3890	995305333	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think that 16 and 17 year olds should be allowed to vote, as when you are 16, you can get married, have children, and can be considered an adult. \rI also think that there should be very fair, concise (warts and all) information available on what would happen if SNP succeeds and Scotland gains independence. We are in a 'post-truth' era (whatever that means), the people are fed up being lied to (Brexit for example) and want to know what the options are without any hiccups, lies, mistakes and anomalies. Don't make promises you cannot keep, like Farage and Johnson.	No Answered	I disagree with this. I think that only British citizens living in Scotland should be allowed to vote. As I am Scottish, and lived in England during the last referendum, but could not vote.
3891	429898708	Pat Mcmillan	Individual	Individual	I am totally against another referendum it is so devisive for the country and the SNP needs to respect the voice of the Scottish people when we said NO.	Only people resident in Scotland with the exception of HMS forces should be eligible to vote.	Ok
3892	526446917	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Yes	Yes	That seems fine would it not be possible for people voting have to provided proof who they are
3893	14630488	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	WHY IS THIS THE FIRST QUESTION ON THE SURVEY? \r WHY DOES THIS FARCE OF A CONSULTATION NOT ASK IF WE WANT ANOTHER Redacted text REFERENDUM??\r I DO NOT WANT ANOTHER REFERENDUM ON INDEPENDENCE.\r Why are you not starting by asking whether we even want another referendum? \r Starting with questions about abstruse and obscure rules on procedure, donors and spending makes it look as if you want people to be so bored they don't fill in the full survey - very manipulative!\r The arrangements seem reasonable and fair, but I believe the ballot question should not have a Yes/No answer because these colour the campaigns - the Better Together campaign was repeatedly accused of being negative, but if you are campaigning for a No vote, your campaign will have negative overtones. I note that the SNP 'bagged' the positive answer last time round, and I am damn sure they will not accept being the No campaign if there is another referendum!!\r I think the ballot paper should look something like this:\r I wish Scotland to remain in the Union with the rest of the UK. [ ]\r I wish Scotland to become independent. [ ]	I have no issues with these changes.	I have no issues with these changes.
3894	526107859	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Premise of bill is suspect and this should be the first question.\rUK foriegn policy is not devolved. The Scottish Government/SNP is being undemoncratic within the UK to over turn this.\rLogically being independent would not ensure scotlands continuing membership of the EU. Most EU members were not interested the first time and the situation for the EU vis Scotland has not significantly changed	No. Iew referendum should not be held	Referendum should not be held
3895	831810988	Billy Cumming	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
3896	416064923	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements are fine for the referendum, should one be held, which it should not.	Changes would be acceptable if a referendum was held, but it should not happen.	Rules would be acceptable if a referendum was held, but it should not happen.
3897	423823943	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Now is not the time to have another referendum. There are more important issues to solve before spending time and money on something the Scottish people voted against not long ago.	Ok	Ok
3898	889854978	Richard Lawrence	Individual	Individual	As before	As proposed	As proposed
3899	191108866	Paul Tricki	Individual	Individual	Generally in agreement, HOWEVER...\r 16 and 17 year-olds should not be eligible to vote... they are generally not sufficiently mature to understand the implications.\r All BRITISH passport holders (over 18) throughout the UK and overseas should be eligible though, as the outcome may significantly affect them.	16 and 17 year-olds should not be eligible to vote... they are generally not sufficiently mature to understand the implications.\r All BRITISH passport holders (over 18) throughout the UK and overseas should be eligible though, as the outcome may significantly affect them.	No adverse comment.\r I believe that "permissible participants" should be vetted to ensure they are of suitable character, capable of understanding the full significance of their actions and with a wide knowledge of "real world" matters, preferably with a business or managerial background.
3900	563304637	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am completely against another referendum going ahead no matter the arrangements made to carry it out.	Again I have no wish for a referendum to go ahead. I am of the opinion that citizens living permanently out with Scotland should have no vote.	No matter the change in rules I have no wish for a second referendum to be held. The rules are important but have no influence in my decision making.
3901	527874064	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	overseas electors excluded. All others16 & over who are resident should be eligible\rCare needs to be taken regarding timing to ensure students from other parts of the UK and Europe are not included ignore longer resident due to moves from term time address	Clear guidelines on checking and verifying election staff will be required to ensure moonrise employed who has participated in canvassing	Permitted participants should be limited as far as possible
3902	665505112	Dugald MacColl	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements for the referendum	I agree with these proposals, in particular the parts relating to counting staff who should be able to perform the count without prejudice regardless of their personal views on independence.	I agree with the proposed changes.
3903	1068646059	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No comment	No comment	No comment
3904	682806370	Diane Sutherland	Individual	Individual	Fine although I believe postal votes should be more closely monitored	No Answered	I have worked in polling stations for many years and believe the system works perfectly well despite many people I know thinking it doesn't.
3905	185243039	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not applicable as do not believe there should be a second referendum any time soon. The decision made by the people of Scotland inn 2014 was quite clear and we were told at that time that this was a once in a lifetime decision. I am very opposed to Brexit but do not believe that an independent Scotland would be accepted as a member of the EU nor would this be beneficial economically after the departure of the rest of the UK. \rThe Scottish Government should concentrate on using the very many powers it already has and on improving the disgraceful state of education in the country which once led the world in this area.	see above	See above
3906	886394547	Trevor Hollett	Individual	Individual	The EU referendum was a UK referendum on UK membership. What individual areas of the UK voted is not relevant. The Scottish Government was clearly told that the majority wanted to remain part of the UK. This is therefore your mandate and how you should be behaving. The UK government face difficult negotiations to leave the EU, it is totally unacceptable to be setting them challenges regarding a separate deal for Scotland. The SNP just want the UK government to fail so they can blame Westminster again. The Scottish Government need to be focusing on governing Scotland improving education, NHS and economy.	Supported	Supported
3907	145472790	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	i feel that is fair, transparent and viable .	i believe these changes will more truly reflect the votes of the people and be more secure thereby avoiding the doubts raised in the 2014 referendum regarding postal votes and miscounted votes. also the media will be less able to scaremonger or present false / misleading information in regard to the counts	not sure what all this means but sounds like it prevents business or individuals buying votes and also prevents misuse of campaign funds. if so all good
3908	514819954	Angus Forbes	Individual	Individual	I believe that a referendum would be a damaging exercise for the Scottish people\r Polls show that Scotlands people feel exactly the same way as they did 2 years ago in regards to independence and a large majority have said they don't want another referendum. We must question if this is the best use of the country's resources	As this proposed referendum is being brought due to the Brexit situation , I feel european people should not be allowed to vote as that would give an unfair advantage to the yes side	Scottish tax payers money should not be used to fund a case for independence, for example, if the Yes side want to produce another White Paper, it should be paid for by the yes side, not the Scottish Government.
3909	146116154	Elaine Williamson	Individual	Individual	I agree that the vote should be the same as before, although I do think any voter should have lived in Scotland for a minimum of 1 year.\r I do not think Postal votes should be allowed, and I also believe identification of some sort should be shown to verify you are the person allowed to vote. From the media alone, there were too many questions re postal votes - none that have been answered to my knowledge from 2014, and I feel this puts a question mark against any result.	I agree with the age groups etc being allowed to vote.\rAs in my previous answer,\rPostal votes should not be allowed - in the case of disability, illness etc, a proxy vote with proof should be used instead.\rProxy votes: it should go without saying that the proxy voter should be on the list themselves and have proof of both their identity and that of the person unable to attend themselves.\rA verification statement sounds like common sense. If the figures dont match, the officer should be held responsible, and should sign papers to state as such. This then should be open to the candidates for each area to scrutinize in any way seen fit.	I completely agree with the above.
3910	424036011	Ann Dougan	Individual	Individual	I am in agreement with the proposed arrangements.	I am happy with the proposed changes.	I am happy with the proposed changes.
3911	59716782	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We already have made a democratic decision and I feel that to continue this determined route is less than beneficial to the country. The money should be spent on improving education for the future generation of Scottish children and young adults; health service for all and social care for the people who urgently require this essential service .	I feel that current arrangements are adequate we have an excellent democratic system when copared to other countries	All people / persons who are registered residents in the UK of 18 years of age and above should be eligible to vote. However a system whereby all eligible people / persons registered to vote must vote should be introduce and those not voting should be fined as occurs in some other countries.
3912	459332872	Alasdair govan	Individual	Individual	None do not agree to any further referendum	None .as above	None. As above
3913	794484929	Frank Fitzpatrick	Individual	Individual	The Scottish Government has no power or authority to put in place any arrangement for another referendum. This matter has already been decided by the electorate and it is the settled will of the people of Scotland that we should remain as part of the United Kingdom. I voted for independence on the day of the last referendum but as a democrat I accepted the will of the majority as everyone was bound to do who participated in any way. It is corrupt for the Scottish government to seek to overturn the settled will of the people of Scotland which has been very clearly and democratically expressed.	As the Scottish Government has no power or authority to make these changes, see my previous answer, this question is invalid.	See answers 1, and 2.
3914	846797839	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This referendum is totally unnecessary\rWe have already voted on this topic – to pursue a second vote is a gross misuse of public funds merely to fulfil the political ambitions of one party	This referendum is totally unnecessary\rWe have already voted on this topic – to pursue a second vote is a gross misuse of public funds merely to fulfill the political ambitions of one party	This referendum is totally unnecessary\rWe have already voted on this topic – to pursue a second vote is a gross misuse of public funds merely to fulfill the political ambitions of one party
3915	996267145	Jim Walker	Individual	Individual	Arrangements are fine but I think the Executive should concentrate on real issues and discard thoughts of another referendum.	As above	I would accept
3916	545864558	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We have already been consulted and so there should be no further referendum.	I am against holding a referendum	Nothing makes the holding of a referendum acceptable
3917	716858043	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If there was some form of public prosecution for repeating something that has categorically been proven untrue, that would be helpful!	I think a representative from each party should be tasked with physically following each and every ballot box from the polling station to the counting place. never letting their designated boxes out of their sight.	Seems fair to me.
3918	253172785	Paul Brady	Individual	Individual	I am content with these arrangements and happy to see them applied as outlined in the proposal.	As above I am happy to see these arrangements applied as in previous elections.	These changes appear to have merit and I'd be happy to see them implemented.
3919	951702374	Ian McLaren	Individual	Individual	Believe Scotland already voted for this generation. So would strongly object to another one.	Agree	None
3920	589029475	Sandy Smith	Individual	Individual	Yes for indy 2. But definet answers to currency and the EU unlike last referendum, where we shot ourselves in the foot with no hard facts on the above mentioned	Changes are ok and acceptable	As above
3921	159971560	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As the proposals managed in the 2014 referendum	No issues with technical changes to procedures	No issues
3922	355637121	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think there should be a referendum. We had the vote and it was highly divisive, the repercussions of which are still felt - why we would put our country through that again is beyond me	Nothing of consequence	Nothing of consequence
3923	140722257	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements appear on the surface to be fair	I think that only British born voters should be allowed to vote.	Why not write them in plain english. Without reading the whole thing the language used is not the language of the common man.
3924	760478408	Anastasia Muir	Individual	Individual	Manage it using an independent country , ie Ireland, not england.	Ok	Ok
3925	274092514	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	N/A	N/A	16 & 17 year olds shouldn't be allowed to vote unless rules change to let them vote in general elections!
3926	202133251	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As for 2014 the management proposals seem OK.	People who have recently been resident in Scotland should also be allowed to vote. A time limit of 2 years after residence is probably workable. Some provision for children not currently living in Scotland but with parents resident in Scotland should be made.	Acceptable
3927	432932471	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This question is worded as though the referendum is going ahead.. There should be no referendum as the country has already voted against independence.. This government is decisive and single minded with no other agenda than the ruin of this wonderful country with short sighted and misguided policies, such as the Gaelic plan, designed to further their own political agendas.. Instead of wasting more Scottish money on further referendums, until they get the answer they want, it should be spent on front line services..	This question is worded as though the referendum is going ahead.. There should be no referendum as the country has already voted against independence.. This government is decisive and single minded with no other agenda than the ruin of this wonderful country with short sighted and misguided policies, such as the Gaelic plan, designed to further their own political agendas.. Instead of wasting more Scottish money on further referendums, until they get the answer they want, it should be spent on front line services..	This question is worded as though the referendum is going ahead.. There should be no referendum as the country has already voted against independence.. This government is decisive and single minded with no other agenda than the ruin of this wonderful country with short sighted and misguided policies, such as the Gaelic plan, designed to further their own political agendas.. Instead of wasting more Scottish money on further referendums, until they get the answer they want, it should be spent on front line services..
3928	137565457	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A crass idea based on a failure to realise that Scotland took part in the Brexit vote and is now looking to renage	Seems to have worked the last time	Only those who hold citizenship should have the right to vote as they can vote a leave if things don't work out for them.\r Only those who, at the time of the referendum, are full time residents in Scotland should be allowed to vote -= Scots people permanently resident abroad (including the EU) should be barred from voting.
3929	383618985	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum which requires managing.	There should not be another refererendum. The fact that it is even been considered shows a total lack of respect for our Scotland and the people who call this wonderful country their home. Shame on Sturgeon.	As above. What gives Sturgeon the right to ignore the wish of the Scottish people just because it does not suit her unfulfilled vision of our country.
3930	296377536	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A total waste of Public Funds by The SNP.	This vote should be open to all UK Citizens as (just as The SNP says) it will have an effect on all parts of The UK and therefore everyone should have a say. Breaking up The UK without having a vote on it is an undemocratic act and is the hallmark of a Dictatorship that wishes to force through a decision which will impose costs on other UK members who have no say in it.	As above. All of The UK should be able to vote on an issue that they will have to pay for as it could take away from them a part of GB against their wishes.
3931	179118287	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Notwithstanding my opposition to a second referendum, the proposed arrangements are reasonable. The arrangements sould be exactly the same as the first referendum, thus avoiding, or at least minimising, any confusion. \r Having got to the end of they consultation, I note, with some dismay, that the important question is not asked (I wonder why?) - should there be a second referendum? In case anyone in government is taking any notice, NO.	I have deep reservations regarding eligibility of some to vote, especially ANYONE who is not a British citizen AND resident in Scotland. It is self evident that by including European citizens, who might return to their own country at NY time they like, that they are likely to skew the vote. Only British citizens should be allowed to vote.	Agreed.
3932	322246703	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I think it is expensive and divisive and Scottish people living outwith Scotland were not allowed to vote which I think is unfair to them
3933	370166959	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No referendum should be considered.The 2014 referendum was decisive with the majority of the voters electing to remain within the UK. That result should be respected. Nicola Sturgeon is at pains to say the vote to come out of the EU has to be respected but does not respect the majority of the voters and ignores the 2014 decision they made. I voted remain in the EU referendum but as a citizen of the UK I accept the result as should the SNP and its followers. The Scottish government should be getting on with the job they have been elected to do but are making a poor job of it.	Not relevant as no referendum should be considered.	Not relevant as no referendum should be considered.
3934	496869758	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum.	There should not be another referendum.	There should not be another referendum.
3935	722009848	Noreen Melly	Individual	Individual	I do not have any strong views on the proposed arrangements, but I do not think another referendum is the right way forward at the present time.	I am not sure about commonwealth citizens having the right to vote, many commonwealth citizens want to be part of the United Kingdom, not an independent Scotland.	No particular view
3936	497373892	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No need for another Referendum	No need for changes	No need for another Referendum
3937	294834469	Martin muir	Individual	Individual	Ok	Ok	Ok
3938	110525463	CRAIG WATSON	Individual	Individual	I don't believe we should have to go through another referendum. We decided in 2014 to stay in the UK and that result should still stand regardless of the EU result. We voted as the United Kingdom in the EU referendum and should leave as the United Kingdom.\rMs Sturgeon says what Scotland voted for in the EU referendum should be respected, but she has been hell bent on another independence referendum ever since the 2014 one. \rWe were told it was "once in a generation" or even "once in a lifetime" \rSo the result of any referendum is only respected if it is the result Ms Sturgeon and the SNP wanted?\rIf it wasn't the result of the EU referendum then it would be something else that would be the excuse to bring up independence.	It doesn't matter what changes there are to polling or count arrangements as the yes campaign will cry foul when they lose again.	I have no interest in any proposed changes as I do not believe there should be another.
3939	215635275	John Buckle	Individual	Individual	The decision on independence has already been ade by the Scottish people. \there is no need to have another.	Not necessary as the electorate views were made clear in 2014.	Not necessary
3940	468100625	Gary Lausch	Individual	Individual	Personally I'd like to see an intelligence test before allowing people the vote as the large number of complete numpties in Scotland might cost us independence again. I would also like tighter security during and after the actual voting process and the count to be done independentry, preferably by experts from a neutral country.	I have no concerns over any resident in Scotland voting in the next referendum but I would like to stop people with second/ holiday homes being allowed a vote on our countries future. There should be rules stating residents must have lived here for a certain amount of time before the vote.	I have no particular views on this and will put my trust in the new rules and hope that the amendments will produce a fair and transparent outcome.
3941	70232287	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am sorry but this shouldn't be on be tabasle. The SNP should not be pursuing what was voted down previously. Nothing has changed apart from them making a mess of governing the country. Try doing what you were voted In to do.	As per point 1	As per point 1
3942	965354041	Alan Stephen	Individual	Individual	I think another referendum is completely unnecessary as the public have already decided	The question should be reversed for the original one so that a "Yes" means Scotland remain with in the Union	OK with that
3943	126931603	Brian Bourke	Individual	Individual	I feel that we need to assess what the British government can achieve in regards to Brexit, evaluate the impact on this and then monitor what the impact is on this country as a result of this.	My view on 16-17 year old children having a vote remains unchanged. I believe it was a ploy to try to boost the number who would vote in favour of independence. \rI wasn't in favour of it in 2014 and believe it is unnecessary to include them in the electorate. Nothing will be more divisive than another referendum.	I believe a some cognisance needs to be taken of the fact that the people who were most vociferous and aggressive were those who represented the independence movement and the way they shut down with horrible intimidating behaviour anyone who had the temerity to disagree with their views. In the end if there is serious attempts to reduce behaviour of this kind then a more balanced less intimidating debate would be able to be conducted.......in 30 years time.
3944	132598583	ALEXANDER MCLACHLAN	Individual	Individual	THE PROPOSALS SOUND FINE TO ME	the changes sound sensible	sensible changes
3945	264373932	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It should remain as before	I agree with the changes	I agree with the changes
3946	957525977	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It's all a complete waste of money as the last one was for a generation.	We voted to stay part of the UK and you must respect that decision.	It you are stupid to try to break up the UK again, you allow Romanians etc to vote so why do you exclude Scots living in the rest of the UK???
3947	1051606278	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements seem clear and transparent	I think there should be a residency requirement of a minimum of five years unless citizens of Scotland or UK.	I agree with the updated paragraphs as described
3948	675420882	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	there should be no referendum we have already had one and it should not be repeated ever!!	there should not be a new referendum so the point is mute!	there should not be a new referendum so the point is mute!
3949	234873332	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	All elections should require ID before anyone can vote. The current process is wide open for fraud. There should be NO 2nd referendum. Total waste of money and only more bullying by SNP supporters.	Other EU citizens should not be allowed to vote	no comment
3950	686948850	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want a second referendum to take place.	I do not want a second referendum to take place.	I do not want a second referendum to take place.
3951	977538814	Lauren muir	Individual	Individual	Use an independent country to run it , not england.	Ok	Ok
3952	603142766	Alistair Simpson	Individual	Individual	There is no need for another referendum. Try governing with the existing powers to to get the best results for everyone, instead of dragging the country down and attempting to blame it on the UK government.	There is no need for another referendum. Try governing with the existing powers to to get the best results for everyone, instead of dragging the country down and attempting to blame it on the UK government.	There is no need for another referendum. Try governing with the existing powers to to get the best results for everyone, instead of dragging the country down and attempting to blame it on the UK government.
3953	949703845	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not consider that it is appropriate to have another referendum on Scottish independence at this stage given the small lapse of time since the last vote. I do not believe that Brexit is a material change of circumstances to justify such a vote.\rThat being said, I am in agreement with the above proposals	Agreed	Agreed
3954	17784939	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Preferably zero postal votes instead using proxy in its place	Vote cards with barcode, votes counted and sealed in town/city of count all independently verified definitely NO cross border vote counting aka zero votes leaving Scotland to be counted.	Ok
3955	381314101	David Allaway	Individual	Individual	Totally satisfactorily system	I have no issues with these arrangements	No problems
3956	781926373	Tony Milligan	Individual	Individual	Broadly fine.	The verification statement system looks like a good change.	Fine.
3957	1044532958	Gerald D Barr	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I believe that anyone born in Scotland living /working in Europe should be allowed to vote as they have an interest in the outcome pertaining to Scotland being a member of the European Community.\rMany people are in favor of independence as the U.K. Elected government for many years is unrepresentative of the views of the people of Scotland but may not vote for independence because they are worried that financially Scotland and themselves may be worse off with independence. In view of this the ballot question should be qualified , such as ' Do you believe Scotland should be an independent country with the process of independence being triggered when the economic situation allows ' ?
3958	1067808970	Becc Dishon	Individual	Individual	Agree. \r The way the referendum was run seemed to work despite rather confusing and dodgy looking television images coming out of some counting stations.\r Also hugely concerned by how little was seemingly done about Ruth Davidson knowing more information than she was legally allowed. \r I simply do not trust her to act honestly and with integrity. My opinion.	"This change reflects recommendation 19 of the Electoral Commission’s report on the 2014 referendum."\r This is an area I am hugely worried about. We only have the word of the staff counting that the various worrying television images etc of miss-counting were not serious. \r I worry that such positions are too easily filled with dodgy counters.	Agree.
3959	91980013	Donald Blackie	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the process proposed	Happy with the above technical changes	Happy with above technical changes
3960	463198340	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think it is a complete waste of money. I was a yes voter last time but I would vote no this time as I feel very strongly the government should concentrate on governing this country and sorting out the many problems there are. \r I am not against having another referendum but not for some time.	No Answered	No issues with this other than think it should be irrelevant at this time
3961	353834560	Jim Davies	Individual	Individual	This seem ok to me.	No Answered	non British citizens should have no vote .
3962	373855668	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Nine required, the process set and operated by the Electorial Commission is more than adequate.
3963	65015315	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There should not be a second indyref2.
3964	132806074	Philip craig	Individual	Individual	Would like to see EU monitoring on the count	Should be for EU residents living and working here	Quiet happy as it is
3965	109009332	Karen Allan	Individual	Individual	I think it's a good thing but maybe we need more independent neutral people to ensure there is no repeat of the last issues that dogged the count	This would seem to take some of the previous issues away. I hope it is enough to stop any politicians from revealing any facts whether true or false about posral votes which I strongly believe should not be looked at until counting day.	Acceptable
3966	296344529	Rev John Clifford	Individual	Individual	I do not see any reference to the fairness of the question to be put to voters. If the second Referendum is to be fair, the question to be asked should be more neutral than in the first Referendum -- it has been shown that there is an unconscious prejudice in most people that makes "Yes" more acceptable than "No" as a response and this can skew results by as much as 10%. NB that the Euro Exit/Reman Referendum avoided this pitfall.	If the date of the proposed second Referendum is after the two year deadline for completion of negotiations instigated under Article 50 (due to be declared by the end of March 2017) then I believe that citizens of Ireland or other EU nationals resident in Scotland should not be included in those eligible to vote.	I have no comments about this section.
3967	36835059	peter kemp	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
3968	174581840	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements were correct in 2014 and I agree with the proposals for a future rederendum	These seem like technical alterations and I do not see anything that causes me concern. Basing eligibility on residency is the right option and the inclusion of 16 and 17 year olds, as before, is to be applauded.	Again, nothing here causes me any concern.
3969	410002156	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	as we have already had a referendum which clearly indicated Scotland should remain part of the UK there should not be a further referendum	mute point there should not be a further referendum	mute point there should not be a further referendum
3970	260187229	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum bill or so called "Independence Referendum"	No Answered	Unnecessary, there should be no further referendum
3971	256807649	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No problems with the management of the referendum,but many questions regarding the attitude of those wishing to leave the UK,	None	None
3972	248464568	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the above as being a good way to manage the second referendum	Again I agree with the above	I agree with the above
3973	482273967	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The management of a referendum can only be granted to the Scottish government, as in 2014, by the government of Westminster.\rThe Scottish government does not have any powers to hold such a ballot or the mandate to propose that one should be held.
3974	704350073	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not feel we should have second referendum. Ee have voted once and tgat was our generations rihht. We cannot change our mind because something else happened which ultimately we did vote in also. We have no right to just keep voting and questioning the result because it didn't suit the current political party. If we undertake one then the set up last time was suffient. However more ID checks should take place . I never get asked for my poll slip or ID. This will also help to combat fraud which needs to be reviewed fully.	The changes look good. The key element to combat is fraud a day the resulting calls of cheating which are petty but risked being correct. 100% checking and consideration to who works at polling station is positive .	As this reflects policy this is sufficient. There must be protection against ulterior motives.
3975	961720144	Fiona Taylor	Individual	Individual	No strong views. Only concern would be that there was some concern raised in 2014 that some yes postal votes were excluded from the count as were some ballot votes. Happy for any management arrangements so long as they are fair.	Happy with all proposals particularly new provisions to tighten rules relating to checking and verification of voters and polling staff.	All seem okay.
3976	1056122394	Gordon Walker	Individual	Individual	We just had two referendum we do not need any more referendums	We just had two referendum we do not need any more referendums	We just had two referendum we do not need any more referendums
3977	68224208	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Proposed arrangements are ok, my only concern is the postal vote, in 2014 Indy ref appox. 30% postal votes equates 1million votes. The norm for elections is 4%. The EU ref 2016 was 4% in line with the norm. I would recommend that all postal votes are crossed referenced to ensure that they are genuine.	No problems with these arrangements	No problems with these arrangements
3978	248187208	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These are in order.\r This is NOT a consultation on whether there should be a Referendum. The ideology of this Government is destroying the normal political harmony in Scotland.	All Scots people, including those who live and work outside Scotland. Many were excluded last time and that was inherently unfair.	See above
3979	216125461	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is not applicable as I don't believe we should be having another referendum.	Citizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries should definitely not be included in any referendum as they may have a vested interest in the outcome. 16 and 17 year olds should also not be allowed to vote as they do not have enough life experience to make such a decision.	No opinion.
3980	245365718	N/A	Individual	Individual	May I suggest that the management arrarangements are closely monitored. Formal ID must be presented at the Polling Stations and Parties should not be allowed to gather together person or persons, who would not have otherwise voted, and fill in their registration forms.	Citizens from other EU countries resident in Scotland should not be elegible to vote.	I have no views with these arrangements
3981	209896201	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This referendum is a repeat of the last one. The Scottish government need to grow up and accept the result.	No comment	No comment
3982	515534450	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	satisfied	satisfied	satisfied
3983	117312306	Alison Norcross	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the arrangements for the referendum. I do think that extra payments to Local Authority Chief Execs should be capped at an hourly rate for the extra hours they work.	Happy with the best practice.	Agree
3984	792164772	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In so far as the Scottish people were told that the 2014 referendum was a "once in a generation" affair and further that the Scottish people gave a clear and positive rejection of independence in 2014, there should be no new referendum being proposed. That being the case, it would be totally irrelevant for me to comment on any arrangements regarding proposals for a new referendum on the issue.	In so far as the Scottish people voted by 55 per cent to 45 per cent to reject independence, such proposals are totally irrelevant.	See my answer to question 2.
3985	1005907745	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements appear to be sufficient for the referendum.	Scottish people living outwith Scotland for less then 5 years who may wish to return to Scotland should be allowed to vote.	See above
3986	636223673	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I fail to recognise the necessity of a second referendum. The idea smacks of opportunism.\rMs Sturgeon would be a better leader of our Scottish Government if she let go if this obsession and concentrated on bringing Scotland back into a place of respect and prominence in the world.	If we do move on a further referendum then every attempt must be made to be fair and transparent.	Unconcerned
3987	833899421	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements themselves are mostly satisfactory. My concerns are around the abuse of the postal vote facility and the need to ensure that the votes cast (but not the vote recorded) can be traced back to the particular individual and have not been submitted on their behalf by other parties/proxy holders/ activists.\r The major issue for most people is the process for deciding that a second independence referendum should take place. The 2014 referendum was supposed to be a 'once in a lifetime' vote, was deeply divisive, and there has been no progress on resolving the major outstanding issues, the currency to be used and Scotland's annual deficit. In the light of the Brexit vote for the United Kingdom to leave the EU there is already enough uncertainty about the outcome of these negotiations without adding to this with another independence referendum.	No Answered	My concerns surround the payments made to those appointed as returning officers. Many of these individuals are local government officials/ chief executives who are already on inflated salaries.\rActing as returning officers should be part of the job description for such senior individuals
3988	705428972	None of your business	Individual	Individual	NO MORE INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM THREATS PLEASE - YOUR REFUSAL TO ACCEPT THE 2014 RESULT IS INSULTING	NO MORE REFERENDUMS	NO TO INDYREF2
3989	676915957	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Very sensible and all in order.	Fine.	No issue.
3990	641051879	Brian Doyle	Individual	Individual	I do not believ it is in interest of Scottish people to start this over again!	It would appear this is simply SNP way of attempting to ensure they get what they want and not public view	Not a lot??
3991	980624690	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In September 2014, Scotland decided to remain as part of the United Kingdom. It was agreed by both Holyrood and Westminster a referendum would take place. The date was arranged and people voted. The vote was unanimous. Scotland wished to stay as part of the United Kingdom. \r The Scottish Governments argument for a second independence referendum is fundamentally flawed. The promise was once in a generation. A a once in a generation vote took place. We cannot and should not have referendums whenever the SNP feel like they should. It costs too much money and diverts attention from important matters the Scottish Government choose to ignore. \r As Scotland decided to stay in the UK, we must accept the EU result. That is democracy.\r Due to the reasons above, I do not find this questions applicable to answer.	Being Scottish and British, it is an insult to be dragged into the past by looking at a second independence referendum.\r As I do not believe in a second referendum, I cannot answer this question.	Again, as a second referendum SHOULD NOT take place, I am unable to answer this question. \r I am disappointed there has not been a question for someone who does not wish to see a second bill created.
3992	512431199	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	i would keep local counting offiicials away to cut down on chances of interfering. postal votes shouls only be allowed for people who cant physicaly make it to polling station.	i would only allow people who have lived here for more than 5 years to vote.	no comment
3993	885982676	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	More security over ballot boxes and their transport is the only thing that I would put forward.	The changes are fine.	these changes are fine
3994	71965044	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need to hold a referendum, we voted in 2014 and it was to be \r for a generation before it would be reviewed.	No Answered	Only British and commonwealth citizen living in Scotland and Scottish born citizens living in other parts of the United Kingdom be allowed to vote.
3995	462858106	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Any proposed arrangements are a complete waste of time as there is no need for another referendum. The Independence question was settled for ' once in a generation' in 2014 and any attempt to revisit this would in my view represent a breach of democratic principles. Instead of wasting further time and money on this single issue it would be better if the Government concentrates on addressing more pressing issues in the country such as the failings in the Education & Health Services and general transport infrastructure.	Citizens of a foreign country such as the Republic of Ireland should not have the right to vote on this issue whereas those who were born and bred in Scotland but who are living in other parts of the UK should be entitled to vote. However again this should be irrelevant as there is no need for a further referendum.	Again irrelevant as no further referendum is required for at least another generation.
3996	882530585	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Unnecessary to have a re-run - the democratic will of the Scottish people was determined on 18th September 2014. There is no desire by the majority of people living in Scotland for another divisive referendum.	Technical changes are unnecessary - over 55% of the Scottish people voted to stay in the union on 18th September 2014. There is no desire by the majority of people living in Scotland for another divisive referendum.	Technical changes to participants are unnecessary - as over 55% of the Scottish people voted to stay in the union on 18th September 2014. There is no desire by the majority of people living in Scotland for another divisive referendum.
3997	751977220	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I understand the need for any election to be fair and well managed but the cost to the country for this is prohibitive given the short time since the last referendum. The vote then was No. As a Yes voter at that time my vote this time would be No as I believe in a democracy and the democratic vote was No. I would be untrue to democracy if I railroaded that vote.	I agree that the voting system must be robust to preserve a fair vote.	I agree with the changes being made here.
3998	508066450	John Ramsay	Individual	Individual	Do not bother with another referendum	Do not bother with another referendum	Do not bother with another referendum
3999	672036157	William Purves	Individual	Individual	I am content with the arrangements as detailed.	I support the technical changes as detailed,	I agree with the changes as detailed.
4000	562864870	Bob Cook	Individual	Individual	These are acceptable	Acceptable, given that 16 and 17 year olds now have a statutory right to vote. That they were allowed to vote in the original referendum was a cynical attempt by Alex Salmond to sway the outcome by appealing on jingoistic grounds to the emotions of young people who had very little experience of the political process and even less knowledge of the issues. The pass has been sold but the deviousness has not been forgotten.	Acceptable
4001	645454864	Peter Russell	Individual	Individual	I don't want another referendum. We had one in 2014 and the result was quite clear. We now live in a divided nation as a result of the last referendum and it is time to heal that divide, not widen it.	As above. Referendum is not required.	As above
4002	558177325	Richard Greenhalgh	Individual	Individual	None other than there should not be a vote. If another vote did get forced through staying within the Union should be the YES choice.	Generally ok. There should be no change to the ability of expats to vote.	None. This and the sections above and potentially below are not areas where the general public are likely to have a view. I suspect this is a means to put the public off providing comment on he burning issue.
4003	121771145	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Waste of time,and money	No Answered	Don,t believe 16/17 year old are mature enough to vote.
4004	679911141	Victoria aston	Individual	Individual	Hopefully not a repeat of last referendum of ballot papers missing registration numbers, papers turning up in bins that were not counted and no false fire drills as in Dundee last time.	No Answered	Hopefully produce a more accurate account of what the people of Scotland want.
4005	886677718	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	WE DO NOT NEED TO HAVE A REFERENDUM. WE HAD A REFERENDUM IN 2014 AND THE PEOPLE OF SCOTLAND VOTED TO REMAIN IN OUR UNITED KINGDOM.\r YOUR ASSUMPTION THAT THE BREXIT VOTE TO LEAVE THE EUROPEAN UNION\rBECUASE 61% OF A VERY LOW 60 % VOTING TURNOUT IS FUNDAMENTALLY FLAWED. IF PERCENTAGES MEAN SO MUCH REMEMBER THE 55% TO 44% THAT\rVOTED TO STAY IN OUR UNITED KINGDOM AND HONOUR THE WISHES OF THE SCOTTISH PEOPLE.	NO NEED TO CHANGE	NO NEED TO CHANGE
4006	37101428	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No postal votes, preferably.\rNo oversight from England. EU oversight, if ANY needed from outside Scotland.	Absent voting was a joke last time. "Care Home Voter Fraud". This is an area of weakness that needs addressed.	No issues
4007	974344464	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Unknown as in what arrangements ?	Unknown, as in what changes ? You are not broadcasting any changes , this means that people have no reason to vote differently from the last referendum. Those who want to change but don't know why, and those who will not change without some evidence of what will be better, will not change. All we hear is "An independent Scotland will be better". Why? All we have heard so far is that we will be able to set our own tax rates.\rThat is not advancement unless we know why we need a change.	How many people will understand and agree with the changes.\rPut it simply we want people in charge who have clear directions and who understand the penalties of not enforcing the rules.
4008	376357850	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No comment other than not wanting another referendum at all. The SNP should stop wasting time and money on this and get on with governing Scotland - making the most of our domestic union outside the EU. Independence for Scotland is unwanted, unaffordable and we simply would not meet the qualifying criteria to join the EU. Until we get near doing so the debate is pointless wishful thinking by the SNP and a shameful waste of time and money.	The referendums should be open to UK citizens living in Scotland only and aged 18 or above. The proposed changes are nothing more than an underhand attempt by the SNP to include voters they believe are favourable to the SNP's narrow minded disruptive goals.	No comment
4009	718164968	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The eligibility for voting should be residents only, and to have been resident for more than 2 years. \rOnly Scottish by birth.	The count should not be given over to any organisation outwith Scotland. \rNo ballot boxes to leave Scotland.	Agreed
4010	723777102	George Dow	Individual	Individual	Waste of our time give it up, We already voted NO to a once in a generation referendum.	Waste of our time give it up, We already voted NO to a once in a generation referendum.	Waste of our time give it up, We already voted NO to a once in a generation referendum.
4011	225322648	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	For such a divisive and life changing issue there should be a 2/3 majority for the vote to change the status of Scotland to be accepted. A marginal vote one way or the other will cause serious conflict and division within society as has already been demonstrated.	No comment	No comment
4012	104415010	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no requirement for this, no means no this is a waste of time and money	Not sure	Agree with them
4013	84664422	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Their should NOT be another referendum
4014	881316086	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No second referendum required.\r"After you click Submit, you will no longer be able to go back and change any of your answers" unless you revisit the questionnaire which I understand is quite permissible and the results will be tainted by those wanting a second referendum by them loading the system with "I want another referendum" answers!	no referendum or changes required	No referendum required
4015	80312380	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for a referendum, we had one in 2014 and the clear answer was no.	16 and 17 year olds should not be eligible to vote. If we are going down this route all age barriers should be reduced tom 16.	No comment.
4016	28926502	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm happy for it to be the same as before, however I am against any further referendum after the last one. I feel the previous referendum result should stand and be accepted. I do not want to be subjected to another.	I think voting should only be available for British Citizens	this seems fine
4017	182300553	jameshiggins	Individual	Individual	no views	no strong views	no comment
4018	635470626	Elaine Wilders	Individual	Individual	I do not think we should be having another referendum, it is too soon after the last one, is a waste of money which would be better spent on numerous other more pressing issues	No problems with these	No issues
4019	772576502	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I see no need for a further referendum. At the time of the previous referendum we were told it was " a once in a generation event" 3 years is not a generation. The EU referendum was a UK ballot. To salami slice the results to obtain an excuse to run indyref2 is an insult to the intelligence of the electorate and an abuse of the democratic process.	As independence would require the repeal of both Scottish and Westminster acts of union the voters of the whole of the UK should be eligible to cast their ballot.	No views
4020	175003009	Kinnon Hutchison	Individual	Individual	Content with arrangements.	Content	Content
4021	511023122	Eric Donohoe	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	My only input to this consultation process is that any second Scottish Independence Referendum should not take place before the year 2035.\rAll those campaigning during the first (2014) Scottish Independence Referendum agreed that the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum was "once in a lifetime" and/or "once in a generation"\rI think that 21 years is a reasonable estimate of "a generation".\r2014 + 21 = 2035\rIt is that simply.
4022	401887841	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would expect due process to happen in any election or referendum. This is not a relevant question to another vote on independence.	If you are ensuring that the doubters of a result are kept quiet then I would agree to this. It all has to be above board to ensure the right result is not doubted by anybody.	Again as in my answer above clear and transparent procedures need to be applied that are not biased to any one point of view.
4023	173031770	peter wilson	Individual	Individual	Arrangements as outlined are sufficient	The changes are adequate	the changes are adequate
4024	252990566	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want a further referendum	Not application as don't want a referendum	N/a
4025	423204569	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am content with the proposals for managing a referendum, should it happen, although I believe that any eligible voter should pass a residency test of at least five years. However,\rI do not believe that there should be a second referendum on Scottish independence given that a clear and irrevocable decision was delivered by the Scottish electorate in 2014. The Scottish people would be better served by a government that concentrated on those issues which affect people's daily lives (e.g., health, education, transport, local government, etc) rather than a divisive political agenda.	I am content with the proposed technical changes from the 2014 referendum. However, I do not believe that there should be a second referendum on Scottish independence given that a clear and irrevocable decision was delivered by the Scottish electorate in 2014. The Scottish people would be better served by a government that concentrated on those issues which affect people's daily lives (e.g., health, education, transport, local government, etc) rather than a divisive political agenda.	I am content with the changes to the rules on permissible participants for any future referendum. However, I do not believe that there should be a second referendum on Scottish independence given that a clear and irrevocable decision was delivered by the Scottish electorate in 2014. The Scottish people would be better served by a government that concentrated on those issues which affect people's daily lives (e.g., health, education, transport, local government, etc) rather than a divisive political agenda.
4026	1022620217	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Once in a generation was stated and that should be the case. No further referendum on independence should be carried out. Local government is the priority not world grandstanding.	Not relevant- no referendum.	Not relevant- no further referendum.
4027	1027630575	Michael Mcdougall	Individual	Individual	Scots living overseas should be allowed to vote	Should only be scots who vote	Anyone should be able to participate as long as they are a non right wing party
4028	1071997741	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I think until there is clarity over the many issues that were left unanswered last time and the many others that have arisen since, there is no point in rearranging the deck chairs of how to become independent, whilst the Scottish economy is sinking and services are struggling to cope. \rThere is much talent in Scotland that could be harnessed to deliver a positive contribution towards a strong UK and to get additional benefits within it. We were told the economy would be grown, but there is little evidence of that since the last referendum in fact the opposite is happening. The recent tax changes will drive talent away rather than attract it. Where are the business incentives and what will they be if we are independent. \r It is frustrating to see much of the Governments and Ministers efforts so far apparently targeted at trying to find new ways of causing annoyance and disharmony for the purpose of promoting an independence agenda which if pursued to its conclusion is likely to lead to the First Minister having to resign. She is a talented lady and needs to use her talents better. Right now she is alienating many people with these tactics.\r There are many areas of concern where the public will need credible answers rather mantra we had on oil and currency last time and offering statistics showing how much more we spent used to show progress.\r Anyone can spend money, the problem is delivering positive outcomes from that spend. Sometimes there needs to be cuts when the money runs out. \r Here are some areas I would need reassurance that independence was best for the people of Scotland.\rWhat is the Strategy to grow Scotland.\rcan independent sources advise us over the financial and personal impact of Scotland leaving the UK as well as that of leaving the EU. \rWe have 10% of Westministers seats so can wield some influence politically but would only have 1% of MEPs. How will our voice be heard? What financial contribution will we have to make to the EU or UK?\rHow is the oil funding gap to be filled\rHow will pensions be funded and will they match those paid in the U.K.\rWhat level of immigration does Scotland require to deal with funding the costs of our greater ageing and sickly population? \rHow will The Uk react to protect their borders? How will you stop them demanding border controls?\rWhat is the SNP Foreign policy towards other countries notably Russia who are trying to gain access here - perhaps for our nuclear base?\rCrucially\rWhat will be Scotlands currency?\rWhich bank will be our bank of last resort and what level of funding can they guarantee?\r I could go on,
4029	910582642	Redacted text	Individual	Individual	Why don't you listen to the Scottish people for once and put this Redacted textto bed once and for all. Scotland did not vote on EU membership - THE UK DID. Scotland voted to remain part of the UK in 2014, therefore we are bound by the terms of the Edinburgh Agreement, which that bloody woman signed, and is legally bound by.	All pointless deckchair shuffling. If the British government have any sense, they will not sanction a further referendum a mere three years after the last one, in which the SNP were able to set the question, and choose the electorate. This endless pontificating is bad for Scotland, and it's all about That Bloody Woman wanting to set her wee stall in the history books.	All nonsense as it's not going to happen. Yet more pencil sharpening, navel gazing and arseholery on a grand scale by the SNP.
4030	514296493	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They don't feature as we have already made a decision and voted NO. It's not changed, but in fact become a stronger NO. I am responding to this and at the same time sharing a similar response to that of many I know who will not or are unable to respond. The wave one NO voters feel an even stronger NO than before. The response to this consultation will be similar to the last inaccurate form filling the SNP requested.	Anything that gives SNP an advantage is bad news for Scotland.	If this refers to 16 year olds, I still think the majority of 16 year olds are not interested enough in politics and have little experience of life. However there are a few exceptions. If anyone remembers their views at 16, and were honest, they would admit the extreme views they had at this time, changed dramatically when realisation of the larger world kicked in.
4031	366457096	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for another referendum. The First Minister said that there should not be another referendum. The usual lies from the Scottish Government.\rI shudder what will happen if the SNP Government win the vote.	As above	As above
4032	900903362	Lorna Dow	Individual	Individual	waste of money better spent on improving services like fast speed broadband for all.	waste of money better spent on improving services like fast speed broadband for all.	waste of money better spent on improving services like fast speed broadband for all.
4033	1026624199	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	no comments	no comments on proposed changes but I believe that the 50% threshold should be higher, say 60% for a leave or stay decision.	no comments
4034	715738701	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no further referendum, I feel our democratic rights are being stripped away as our Scottish Goverment SNP do not like the outcome of the first referendum and they are only acting for their own political agenda and not what the public have voted them to do.	Only those with permanent residence in Scotland should be allow to vote	Fine
4035	690860888	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree. I also a feel that an independent body should be established to assess the veracity or otherwise of claims and counter claims by campaigners on both sides of the argument during the campaigning period. The body should compose a body of experts with a broad range of nuanced perspectives. It should be overseen by members of the judiciary. All members should swear an oath to judge such claims and counter claims fairly. Failure to do so should attract crminal prosecution. This body should be able daily through the media to report on such claims and counter claims to the public. Reporting should follow as rapidly as possible after such claims and counter claims are made and should have a very high profile via the media. I believe such a recommendation has been made before by the Electoral Commission or similar body	I agree. Residency in Scotland should mean one's main residence should be in Scotland and should have been continuously the case for two years prior to the date of the referendum. If the main residence in Scotland changes within that two year period that is acceptable so long as all residencies are in Scotland. Taxpayers paying rUK tax ( rest of the UK tax) as opposed to Scottish Government tax should be excluded from the referendum.	I agree
4036	144417189	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It's fine, though I do wish more could be done to explore secure, online voting. It's one area where we seem unable to move with the times.	I still fundamentally disagree with giving the vote to 16 / 17 year olds, who are still recognised as children in so many other aspects of law. They are not equipped with enough mature, knowledge or "world view" for their votes to be appropriate as part of a democratic process.	No view.
4037	703079259	Redacted text	Individual	Individual	There shouldn't be another Scottish Independence referendum as the "democratic will of the Scottish people" was clear in 2014 - stay within the UK. This needs to be accepted and let's move on. Too much uncertainty is being created with the possibility of a second referendum. This unnecessary uncertainty negatively affects economic growth and investment. Accept the will of the Scottish people.\rScotland has four times more trade with the UK than Europe, so remain a part of the UK and get on with the job that should be your focus - e.g. Education and the NHS.	Don't hold a referendum.	Don't hold a referendum.
4038	69459357	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	My view would be to use all good examples of the 2014 referendum.
4039	193257575	Alexandra Stewart	Individual	Individual	I agree with them.	I agree with this.	I agree.
4040	790251490	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel very strongly that there should NOT be another referendum. Therfore any plans for managing the referendum would not be needed. However, if there is to be one then these arrangements sounds fair.\r PS I have just got to page three of the response to discover that there is no opportunity for people to say whether they think that there should or should not be a referendum , which I thought I was to be asked at some stage. While I had put my feelings about this in each answer (i.e. that I dont think that there should be one; the last one was far too divisive) I am disappointed that there was not a clear opportunity to say so and hope that by replying to this consultation you do not assume acceptance that a referendum should be held, either by me or any other person filling in this questionnaire.	I feel very strongly that there should NOT be another referendum. However, if there is to be one then these proposals sound reasonable. I particularly agree with the proposal to check 100% of absent voters rather than the previous 20% which I was surprised to discover. Surely all votes should be checked especially as there is more potential for fraudulent voting in absent voting.	I feel very strongly that there should NOT be another referendum but if there is to be one then these changes sound OK
4041	844273892	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Good.	100% of postal votes should be checked.	Fine.
4042	976872203	David Wilson	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements appear to be fair and suitable for purpose.	Glad to see the continued engagement for 16 and 17 year olds in the referendum.	These are reasonable.
4043	544985520	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fair except on eligibility exclusion of Scottish-UK citizens domiciled in the Rest of the UK. Seed next question.	The procedures are fair except for the fact that non-UK/European citizens will be allowed to vote if domiciled in Scotland but Scottish-UK citizens domiciled in the rest of the UK will be denied a vote (postal or otherwise).	No view.
4044	151884356	Mary McLaren	Individual	Individual	Agreed	Agreed	Agreed
4045	134437070	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum - end of story.	No Answered	How long must EU and other foreign nationals have been resident in Scotland / I would hope for at least 5 years.
4046	880597855	David Ross	Individual	Individual	The SNP put this possible situation on their last manifesto and have the right to call a second referendum.	I believe that 16 year olds & all other persons of this age living in Scotland should have the right to vote.	As above
4047	263077056	Eveline Gray	Individual	Individual	Do not need this as I do not want a further referendum.	Should this go ahead these alterations are acceptable.	As Q2
4048	270379087	David M THORNTON	Individual	Individual	I fully agree with them	Proposed technical changes are good, in fact very good	All seem fine to me
4049	398444943	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe there should be another referendum at this stage so do not accept there is any basis for making arrangements for it.	I believe that former residents should also be able to vote for a certain period of time on the same basis that they currently can in UK general elections.	There should be full transparency.
4050	48436112	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Whilst I don't have a problem in general with the way things are run, to do it properly it will be expensive. Levels of poverty in Scotland are a disgrace and the money could be better spent.	No real issue with this.	Don't care- doesn't impact on me or anyone I know.
4051	360443414	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Have my complete support for the referendum. Currency must be sorted.	agreed.	Agreed
4052	999454324	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree in the main but would suggest that those eligible to vote must have lived in Scotland for a certain period of time.\rIn addition to this, all postal votes should remain in Scotland and be counted in Scotland.	Agree
4053	38959100	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In 2014 there was a clear mandate for Scotland to remain as part of the UK . This was ratified by the Electoral Commission and we were told that this would be the only referendum in a generation.... !	No Answered	I do not agree with the inclusion of 16&17 year olds as this group was not included in the UK referendum on EU membership.
4054	479811937	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Any future referendum is a travesty of democracy. It is the classic case of politicians abusing their power irrespective of the will of the people.	Any future referendum is a travesty of democracy. It is the classic case of politicians abusing their power irrespective of the will of the people.	Any future referendum is a travesty of democracy. It is the classic case of politicians abusing their power irrespective of the will of the people.
4055	497700691	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Satisfied with that.	No Answered	I think postal voting should be restricted to those who physically cannot attend a polling station, either because they are not present on polling day or are physically/mentally unable to do so. Too many postal votes are done by people who are quite capable of voting in person and I believe that large numbers of postal votes are vulnerable to manipulation, as they come in sporadically and are counted before polling day.
4056	335207788	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	there should be no referendum
4057	1047788118	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Sounds fine	Looks fair	Sensible change
4058	846226409	Fraser Young	Individual	Individual	Sounds ok.	only those with permanent residence in Scotland for 5years or more should be allowed to vote.	Name change issues makes sense. \rDual role for campaign officer makes sense (saves tax money on salary)
4059	971084471	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no views on this aspect as I do not believe in a second referendum. Scotland has already rejected independence and the EU result does not change that since it was a vote by the UK as a whole. I much prefer to be a part of the UK outside of Europe, than a small cog of the EU being ruled by a corrupt and unelected bureaucracy in Brussels.	I have no views on this aspect as I do not believe in a second referendum. Scotland has already rejected independence and the EU result does not change that since it was a vote by the UK as a whole. I much prefer to be a part of the UK outside of Europe, than a small cog of the EU being ruled by a corrupt and unelected bureaucracy in Brussels.	I have no views on this aspect as I do not believe in a second referendum. Scotland has already rejected independence and the EU result does not change that since it was a vote by the UK as a whole. I much prefer to be a part of the UK outside of Europe, than a small cog of the EU being ruled by a corrupt and unelected bureaucracy in Brussels.
4060	690713757	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There shouldn't be another referendum. 2014 referendum was a democratic decision and should be honoured. Proposing a further vote smacks of a petulant child going round asking until the required answer is given. Get on with the job you were elected ( not by me ) to do and sort out the chaos in education / NHS ca used by this administration.	No comments	No comments
4061	887389616	Richard Tawse	Individual	Individual	There should not be a 2nd referendum. We voted no.	There should not be a second referendum. We voted no.	There should not be a second referendum. We voted no.
4062	720629554	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm not interested in another referendum so its a waste of money and effort.	Who cares, the arrangements i'm sure will fine if anyone is stupid enough to go ahead with this referendum and again waste money that would be better used in our schools or health service!	Once again its fine
4063	705704551	Archie Young	Individual	Individual	Having read the above it seems simple enough and I don't think anyone looking for INDY2 will object to it, we don't want what we had in 2014 where we were fooled in to NO and having any bogus papers being handed in.	I would have only Scottish residents allowed to vote other votes from people not Scottish could lead to what happened in 2014, I would not count anyone in who is a member of the House of Lords as they spend most of their time in England and would want to safeguard their position.	No problems found.
4064	1008658940	Sandra Williamson	Individual	Individual	Absolutely fine for it to be conducted like any other voting situation	No problems with this	No problems
4065	290795074	Scott McRandle	Individual	Individual	As per the previous referendum, I feel that the arrangements for managing the upcoming one will be more than adequate to facilitate the referendum.	I see know issues with the proposal and feel it is a fair and representative way to approach the issue.	As above I believe this is a fair and proper approach to the requirements.
4066	633272157	Patrick pollock	Individual	Individual	The proposals are reasonable.\rHowever, during the last independence referendum there was considerable public concern regarding the integrity of the count. Unexplained fire alarms, apparent disorganisation amongst the piles of counted votes, meetings between counting officials held in private. A number of eyewitness accounts suggest that it would not have been possible to verify that the count had been conducted fairly. Reassurance is required that the same oversight protocols as used in a Scottish general election are used for the next independence referendum.	Theses are appropriate	These changes are reasonable
4067	167189700	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine	Fine	Fine
4068	249552704	letsflyfish	Individual	Individual	It is essential that all aspects of the referendum are conducted fairly and supervised effectively to prevent cheating.	Last time there were instances of persons who do not permanently reside in Scotland voting illegally. These included persons who own property (2nd homes) or rent property in Scotland (estates, holiday cottages etc). 100% checking eligibility is necessary.	Good.
4069	995019194	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😋😋😋😂😋😋😋	😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😋😋😂😋😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😋😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂	😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😋😂😂😂😋😃😃😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎
4070	289071324	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Sounds entirely reasonable, as was indyref1.	All reasonable and sensible.	Entirely sensible.
4071	1028765262	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Take lessons in democracy. This referendum was a UK vote. Also how can you ask the electorate to support a government which includes a finance minister who had never heard of the Laffer Curve and who thinks that anyone who earns £43000 is rich. A transport minister who admits he knows nothing about transport. An MSP (Mason) who didn't know the difference between debt and deficit. A Brexit minister who said 5,000,000 Scots voted to remain in the EU. An invisible justice minister whose one aim seems to be to empty the prisons.\r I and many others love our country too much to accept your alternative.	No Answered	What about Scottish servicemen who serve elsewhere but because of their occupation have no address in Scotland? Why don't they have a vote?
4072	802581952	Phyllis Bulloch	Individual	Individual	2014 was the vote for the referendum. I see no need for further time or expense to be spent on a second referendum. Get on with the priorities that are more important.	No need . I would really like the cost of administering the 2014 referendum to be published.	Not necessary
4073	861253960	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Scots living in the rest of the UK should allowed to vote.	No Answered	I think emergency proxy votes should be allowed
4074	435889968	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't have any objections to the arrangements for managing the referendum, I do however thing it was wrong to allow 16 and 17 year olds to vote, and I feel that this was done in order to boost the chance of receiving yes votes. I don't actually think there is a need for a second referendum the people of Scotland have voted and that vote should be respected.	No comments other than stop wasting time and money and get on and do what you are meant to be doing.	No comment
4075	479478539	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	Don't believe that people who are not British/Scottish citizens should be allowed to vote in a referendum on independence for Scotland	No view
4076	984401247	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I strongly believe that we should not be entering a further referendum st this stage	This feels a gaming exercise for a favourable result for yes and does not feel a fair approach	As above I do not believe widening the groups is in keeping with the spirit of representing those living in Scotland today
4077	952382945	Andrew Gray	Individual	Individual	Complete transparency again to defuse any hints of cheating, outside company possibly used for collating final numbers,\rTelevision companies given full access to procedures.	No issues	No issues
4078	797172090	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no views on this aspect as I do not believe in a second referendum. Scotland has already rejected independence and the EU result does not change that since it was a vote by the UK as a whole. I much prefer to be a part of the UK outside of Europe, than a small cog of the EU being ruled by a corrupt and unelected bureaucracy in Brussels.	I have no views on this aspect as I do not believe in a second referendum. Scotland has already rejected independence and the EU result does not change that since it was a vote by the UK as a whole. I much prefer to be a part of the UK outside of Europe, than a small cog of the EU being ruled by a corrupt and unelected bureaucracy in Brussels.	I have no views on this aspect as I do not believe in a second referendum. Scotland has already rejected independence and the EU result does not change that since it was a vote by the UK as a whole. I much prefer to be a part of the UK outside of Europe, than a small cog of the EU being ruled by a corrupt and unelected bureaucracy in Brussels.
4079	134547761	scott	Individual	Individual	Agreed.	Agreed.	Agreed.
4080	690607368	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The whole issue of a Referendum is an expensive and unnecessary waste of time and money, given that only two and a half years ago our Country decided clearly and unequivocally to remain in a tried and tested Union with the rest of the U.K.\rTo ignore the views of the people as evidenced by that clear decision is to ignore, and to attack, the whole concept of Democracy.\rIt is claimed by some of the representatives of the SNP (note, importantly, not by any means all) that the so called Brexit Vote justifies the holding of another Referendum. So, yet again, another Democratic Decision of the people is being ignored and attacked by the SNP, and therefore, worryingly, by a group which claims the mantle of "Government"!\rBrexit, so called, will not necessarily harm Scotland ( vide The views of the Fishing and Farming Industries), and is being used, or abused, by the SNP as a rather obvious, if thin, excuse to attempt to force the Country to hold yet another Referendum with all of it's attendant divisiveness, and distractions from proper attention to the management of our vital services, including Health, Police, Education, Transport, and Legal, all daily deteriorating even further.	Irrelevant - see 1	Irrelevant - see 1
4081	862659638	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy	I do not think that English people of welsh or NI living in Scotland should be eligible to vote. EU and commonwealth only.\r16 and over also.	Happy
4082	1061228280	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	no issues as such.\rConcerns that the Electoral Commission is tasked with reporting direct to the Scottish Parliament - not very independent is it	no comment or concerns	no thoughts or concerns
4083	91517073	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think that there should be another referendum. This is a complete waste of public money that we can ill afford. It has been proved that the oil & gas industry cannot fund an independent Scotland, particularly without an onshore industry. The country would financially struggle on its own, dragging even more children into a life of poverty and neglect. The Scottish government is promoting one party's agenda when as a country we have already decided during a previous 'once in a lifetime vote'	I do not think that there should be another referendum!	I do not think that there should be another referendum!
4084	516287739	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In the event that a referendum was authorised by the relevant Parliaments\rThe proposals as detailed fall into line with what I would expect from a fair election.	In the event that a referendum was authorised by the relevant Parliaments.\rAll proposals apart from those detailed below are reasonable and I have no comment to make.	In the event that a referendum was authorised by the relevant Parliaments.\rPoll should only be open to those citizens who are or have applied for prior to an agreed cut off date United Kingdom citizenship, citizenship of an EU country should not entitle automatic right to vote.\rOnly Commonwealth citizens with permanent right of abode ie not those with time or other limited visas in United Kingdom should have right of vote.\rOnly those members of the house of Lords whose main abode is within Scotland ie those who only live outside of Scotland while undertaking Parliamentary duties (same rule applies to Scottish members of the House of Commons.
4085	995266813	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements would be fine were a referendum desirable for Scotland. At present it is not necessary or desirable as Scotland would be better placed in the UK and outside the EU than it would be out of the UK and inside the EU.	No Answered	Irish and EU Nationals voting in an independence referendum can only be fair to the majority of Scots if it is known with 100% certainty that Scotland will be in or out of the EU and if in whether this is as a succession State in which case adoption of the Euro will be an obligation of Scotland.
4086	717330366	Keith Macfarlane	Individual	Individual	Can we have a representative of the YES & the NO campaigns accompany the polling boxes from the Polling Stations to the counting hall. This is to ensure there is no tampering with the boxes. \rAnd what arrangements are being made for the protection of postal votes from tampering?	No Answered	OK
4087	778719561	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree in principal however I have concerns that postal votes need to be better secured and counting of same verified	Agree in total	Agree
4088	146949135	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Firstly our referendum should be overseen by the European body which oversees all elections and referendums in Europe. \rThere should also be an exit poll. \r There is strong evidence showing the postal vote was tampered with see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5iCyI01-EQ&app=desktop so this is a big concern.	If there is postal voting the voting papers must remain in Scotland and be guarded sufficiently 100% that not one single vote can be opened prior to the count. \r The insufficient protection of votes as they left the voting stations left great opportunities for people to tamper with the votes and boxes between the voting station and counting station.\r The purdah period was grossly violated with no consequence at all. What can be done to ensure this does not happen again? Complete disregard from bettertogether for the purdah period was demonstrated.	I have no feelings about this.
4089	550526199	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no reforendum	Pointless posturing	Pointless posturing
4090	387705721	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	fine with current referendum proposed plan	no issues	I fell as Irish national I may be excluded as dose my Scottish born brother who live is London will also be exclude so we feel , we are having our democratic vote taken from us , this is unfair and against EU law
4091	670092775	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The people of Scotland have spoken. The 2014 referendum was supposed to be final and it is unfair to keep trying to have referendums until you get the result you want.\r Additionally, the referendum process is very divisive and stirs up hatred and strife and polarises people. We need a time of healing now for people to come together. Please stop stirring them up.	I am suspicious.	No comment
4092	1025181081	Dr David Robert White	Individual	Individual	These are appropriate for this event.	All very satisfactory, especially the improved scrutiny for proxy voting. I would, however, like to see any and all people resident in Scotland being given the right to vote. It should not be confined to EU citizens and Commonwealth citizens. Why should United States citizens, Japanese citizens or Uruguayan citizens resident here have less rights than the aforementioned groups? This situation has arisen from the contingencies of history and is not related to fairness or natural justice upon which I am assuming the franchise is based.\r Additionally, I am an advocate of compulsory voting as practised in several countries around the world. I do not see this as coercive or onerous. It is a civic duty which is far less demanding than compulsory schooling which meets with little opposition yet imposes much greater duties and time consumption than brief periodic trips to a polling station or sending off a postal ballot.\r Are there to be no provisions for online voting? I am not settled in my views on this. There is the advantage of potentially increasing turnout, but the drawback of the possibility of greater electoral fraud.	OK
4093	804959403	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There must not be another referendum. The very threat of such a referendum is creating significant uncertainty amongst employers and investors, damaging property prices and creating ongoing and increasing division within our society. \r This consultation seems to refer to the possibility of a future referendum as being a matter of fact.	A 16 year old cannot choose to buy alcohol or learn to drive a car. Why are they abe to elect a government?	No comment
4094	487118401	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine as long as we can be absolutely sure that st every count there is 100% propriety. My recollections is that there were questions about this in the 2014 referendum, specifically in Clackmannan which were never, in my view, adequately investigated or explained. If there is the slightest doubt anywhere it renders the whole exercise invalid.	Seems OK	Seems OK
4095	616138584	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Clearly, we voted NO and this hasn't changed. Everyone I know who voted NO would vote for an even stronger NO. As this was clear at the time and hasn't changed, the question is void.	I still believe with few exceptions, that age 16 is too young to vote. Anyone who looks back on their life, honestly, will remember how their strong views at 16 years old ,changed dramatically with more knowledge and life experience.	Any rules should apply to all politicians and parties. Currently SNP have an insular, hypocritical position on this.
4096	415684402	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My fear is that the postal ballot may not be as fair. My hope is that theres a far more secure system in place to deal with postal votes and NO sampling is allowed and all votes remain in scotland not sent down south	E xcellent .	Excellent
4097	724192789	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	16/17 year olds were given very biased info last time round with the Yes campaign being favoured. \rWhy 'Yes' for promoting division. \rThe campaign to keep Britain together WON, and the the populace had to vote 'No' , a word with negative connotations...and we still won.\rWhy do the SNY try to hijack the Scottish flag for the SNP. It belongs to Scotland 'No' voters were, and are, entitled to fly the Saltire too. \rYes to Scotland- a wonderful country,\rYes to us remaining part of the UK.\rYes we fly the Saltire too.\rYes, we won the referendum.\rNo I don't want another referendum.\rThe SNP were voted in to run the country, not waste money on running another referendum.	No Answered	ok with these.
4098	754335599	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine by me.	People who are only in Scotland to attend university/college, and are not Scottish citizens, should not have a vote. Most are only here for education and have no intention of staying in Scotland when their education has been completed. They should therefore have no say in how Scotland will be governed.	Fine by me.
4099	317496059	William	Individual	Individual	NO ONE THAT ISN'T SCOTTISH OR BRITISH SHOULD BE ALLOWED A VOTE ie EU CITIZENS SHOULD NOT GET A VOTE .	Don't think any changes needed.	No need for changes.
4100	997390398	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Despite my lack of support, if another referendum were to be carried out I would have no concerns with the proposed arrangements.	No additional comments	No additional comments
4101	1054526022	Ronnie Cameron	Individual	Individual	We need to ensure that the count is well monitored by independent countries and no Westminster involvement is allowed.	No one from the house of Lords should be given a vote as most have been traitors to Scotland and are unelected puppets.	No opinion
4102	1066534349	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	All totally unnecessary and a waste of time and expense as the scottish people have already voted on quote "the once in a lifetime referendum vote"	See answer in question one above	See answer given in question 1
4103	791891421	Pall Thormod Morrisson	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Trusting the British Electoral Commission is a bad idea, as it can hardly be considered impartial. \r A European or international commission of some nature would be the preferred option.
4104	912112566	Gilbert Ross	Individual	Individual	Electoral Commission's role should be overseen by either E.U. or U.N. neutral observers. Postal votes could be more secure and remain in Scotland until counted.	My view is, the proposed changes have been suggested by people more qualified and informed on the subject than myself .	Disagree with more powers being given to the Electoral Commission in any form.
4105	315765072	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My view is that the referendum result of 2014 should be honoured and respected . No need for another.	Any further referendum should involve Scots resident outwith Scotland.	None
4106	251619660	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As before was fine. As in the one we just had where the country all but the SNP heartlands of Glasgow and Dundee, voted to remain. We could just let Glasgow and Dundee be free country, wouldn't be missed, but sure they'd miss the rest of the countries money propping them up.	You are trying to increase the age of criminal responsibiilty to 18 but want 16 and 17 year olds to vote. So they are able to understand the voting process and complexity of politics but not what is right and what is wrong. You cant have it both ways. No votes for 16 to 17 year olds.\rNo one not born in Scotland should be voting and Scots born not living here should not be allowed to vote. Economic migrants who can return to their own country should not have a vote as if they choose indepdance and we all have to suffer but they can return home. Also those living in other countries who will not be affected should not be allowed to vote on what affects me, Sean Connery, Alan Cumming et al.	not bothered
4107	931041784	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Sensible and well documented, agree with proposals	There needs to be independent controls on the counting of postal votes, otherwise agree with proposals	Agree with proposals
4108	388428324	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I am not convinced that the specific technical questions on which the Scottish Government is consulting are the most relevant issues in considering a second referendum\r I think the major weakness both with the first Scottish independence referendum and with the more recent EU referendum is that the public were being asked to make fundamental constitutional decisions on the basis of incomplete and at times misleading information. It is my view that any second referendum should be a two stage process in which voters are asked firstly to consent to the Scottish Government entering into negotiations with Westminster - not on the principle of independence - but on the main elements of an arrangement for an independent Scotland. This would in effect be an agenda for negotiations. Stage Two would be a further and final referendum on the specific proposals once negotiations were completed.\r That way we would have some clarity on issues for example such as the future currency to be used; the position of the monarchy in an independent Scotland; the precise nature of any governmental functions to be performed by Westminster post-independence; future contributions from Scottish taxpayers to such arrangements; the financial and other impacts of independence on pensions, a newly independent Scotland's contribution to the UK's national debt; the future of potentially UK-wide functions such as defence; the future of the Barnett formula (if any); and the financial and other impacts of any tariffs on cross border trade between Scotland and the rest of the UK post independence. Issues of nationality, movement over the Scotland/ England border and rights to citizenship/ residence in each others' countries could be clarified\r Given that it also appears to be the Scottish Government's wish that an independent Scotland would become a member of the EU it would also be useful to put some assessment of the likely impacts in front of the Scottish people in order that they might make an informed decision about Scottish independence from the rest of the UK within the EU context
4109	889345713	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is pointless trying to determine any arrangements at this stage until the outcome of Brexit is known. I am quite angry that this is an issue until we understand the consequences of Brexit. As an example we may wish to decide different arrangements in the way we conduct a Scotland review after the discussions.	No comment, much as before. Still think that at this stage a pointless exercise. With brexit an unknown I do not care about the arrangements, I would be inclined to vote NO in any referendum.	None
4110	170249911	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements seem to have been OK	This seems OK	OK
4111	511037756	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Seems fine	Again seems adequate however people who are in Scotland for work and no intention of staying for longer than a year or two and will not be affected by the outcome, I dont thnk they should be able to vote	Again this will hopefully stop any fraud
4112	140810602	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am concerned that the same accusation of vote rigging could be levelled if the same method is used as last time. It needs to be run by a completely independent organisation, perhaps from the EU?	This seems to go someway to addressing my concerns over vote rigging. but I still think that an independent body such as the EU should oversee it.	Seems ok to me.
4113	249479624	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Frustrated that money and effort is being expanded on this so soon after the last referendum.\rThis is aimed at achieving a political goal rather than being focussed on addressing the real needs of the country.\rIt does not explain why we would be better off out of the UK and in the EU at which we would be a smaller voice in a large organisation. We are currently looking to have powers devolved from Westminster but are trying to remain in a organisation where we will be minority payers.\rBetter to have influence than be influenced.\rScotland already has tax and other powers devolved why not get on and use these to improve the life of our residents?	Only comment is that many of the staff employed to do this will already be council or local government staff who are paid so why pay them again to administer this process?	No issues
4114	75755436	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If there is another referendum, I feel the rules should be the same as voting for leaving / remaining in the EU.	No Answered	If there is another referendum, I feel that the above residents in the technical changes should all get a vote. In addition, I feel that people born in Scotland but now live abroad (e.g. Australia etc) should be entitled to vote as well as they were born in Scotland.
4115	176757988	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think we should hold another referendum on whether or not Scotland should be independent. We recently voted to remain part of the UK and one referendum closely followed by another and then another only splits friends, families, and diverts political and other attention away from what we should be doing.	As intimated in my previous response, all of this effort in consulting, planning and possibly holding another referendum on the independence of Scotland merely detracts from what the current Scottish Government should be doing. Holyrood now has significant political power. Use these powers to shape the Scotland that we will all be proud to share. Stop criticising others (e.g. Westminster) for things and get on with making positive contributions to building a confident Scotland.	I have to say that this survey appears to detract from what the current Scottish Government should actually be doing - governing and making Scotland a confident, positive, proud country to live in. I would urge the current Scottish Government to get on with the day-to-day running of the country and end their obsession with independence. We had a vote on this. The current Scottish Government need to listen to the people of Scotland and honour their wishes. NOT return to another referendum vote!
4116	590464632	Donald Laing	Individual	Individual	No postal voting\rForeign invigilators\rNo english teams brought in	No House of Lords voters	No comment
4117	72604139	Thomas McNeish	Individual	Individual	Quite happy	No Answered	Not happy tories changing the system again to there advantage
4118	877773872	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements are acceptable however the referendum was sold to the nation as a once in a life time vote. We can't keep calling an other one until we get the vote the SNP want.	Agree for all elections	Agree
4119	41345513	Michael Clayton	Individual	Individual	It is the worst kind of cynical, sectarian abuse of power by disgruntled nationalist fanatics who are reneging on their "once in a lifetime/generation" promise, made in the run-up to the failed referendum of September, 2014 and enshrined in print in the voluminous propaganda tome 'Scotland's Future; Your guide to an independent Scotland' ISBN: 978-1-78412-068-9.\rScotland is too closely tied to its main market (and the home of many Scots) - the UK - to be "free" in any honest, meaningful sense, however happy the deluded dreamers of a new 'Brigadoon' might be at the mere thought of sectarian separation, nationalism being sectarianism writ large in my opinion (formed from a deep, long study of history). The idea of a separate union with more distant Europe ('hard' manned borders and\r much other hassle) just to assuage irrational hatred of England is worse than absurd. The intention to hold another referendum - not immediately, but when public opinion\r polls indicate possible success (and deny demands for further referenda when opinion is against the notion) is a disgrace to democracy.	As I suspected, they are not completely democratic, denying a vote by Scots resident in rUK (e.g. my daughter-in-law and many others resident in England). I would urge the latter to arraign the Scottish Government before the European Court of Human Rights.	See above answer.
4120	662379488	donald p ramsay	Individual	Individual	Satisfactory	Satisfactory	Satisfactory
4121	736297400	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	International monitors must be in place this time - a must.	No Answered	Postal votes were sent to England last time as reported in various media outlets, this was wrong on so many levels. My personal opinion is that postal votes should not be allowed in any election etc.\rIf you feel you have to have them then please have them counted in Scotland under the watchful eye of independant international monitors.\rI feel this is extremely important.\rGiven the fact that postal votes are isssued a good few weeks before the day of the vote people can send them off but have a change of opinion in the time of sending to the time if vote. Nothing can be done. This leads to possible vital votes being lost. Another important reason not to use the postal vote method.
4122	828181041	Sharan McKenzie	Individual	Individual	Sounds ok.	I dont agree 100%. Everyone i know who was English or married to an English person adopted a viewpoint of wanting to stay part of the UK! I found this very annoying as it missed the point of independence therefore selfishly i must say that i'd prefer only Scottish born people a vote. The media will turn this into a them and us situation again. 09	Im not swayed or impressed either way by who donates to what campaign. Its just not important to me. Maybe it would be better if donations were only from individuals not organisations or companies.
4123	78305190	Joe McDonagh KSG	Individual	Individual	In a word, satisfied.	I trust that all is in order.	Happy with this.
4124	983739469	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am broadly in favour except that the Scottish Government will again use the biased question 'should Scotland be an independent country'. Not that this referendum should be run, if a change has actually happened, it's that the First Minister has broken her promise of a once in a generation vote.	They are good as there need to be the most stringent rules to ensure that everyone who votes actually lives there and haven't just 'moved' to vote yes.	I am broadly in favour
4125	1022106989	Douglas Menzies	Individual	Individual	A further waste of taxpayers time and money.	See above.	See above.
4126	745495849	Carol McIntyre	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	We have had a referendum, listen to the majority of the Scottish people, we don't want another referendum.\rWe voted to be part of the U.K.\rGet on with the main issues relating to the powers you have been given to run Scotland .\rStop bleating on constantly about independence \rStop spending money, time and resources on the SNP' s tunneled visioned vision.
4127	606443495	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	thE REFERRENDUM WAS PSOCHOLOGICALLY BIASED\rhUMANITY STATES THAT PEOPLE PREFER TO BE POSITIVE THAN NEGATIVE.\ri THINK THE QUESTIONS SHHOULD BE REFRAISED\r we VOTED A DECIDED no SO THERE SHOULD BE NO FURTHER REFERRENDUM IN OUR LIFETIME\r wHAT DO YOU NOT UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE WORD NO?	i DO NOT WANT A SECOND REFERRENDUM.\rIT IS ENTIRELY DEVISIVE ADN IS DAMAGING OUR COUNTRY	thESE QUESTIONS ARE NOT ADDRESSING THE REAL ISSUE HERE!!! FUNNY THAT
4128	118581377	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel there should be neutral supervision of the counting procedure, perhaps by observers from the Republic of Ireland, for instance	No Answered	As this is a plebiscite for an Independent Scotland, only those born in Scotland, regardless of ethnicity, should have a vote. Also, a much more stringent policy should be enforced regarding voter ID and postal vote counting should be adequately supervised.
4129	480234241	William Wallace	Individual	Individual	We had our referendum in 2014, there is no requirement for another.	There is no need to change anything as we had a referendum and we voted NO, once in a generation.	No need to participate we had a vote and it was NO
4130	753230642	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree	I agree	I don't have an opinion on this
4131	1025914813	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm pro-independence and support any means of becoming so, if there was to be another independence referendum\rI'd have to be 100% reassured there would be no tampering. \rHowever, I thought we could become independent without a referendum if Westminster hadn't complied with the sovereign wishes of Scotland and recall all MP's from Westminster to Hollywood?	Everything recorded twice and by an independent organisation with absolutely no connections to opposing parties is a priority.	As long as everyone trusts the changes....I'm happy.
4132	991257963	johnny rudkin	Individual	Individual	the scottish government should be totally responsible for holding the referendum having an english company handling the postal vote left the way open for fraud leaving the poling stations in the hands of councils is not good enough there was too many stories of cheating there must be exit polls like the general elections on purdah both sides must bide by the rules with severe penalties for misuse at the last referendum the thing that swung the result was the introduction of the so called vow with the promise of just about home rule that never materialized after it should never been allowed to happen there needs to be something agreed with the bbc and other tv and radio stations about fairness like purdah with severe penalties for breaking rules	the postal votes at the last referendum gave out some dodgy results and left a nasty taste with the voters there was good reasons for some doubt so why cant the votes be kept for 24 months from the closing of polling so if there is any challenge the votes would be available for a recount	O K
4133	557022494	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Eligability should only be for voters on the UK election register as you are trying to break up the UK.	16 year olds should not be allowed to vote as the SNP do no consider that they can look after themselves until 18!	No comment
4134	999536109	john harvie	Individual	Individual	i agree	i agree	i agree
4135	872681614	Jim Hewlett	Individual	Individual	The arrangements seem suitable, my only concerns in this area is who will be counting the postal votes and where.	I think those arrangements should eliminate the possible 'voting the graveyard' options. I approve the tightening of security in this area.	I think that should eliminate much of the effect of 'external' lobbying. I approve and wonder if the media can be encouraged to report facts rather than opinions as I see that as lobbying by interests other than the Scottish people, and quite often truth-free.
4136	24737480	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	no one under the age of 18 should vote in a referendum, most of them lack the wit to make a sensible choice	they appear to be suitable	suitable
4137	537009421	1950	Individual	Individual	My view on another referendum is that the people of Scotland voted to stay in the United Kingdom, which was a democratic vote by the people.\rI know that the SNP don't wish to be part of the United Kingdom but they will not be allowed to be part of the EU as Scotland on it's own has not got the resource's to go into the EU on it's own.	I agree with the technical proposals.	I agree with changes to the rules on permissible participants.
4138	611718429	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for another referendum. The people of Scotland have spoken in 2014 and feel the government of Scotland should now get on with the day job. Instead of wasting money it could be put to better use however I am happy with these arrangements.\rWhy is the Scottish government not listening to the people.	Residents of the Republic of Ireland and other EU citizens should not be eligible to vote as the UK is currently going through Brexit and until we know the position of U.K. citizens living in E.U. \rI do not think under 18 should be eligible to vote.	I feel under 18 should not get a vote. My reason for this is if the current government of Scotland had their way they would still be under the responsibility of a named person.
4139	84914527	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements.	I do not agree that ' citizens of Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland' should be allowed to vote in this referendum.	I am happy with the proposed changes.
4140	1031729104	Elaine Adams	Individual	Individual	Voting age should be 18	No comment	No comment
4141	506561899	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No opinion.	No opinion.	Minimum age of 16 to vote.\rNo prison inmates to vote.
4142	981312289	Jim Duffy	Individual	Individual	agree.	agree	agree
4143	142320420	Harry Hayfield	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	At the last consultation, I put forward the suggestion that those people living outside Scotland (but who can prove a direct heritage with the nation) should also have the right to vote in an independence referendum. I still hold that view.
4144	823816098	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I was happy with the previous arrangements and think this would work well again.	Tightening of postal voting seems fair. Hopefully these will not be used as an exit poll as the Conservatives used them last time.	No comments
4145	420371223	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree to a second referendum	I do not agree with a second independence referendum	See above
4146	334438342	Rae Jardine	Individual	Individual	I, along with many others, do not trust the British establishment.\rWe need a much more robust voting and counting system. Foreign observers from Europe, Russia, etc instead of from rUK.\rPostal voting is of particular concern by many Scots. The postal votes should NOT be counted beforehand. Not even for sampling.	Ok	Ok
4147	150087366	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am not interested in another referendum.	I don't want another referendum.	I don't want another referendum
4148	185160376	Fiona Grahame	Individual	Individual	I agree with this. Due to the importance of this vote,however, I also think that there should be international observers to ensure the referendum campaign, the voting procedures and the count are conducted properly.	I agree with all of the above technical changes/arrangements	I agree with the proposal for permissable participants
4149	659938256	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe you are tackling this correctly, I.e. try and keep UK and Scotland in single market first before seeking another independence referendum. If indyref2 is sought, then a very clear explanation of your polices and how Scotland can survive and thrive needs to be put forward - especially in terms of currency and how financially secure it will be.	As I understand it, this seems to be a fair and well thought out plan re changes.	Seems fair
4150	228395180	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	That's fine.	Fine
4151	839811124	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not required as referendum not required	Not required as new referendum not required	Not required as new referendum not required
4152	461604554	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Second referendum is unnecessary. The Scottish public have already given their opinion that Independence is not wanted.	Second referendum is not required as the Scottish public have already given their opinion that Independence is not wanted.	The Scottish public have already given their opinion that Independence is not wanted.
4153	334049458	Shirley Brogan	Individual	Individual	This worked in 2014 so would be ok again.	That is all fine.	Seems ok.
4154	263613873	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Identity should be checked at polling stations.\r Close scrutiny of how postal votes are obtained is required and votes should only be opened after polling stations close.\r Rigorous oversight and accuracy of the electoral register is necessary.
4155	213048972	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements if same as the previous referendum would be satisfactory.	No comment.	Good changes.
4156	1070772572	Alasdair Forbes	Individual	Individual	I observed the earlier referendum at close hand and was shocked at how open to abuse it was. There was no security control of polling boxes after they left the polling station and the postal votes were even more vulnerable.There has to be better security on the next occasion.	There needs to be a tightening up of voting requirements for voters who are normally resident in other parts of the UK but own a second home in Scotland. There was clear abuse of this at the last referendum.	No comment.
4157	118648114	PAUL MCKEOWN	Individual	Individual	The sooner we can arrange a referendum, the sooner we can arranage our own finances.	If a person is resident in Scotland, then they should be able to vote.	Agreed.
4158	1046944004	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't want another referendum. It was managed fine last time and was supposed to be once in a generation	All fine	Fine
4159	800298186	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe there should be another referendum after the paralysis we suffered through to once in a generation vote in 2014	Indifferent	No view
4160	295716650	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
4161	750970467	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think we should have another referendum but if it is to be then it should be done along the lines applicable for general and local elections - who fits this bill?	Again I do not think we should be having a second referendum but if we do I agree with the technical changes as outlined.	Again I do not think we should be having a second referendum but would agree with the changes re permissible participants.
4162	9521352	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This sounds adequate	Adequate	Adequate
4163	738504132	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel it essential to state clearly that I do not believe there should be another independence referendum. The people of Scotland made their views very clear on this matter in 2014. The claims of the Scottish Government that the recent vote in the EU Referendum requires a second independence referendum are flawed. The EU Referendum was a UK vote NOT a regional one. The fact that the region defined as Scotland voted in a majority to remain in the EU is of no more importance than London voting to remain in the determination of a UK-wide result. I wish to make this clear as I do not want my participation in this consultation to be represented as either support for independence or for a second referendum.\r I agree with the proposals for the management of a referendum with the caveat on voting eligibility which I have given in my answer to Q2.	Only UK citizens normally resident in Scotland and those in the Armed Forces normally resident in Scotland should be eligible to vote. This would be a vote that could fundamentally affect the future of UK citizens in Scotland and it will not affect citizens of other countries in the same way.\r I wholeheartedly agree with the restrictions on polling and counting staff not having been involved in campaigning. However I have concerns as to how it will be verified that polling and counting staff have or have not been involved in campaigning. Will this simply be some sort of self-declaration? If so I don't see the point in the legislation.	These proposals seem sensible.
4164	296449556	James sandison	Individual	Individual	referendum has already been held and decided	voting arrangements seem OK, but what is this thing about 16 OR 17 year old, looks to me like it's 16 year old if they have reached it by the polling day !!!! STILL TO YOUNG	should be votes for Scots living in Scotland
4165	340088892	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree	Agree	Agree
4166	955721773	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't think it is required as I don't think there should be another referendum	If this referendum gets pushed again then I think it's in the best interest that the vote applies to the uk as a whole not just Scotland. \rThe view the SNP push is Scotland England and totally forget that Wales and Northern Ireland are all in the same boat.	I have no view on this as I don't think there should babe another referendum
4167	8212205	Suzanne Wright	Individual	Individual	During the first Referendum, concern was expressed regarding \ra) access of political parties to voting preferences of postal voters\rb) transfer of ballot boxes from polling stations to counts\r Whilst I do not necessarily believe there was an organised attempt to subvert the Referendum result it is important that people have faith that the vote is conducted in a fair and transparent manner. I would therefore welcome assurances of how the next referendum will ensure that the voting intentions of postal voters are not disclosed to anyone and transparency in the transport of ballot boxes to count locations.	Agree with proposals.	Agree with proposals.
4168	516444550	Sean Skillen	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
4169	518856465	Christopher Ince	Individual	Individual	As I do not believe there should be a referendum I do not have a view on arrangements for managing one.	Again, I do not believe there is a need nor should there be a referendum.	Ditto, no view on a procedure for something I do not believe should happen.
4170	215765186	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree	I agree	I agree
4171	90042138	Craig mcmichan	Individual	Individual	Absolute brilliant! We are being stripped daily of our potential .	No Answered	I feel it's irrelevant. The Westminster is creating there own destiny with a broken union brought to you by the blue and red tories.
4172	570354991	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	agree	agree	agree
4173	905425290	Tomais Robison	Individual	Individual	Do it, but at the right time. I'm Yes, always.	Much needed improvement.	No problem with this.
4174	651831114	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In view of some potential issues seen in 2014 postal vote counts must be more secure. Similarly there may have been some willful fraud by counters. It is not a race to result announcement, propriety is key.	None	None
4175	853501707	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with repeating the same eligibility criteria.	This looks fine and in line with normal practice.	I agree with this.
4176	458887451	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The previous referendum was run efficiently.	These changes seem straightforward and acceptable	These changes are logical and straightforward
4177	644972369	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel a second reforendom is well overdue considering Scotland is under the rule of a Tory government that was never voted in in Scotland, not only that the current prime minister was not even elected, on top of that Scotland voted strongly to remain in Europe and could still be dragged out by English votes a referendum seems to be the only option.	I feel all Scottish citizens should be allowed to participate in any future referendum	I feel all Scottish citizens
4178	485138307	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I want no referendum. We had one, it caused economic uncertainty and the public voted No.	No strong view, as do not want another vote!	None
4179	243424939	Andrew Smith	Individual	Individual	If the Indyref2 poll is conducted similarly to the the first referendum I have no issues.	I do not agree that members of the House of Lords should be permitted to vote in any independence referendum.	No issues.
4180	332038807	Lisa Chalmers	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum. This is a misuse of Public Funds.\rThIs matter has been decided and the will of the people needs to be accepted.	There should not be a referendum. This is a misuse of Public Funds.\rThIs matter has been decided and the will of the people needs to be accepted.	The entire proposal of another referendum is irresponsible and a misuse of public funds. It is this that is obscene and offensive. Therefore, it is not possible to appoint a responsible officer to an irresponsible concept.
4181	260498710	Stewart gibson	Individual	Individual	I don't believe a 2nd referendum is needed as I believe the majority of Scottish people said NO in the 2014 referendum.	I believe that as the United Kingdom voted in 2016 to leave the European Union then EU citizens resident in Scotland should not be eligible to vote.	Again not needed as I don't believe a 2nd referendum is needed as I believe the majority of Scottish people said NO in the 2014 referendum.
4182	890470611	Gordon Jackson	Individual	Individual	Eminemtly sensible followi g a tried and tested format however I am concerned about voter fraud and mis-use or abuse of postal voting. Each pistal voter should be required to provide a thumb print to be compare against a thumb print on the postal ballot paper	Postal ballots need to be matched against thumb prints and each must be checjed individually.	Campaign donations should only be permissible from those registered to vote in Scotland.
4183	368602599	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am not in favour of a second referendum	I am not in favour of a second referendum	I am not in favour of a second referendum
4184	249436036	Ann Logie	Individual	Individual	Management of the referendum IF THERE IS ONE, are acceptable. This, however, does not mean that I think we SHOULD have a referendum.	Only British Citizens resident in Scotland should have the right to vote. This means that Citizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU citizens should NOT have a right to vote in the Referendum.	No opinion.
4185	1023505387	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No new referendum required . We have already rejected independence. Please let Ms Sturgeon know that she cannot keep asking the same question until she gets the answer she wants and not what the Scottish poulation majority have voted for.	None	Agree
4186	193382717	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No views except that I understood the 2014 referendum and result were a once in a generation/once in a life time event.	No view	No view
4187	935527657	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I disagree in principle with the need for another referendum so soon after the first one.	I disagree in principle with the need for another referendum so soon after the first one.	I disagree in principle with the need for another referendum so soon after the first one.
4188	520473799	Kenneth Duncan	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum. The people of Scotland have already voted.	There should be no referendum. We, the people of Scotland have already voted to stay part of ghee United Kingdom.	There should be no referendum. The Scottish people have already voted to stay part of the United Kingdom.
4189	369498486	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel it is right for Scottish people to vote, either here or abroad. This includes all who are married etc to a Scottish national. I do not think it is right that anyone registered in Scotland in general.	I feel that it should not just be anyone who stays in Scotland and that all Scottish nationals who register should be allowed.	No comment
4190	622981089	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Stop wasting money. We have voted once already. The vote was for remain. The SNP cannot keep asking like a nagging child hoping they'll get the answer they want. People have taken time out to vote, money spent on the referendum and the decision made.	Fine.	Fine.
4191	594483653	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This worries me as there were no exit polling figures taken at the referendum. This would have to be looked at for the future.	I think postal votes should not be allowed but instead a proxy should vote on your behalf	I find this ok
4192	1031122463	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree	I agree	I agree
4193	702984751	Callum Macdonald	Individual	Individual	I'm happy with these, although I have reservations about the use of postal votes and the security of ballot boxes at the end of the count.	Agree with this, especially if there is a responsibility on the officials to verify number of votes cast. This would go some way to address issues mentioned in 1 above.	Agreed.
4194	393945550	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposed changes appear to discriminate against the freedom of individuals to use their funds to campaign by requiring registration, information that will be publicly available, thus enabling harassment of such individuals by supporters of some political parties	No Answered	As is well known there are large numbers of Scottish citizens working out with Scotland and who will under these proposals be disenfranchised
4195	604603176	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	agree	Agree
4196	125222084	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We should not have another referendum, what is the point in having the first one if it is not listened to. I don't want to have to take time out of my day to vote again. Being bullied over my voting decision and have division in Scotland from from this make living here nasty.	I don't agree with another referendum.	As above.
4197	665670941	Patrick Strickland	Individual	Individual	I am happy with this arrangement.	I am happy with this arrangement.	Happy.
4198	794654488	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think we should remain within the united kingdom. This referendum bill and exercise is a waste of resources.	I think we should remain within the united kingdom. This referendum bill and exercise is a waste of resources.	I think we should remain within the united kingdom. This referendum bill and exercise is a waste of resources.
4199	1046074240	Cynthia Thomson	Individual	Individual	The correct way to manage it.	I agree	I agree
4200	414957500	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Proposed Management and regulatory matters for any referendum are in keeping with what would be expected of such an important decision making process.	I would like to see a minimum period of residency set for eligibility to cast a vote. Perhaps 3-5 years and to exclude students who have not originated from a Scottish address.	I would like to see a maximum budget for campaigning set. Perhaps provided from the public purse rather than donations from business and public supporters.
4201	188967281	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They should not be required as there is no need for another referendum	There should be no changes again it should not be required	This change would be fine if the referenbum were required
4202	268824294	Glyn Beech	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	A 2nd referendum is a complete waste of time. Is the SNP plan to keep holding referendums until it gets the result it wants? The result of another referendum would be the same as the last one!
4203	679067181	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel the Tory government has lied to us can not be trusted and I worry that we will all loose our human rights that we have at the moment. It feels too much is going on behind closed doors and less well off people will suffer the most.	I think it is good all Scots should have a vote and all people living in our wonderful land should also have the right as well	they seem ok
4204	855041129	James Westland	Individual	Individual	Dont trust the Electoral Commission. Should be overseen by a UN group	Postal voting should be severely restricted to those who absolutely have to have it. It has been abused in the past.\r There should also be a residency condition, say only those who have been resident in Scotland for at least 10 years should have the right to vote.	no comment
4205	506998089	David Youles	Individual	Individual	Unnecessary,the majority spoke before. It is ill conceived to consider that our country has the resources to manage yet another whimsy of lightweight lackeys with no international pedigree.	Expensive drain on public resources. How much will this cost?	So what?
4206	360784515	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The referendum said it was once in a lifetime and that should stand.\r No thanks to another referendum.
4207	926423751	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think this would be another waste of tax payers money.	I have no view except this would not seem to be money and resources well spent. During the previous campaign your manifesto focussed on "oil". That business is now in great difficulty. What will you focus on next. I voted to remain in the UK. Move forward and support that democratic decision.	Not required.
4208	6816291	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This seems reasonable.	I see no issue with these changes.	Again, no issue here.
4209	669038520	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A second referendum is unwanted and unecessary - the question was answered in 2014	Irrelevant - there is no need for another referendum. Please, Please leave it - it's been decided the government should get on with the day job.	Irrelevant I want my government to drop any second independence ideas.
4210	769368933	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for ,this bill. The referendum has been held.	As above	I do not want another referendum. The SNP had their chance-they must stop this nonsense and start to try to govern .
4211	1070437705	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do\rNot think we should be be assuming there will be a referendum - every politician I heard promised it would be once in a generation, no mention of 'unless' ....	No issues, however please note my answer to previous question.	Fine, however please note my espouse to first question.
4212	1040340773	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would like there to be more security and scrutiny of the counting process, as ther were too many unanswered questions around this following the last referendum. \rI would also question the screening of postal votes by anyone other than an official of the Chief Counting Officer. Mainly don't let MP's with vested interests near them.	These all seem legitimate changes, to allow all Scots with the right to vote to be able to shape the future of their nation.	No view.
4213	694569035	Sean Skillen	Individual	Individual	I think we should remain within the united kingdom. This referendum bill and exercise is a waste of resources.	I think we should remain within the united kingdom. This referendum bill and exercise is a waste of resources.	I think we should remain within the united kingdom. This referendum bill and exercise is a waste of resources.
4214	1017790174	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe tighter control for the postal vote is required. Would prefer counting at long places rather than central large counting centres.	Not comments	No comments
4215	166573598	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These arrangements would be acceptable to me but there should not be another referendum so soon after the last one. Leaving the EU is like taking our boat away from a convoy of ships. Leaving the UK now would be like cutting the bow off our ship and we'd both sink. It pains me to say this as I voted Yes last time but would have to vote No if you aske me again so soon.	Probably should exclude EU citizens in the light of the BREXIT vote. In the last 2 referenda I voted for Scotland to become independant and for the UK to stay in the EU. Sadly I lost both votes. In spite of this I can see that EU citizens here might want to cause trouble for the UK by voting to split it up. For this reason we should exclude them if another vote is held. This said I firmly believe there should not be another referendum so soon after the last one. Leaving the EU is like taking our boat away from a convoy of ships. Leaving the UK now would be like cutting the bow off our ship and we'd both sink.	I do not have a view either way on this point but say again there should not be another referendum so soon after the last one.
4216	771360697	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	None	None	None
4217	1011895688	Alan White	Individual	Individual	I think there needs to be at least 60% majority for change to happen. However I do not think there should be another referendum.	No Answered	I don't think 16 year olds should be allowed to vote I think it should be 18 and older.
4218	990869025	G A Maule	Individual	Individual	They seem adequate and appropriate.	They seem adequate and appropriate.	They seem adequate and appropriate.
4219	616537590	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with this.	I have some reservations regarding postal voting, Including the issue of postal votes and the method by which they are counted, i.e. added to the 'mix' of ballots already cast. The ability of some unauthorised 'sampling' of the vote is also a concern.	I agree with this.
4220	575104293	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't believe there should be another referendum. The vote was clear NO. \rWill we keep having these threats until Nicola Sturgeon gets her own way. This was once in a lifetime then once in a generation now whenever she jumps on the bandwagon. She should practice what she preachs and abide by the majority vote and live with it.	As above	Is it the SNP policy to just add people in to the vote so that they get their own way despite the majority wanting a different outcome
4221	248157194	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Whilst I do not agree with the need for a second independence referendum, these arrangements seem fine.\r However, I have to take issue with the proposed question being the same as in 2014. It is widely recognised that a question with a vote for 'Yes' or 'No' has an inherent bias and affected the outcome of the 2014 referendum. Therefore it is very unlikely that the question asked in 2014 would now be accepted by the Electoral Commission. Instead, a question with a vote for 'Remain' or 'Leave' would be the fair and appropriate choice that both satisfies the people of Scotland and the Electoral Commission.	I believe that for an important decision such as this, potentially changing the longstanding current arrangements, that a majority threshold set in favour of leaving the Union should be applied. This is particularly true if the voter turnout for a referendum is less than 75%. My suggestion would be for a turnout of less than 75%, then the majority threshold should be 60/40, and with perhaps a lower threshold 55/45 for turnouts between 75% and 85%. A simple majority for less than a 85% turnout would not be sensible and unlikely to be acceptable to many people.	Fine.
4222	79543746	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A decision was made on the previous referendum and the referendum question did not include a caveat that we rerun it if something happened that the SNP government did not like.\r While the brexit vote was disappointing for me personally it is part of the democratic process and if we spend all our time rerunning votes everytime it goes against what we want then we will never get anywhere.	I have no comment regards the proposed technical changes.	No comment
4223	556128094	James Quinn	Individual	Individual	Any such referendum is the responsibility of the U.K. Government and should not be held. 2014 referendum gave a definite result.\rIf there was to be a separatist referendum, included in the arrangements should be the right for areas which vote against separation to remain as part of the U.K. e.g if Edinburgh votes to remain in the UK, this is allowed. Similar to SNP policy to allow Scotland to remain in the EU following the EU referendum in 2016.	OK	OK
4224	365424124	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with the current arrangement with respect to the management of the referendum. However I do not want another referendum- we voted no in 2014 and would do so again. Our country needs consistent management - get on with the day job and run our country properly!	No Answered	Personally I do not agree with 16 year olds being able to vote. I did not agree with the 2015 Voting act- children are being pushed into making decisions that many do not understand. Having spoken to many children of this age group, they tend to vote on what their friends/ parents do rather than make an independent decision.
4225	825413293	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Content	Content	Content
4226	373741442	Sylvia Halkerston	Individual	Individual	I have no issues with proposed management but do have issues withneed for these management processes to be used at high cost in times of resource shortfalls throughout pubic services\r The government was given a mandate to hold a referendum and it did so in 2014. We were assured that the outcome would be binding. This is clearly not the case and there is NO mandate for going back to the country. The referendum re membership of the European Union was a separate and unrelated vote which does not alter the independence vote in any way. \rScotland as a whole voted to stay in Europe but Scotland also voted not to separate from the UK. The present Scottish Governmaent cannot pick and chose which utcomesthey will uphold and which are within their remit to uphold.	No Answered	I feel that EU citizens voting in this referendum would weight the vote in kthat they may not be entirely focused on the issue of Scotland breaking away from UK but on the more recent outcome of the leaving European Union vote.\rThe two issues are quite different.
4227	45729186	Bruce Edelsten	Individual	Individual	No comment	There may be a lack of clarity over the opening of postal votes. The rules at para 34 seem to say 'So long as there is a one sealed postal voters box...' then the other boxes can be opened. But when? A month before hand, a week, a day? It seems they can be opened [early?] to check the registration (i.e. legitimacy) or the vote but if they are opened substantially before the close of the poll, and the oberservers see the results, then the validity of the poll can be called into question,	No comment
4228	155737329	James Scott	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
4229	1030756939	BARRY GARDNER	Individual	Individual	As someone who does not believe in referenda at all as a way of important decisions being made, the question is spurious. It will always be weighted in favour of the ruling party - in this case the SNP - who can pick and choose a time to hold any vote and time any "positive" and "successful" announcements accordingly, meanwhile burying anything that may counter that. Even the use of the word "Yes" for a vote for independence gives an impression of positiveness while "No" has a negative ring to it when used in this context. It could easily be worded, "Vote Yes if you want the UK to remain the same as it is." But that wouldn't suit the SNP's aim.	I don't have any issues with the above.	No issues with the above.
4230	339403496	Antonio Francisco Dias Lopes	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals presented by the Scottish government	I am also in agreement with the current legislation	I also agree with the current legislation
4231	311362724	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	completly not needed as we had one in 2014 and it was unanamase that we stay with the uk and it would be a complete waste of tax payers money to have another one .	not really bothered	not in favor of it
4232	136130464	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I don't believe that under 18's who are considered to be legally children have the maturity required to vote.
4233	1068486639	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not understand why I only found out about this consultation process regarding such a significant decision via the news on television today (4 January 2017) with the closing date being 11 January 2017.	I do not agree that EU residents should be allowed to vote in what is esentially a Scottish matter.\rI do not agree that 16 year olds should be allowed to vote when the legal age for other matters Is 18 years old. The recognised age for being an adult seems confusing.	I am happy with these changes.
4234	599094722	Alexis Allan	Individual	Individual	There is no need for a 2nd referendum. There was one in 2014 and the result was conclusive. The voting age should be 18.	The voting age should be 18 however there is no need for a second referendum. The result in 2014 was conclusive and nothing has happened since to suggest the need for a 2nd referendum.	the voting age should be 18. There is no need for a second referendum.
4235	41127095	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Firstly there should not be a referendum as we have held this and voted against leaving the uk. That said if there was one, it should be as per elections.	Firstly there should not be a referendum as we have held this and voted against leaving the uk. That said No issues	Firstly there should not be a referendum as we have held this and voted against leaving the uk.
4236	844694760	Gael white	Individual	Individual	I think that to allow such a huge constitutional there should be at least 60% of the voters wanting such a change.	I do not agree that other nationalities should be allowed to vote just because they live in Scotland. If they are citizens of another nation there view doesn't really count. If things go wrong here, they can just leave and go home. \rI definitely don't think that 16 year olds should b e allowed to vote. They have no real life experience, even though they think they have (as we all did at that age). If they are not considered old enough to drink, drive etc they are not old enough to influence the future of our country.	I do not think that there should be another unsettling vote at all. What Scotland needs now is a period where businesses can be confident in what is happening in the future and be happy to make investments and not have to worry constantly about what is coming next.
4237	249216595	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My view is that there was an election in 2014 which gave the outcome that Scotland would not be leaving the UK. Now 2 years later which is hardly anytime at all, it is being proposed that there will be another one.Therefore the 55% of people who voted no and got the result they wanted will be forced to re vote no again. It seems an awful waste of time and should not happen.	No Answered	16 and 17 year olds should not be allowed to vote and if they are to continue to be allowed to vote then there should be better information from both yes and no campaigns in schools prior to the referendum so that children of 16 and 17 can make an informed decision
4238	91270735	Peter mccutcheon	Individual	Individual	I support the proposed arrangement as I believe thay are just and fair	Thanks proposed technical changes are in my view acceptable	My view is i agree with the proposed changes to permissible participants
4239	602567800	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I have no views on managing the referendum. Only to say that politicians should be proud of themselves for splitting their own country in half pursuing a folly. The people of Scotland must be fed up with referendums and lies ( i.e. Once in a generation vote ) . Some people don't like the result of the last independance but should respect it, these so called politicians are just like babies, keep going & going until hopefully they get their own way
4240	1034062972	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy that a referendum is carried out in the same way as 2014 except I don't think that postal votes should leave Scotland and there should be exit polls	No Answered	I agree
4241	133518112	Stewart Marshall	Individual	Individual	As the referendum aligns closely with the arrangements used successfully to deliver a fair and transparent as it did in the referendum in 2014 there is no need for a second referendum as Scotland's population clearly voted in a decisive manner.	As the changes to the technical changes reflect a positive change to ensure, in part, that proper checks on the identity of absentee voters or proxy the proposed bill includes a requirement that the person who is to be appointed as a proxy for another voter must themselves be registered to vote. This is a common sense approach and would be acceptable at any voting occasion. However again there is no need for a second referendum as stated in question 1 above.	An obvious change which would ensure that the person who is to be appointed as the responsible person, for permitted participant bodies, should sign the application for declaration as a permitted participant.
4242	23693849	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My views are unchanged on this as in 2014.\r I am happy for this arrangement.	I am actually excited about this part. \r I believe in all round equality and if that means that an EU citizen from another country, now residing in Scotland can vote for their freedom (that is what it is!) then yes, I am all for this!	If it benefits, then I'm for it.
4243	752750906	Jade	Individual	Individual	I think the proposed arrangements are very fair and clear cut. They're in line with previous elections which is a good thing to not confuse the general public and not be seen to change rules to enable an advantage to either side of the campaigns.	I welcome the changes that vote counters can't have campaigned before. This is due to the fact they may leak information to their campaign may whilst voting is still going on. Their presence could make voter fraud a more likely due to their strong polical views. \r Due diligence should be an important considering the magnitude of what the referendum represents to the people of Scotland.	The campaigns officers on each side with have more autonomy over thier campaigns which has its pros and cons. Rightly so the leaders of the campaigns should take full responsibility of what they put in the public domain.
4244	73501471	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Do not wish another referendum	No views on this.	No opinion on this either
4245	94618847	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think it's a good idea, it will disassociate Scotland from the development of the racism that has increased since brexit and Trump. I have to say that I personally have experienced alot of racism afterwards and by positing Scotland, where I moved to almost four years ago with my partner, as a strong country that is intolerant to racism, fascism and homophobia is a positive experience.	I think it's a good step forward and maintains democracy.	I completely agree to this.
4246	550582698	Keith Laing	Individual	Individual	It needs to happen- I voted YES last time and now, being taken OUT of the European Union against my will, makes me want to vote YES even more- we need to take back\rControl of our own affairs and our own country. The UK is broken-\rIt doesn't exist any more!	I totally agree and concur with these amendments	I wholeheartedly agree
4247	911973497	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As the information above states the 2014 referendum was carried out in fair and transparent way. At which point will SNP respect the views of the Scottish people?	No view	Will the Scottish Government insist on production of identification to prevent election fraud?
4248	377824323	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Scotland needs another divisive refendum like a hole in the head.\r The vote was clear - Independence lost. \r Enough of the Brexit excuse making and grievance politics.	No Answered	Changing the rules to include children was an error and should be reversed.
4249	370945240	Jean-Marie Prieur	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
4250	765271415	Mario Antonucci	Individual	Individual	The new proposals seem reasonable. I would also like to see exit polls being allowed to take place as these were sadly missed during the initial referendum.	I agree with the new changes. Also that the postal votes should stay in Scotland this time and some traceability should be available for postal voters to cross check what there vote has been registered as. If you could take a note of your voting paper and then check on the official site or register of counts that your code was counted for yes or no then it would help prevent vote fraud of postal votes.	Yes these alterations are good.
4251	890178327	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In terms of the arrangement for managing the referendum I think that what is proposed would be fine. However I don't believe there actually should be a second independence referendum - people already had their say in 2014 and the result was no and that should be respected. I actually voted Yes last time, however I would not do so again.	I have no comments on this. However I don't believe there actually should be a second independence referendum.	I have no comments on this. However I don't believe there actually should be a second independence referendum.
4252	166826114	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think these proposals are great. It's important that 16 to 17 year olds are eligible to vote. It's also great to see that EU citizens will be eligible to fit as well!	No Answered	I think it's important that postal votes are checked alike the elections. But I still think it's important that campaigners can be outside polling stations and campaigners are eligible to be at the count as an agent.
4253	219222292	Marion Findlater	Individual	Individual	I do not want another Scottish referendum no matter how it is organised. If there is one - I will vote against independence.	I do not want another Scottish referendum no matter what technical changes are introduced. I will vote against independence.	I do not want another referendum . See previous responses.
4254	169414858	William H. Boyle	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
4255	1000061748	Matthew Mccallum	Individual	Individual	My only concern here is that the electoral commission allowed the abuse of purdah at the last referendum in 2014. I do not have any faith that they won't do so again being of the establishment.\r I would also like more robust scrutiny of the postal voting process this time as this was clearly abused by the unionists in 2014	Happy with these proposals	Happy with these proposals
4256	504759507	john fisher	Individual	Individual	I think they are good and don't need changed	I don't think non Scottish members of armed forces stationed temporarily in Scotland at time of referendum should get a vote , also think non Scots that have lived in Scotland for less than a year should get a vote	No problem with that
4257	508090404	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A waste of time and money. please respect the result of the 2014 vote. SNP bleat on about Westminster should respect the wishes of Scotand in the EU referendum, which was a UK wide vote, not a Scottish one, whilst they repeatedly fail to respect the wishes of the Scottish people in the 2014 vote. You are paid to govern this country for all, not just for a minority who support independence.	see answer to 1	see answer to 1
4258	849065658	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Normal voting procedure. Fine.	Hate the fact children can vote. Children may be the future but they know sod all about living in the real world. If we're allowing 16/17 year olds to vote, we may as well let 5 year olds vote too... I think it was a mistake to invite children to vote in the last referendum and it's a mistake to allow it again. Also, they're going to be the highest turnout of any age group at the polling stations "just because they can" - doesn't mean they'll make informed and considered votes. Please can we just have normal voting policies on this - 18 and over.	N/A
4259	1031789048	Dan Watt	Individual	Individual	It is my view that postal voting should not be allowed in Scotland any more, the possibilities for fraud are just too great. Ruth Davidson practically admitted on live TV to viewing postal votes, or at least knowing the outcome of postal votes, before the results where known, yet nothing was done.\r Where ballot boxes must be transported from a polling place to be then opened and counted elsewhere, the cable ties (or tape etc.) used to secure it should be audited on departure and arrival to ensure that they are indeed the same and not tampered with. Nobody should be allowed to transport a ballot box on their own as happened in the 2014 referendum and really, this should be done by the police.\r I.D should be required by everyone intending to vote and the only applicable I.D in this case should be a passport or photographic drivers licence. Many people in 2014 cast their votes without needing to identify themselves at all.\r Under no circumstances should postal votes, if they are to be used this time around, be sent to anywhere other than the voters constituency, Ideally they should be sent directly to where they will be counted, or the nearest council office.	The change in 2014 to include 16 year olds and over, was great. I would like to see this referendum vote extended to include Scottish ex-pats, but don't know how to feasibly implement this.\r It would be great this time round to not have any "yes" votes end up on the "no" table, as caught on camera by BBC news in 2014!\r Ensuring that counting staff have diverse political memberships/non-memberships and opinions about the vote should be encouraged wherever possible.	More transparency is always welcome where elections or referenda are concerned.
4260	477454231	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Proposals seem fair and just. Impartial management overseeing the referendum campaign guidelines is a necessity to stop infighting between parties deflecting from the true reason for the referendum.	Again they seem just and fair, however I firmly believe postal votes should not be counted in advance of the ballot box count and should only be counted once the polling stations have closed. This will stop any allegations against party members who claim to have seen postal votes in advance.\r As a voter who mainly uses the proxy system I am concerned about how the new laws for proving identification will work if I am out of the country working during the proposed referendum. Clear concise easy to understand information is needed on how those using the proxy vote system will qualify. I think the other list of participants is fair as you cannot open the vote to everyone across the globe that has every worn tartan trousers at some time.	This is a sensible move and will save on administrative costs producing papers for an obscene or irrelevant campaigner
4261	514414835	Iain Slinn	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	You start with the premise that you have made the correct decision in seeking to hold a Second Referendum.\r This is completely the wrong way to persuade lifelong spporters of Scotland such as myself to support your plea for a Second Referendum.\r Instead you should concentrate your efforts on fixing Scotland's NHS; Education; Transport; Local Government; Potholes andthe efficient running of Holyrood to name but a few of the tasks that you have failed to tackle effectively in the 8 years you have been in power.\r Thereafter, you could justifiably have a 'consultation' and perhaps find that you have the support of one such as myself who has grown increasingly dissolusioned with your intentions for Scotland.\r Regards,\r Redacted text4th January, 2017\r P.S. please feel free to publicise my comments
4262	698122889	Jamie Wallace	Individual	Individual	I like the idea that a Scottish organisation will be in charge of running the Referendum. During the 2014 referendum, the responses by the electoral commission to questions and concerns posed to them were far from satisfactory and as a result diminished my faith in the process - even before the poll was carried out. They were also understaffed it would seem, so in the event of another referendum, please ensure there are enough competent people employed by the Electoral Management Board for Scotland to deal with enquiries professionally, quickly and efficiently.	During the last referendum, I knew of cases where people resident and paying taxes outside Scotland but with family residing in Scotland managed to vote. The system was therefore not robust enough to ensure only those eligible to vote could do so. \r I agree with 100% checking of postal votes. However, it was worrying in 2014 that postal votes delivered on polling day to the electoral stations were collected at various times during the day without the same secure conditions as the ballot boxes. Another system should be put in place to account for these - but at the count. No votes should be able to leave the building until the poll has closed. One vote has the same value of other votes after all.\r Clearer provisions should be made for those with literacy difficulties and those who are homeless in Scotland so that their votes can be counted.	-
4263	874288605	Denis Munro	Individual	Individual	They are satisfactory - but are irrelevant if , as I believe, there should not be a referendum.	I do not agree that 16 and 17 year olds should have a vote.	The changes are satisfactory - but are irrelevant if , as I believe, there should not be a referendum.
4264	74907172	Scott Henderson	Individual	Individual	I don't think we should mirror the arrangements of the previous referendum. There should, where possible, be as little transferral of ballot boxes to counting stations. Also the counting stations should be more suitable so that independent international monitors can keep an eye on all proceedings.	I've never liked the idea of 'postal ballots' as I believe they are really open to fraudulent voting. It's a hard one to try and control, but I think you're idea of 100% checking is as good as it's going to get. My biggest worry though is tampering with the results through computer hacking and fraud on a massive scale. I really think we have to keep an eye on digital election tampering, especially now in the 21st century.	I don't have an opinion on this. It is 'technical' jargon to me.
4265	37916735	Maria Sheridan	Individual	Individual	From my experience of 2014 Referendum in Scotland....I would suggest that an officer is appointed by each local polling station: representing Yes and No. They, or their representatives are present for every step of the way e.g. sending out Polling Cards; sending of postal votes: registering the return of postal votes; registering return of "physical votes"; . Both agreeing to the number of voting slips and register opened on Voting Day; Both agreeing to the sealing of each "voting box; both agreeing the return of "unused polling slips"; BOTH accompanying each sealed box to the designated count centres and appointing a representative for each centre to oversee the count together with their appointed repesentatives; \r As a "returning officer" for Argyll during this 2014 ref; I could not guarantee that the votes cast and sealed in voting boxes in polling stations were the same ones delivered to the count in Lochgilphead. ~Given the concerns subsequently raised by the "Dunoon research" people, re postal voting, I think it is the duty of The Scottish Government and Electoral Commission to ensure that procedures are in place which can absolutely confirm the integrity of the vote. I'm not confident that this can be said for the 2014 Referendum.	While the statutory requirement at the 2014 referendum was that not less than 20% of personal identifiers were to be checked, in line with normal practice at other elections the counting officers checked all personal identifiers. The draft bill therefore proposes to change the legislation to require 100% checking and bring the legislation into line with previous practice and accepted practice at other elections. (See the modifications to paragraphs 35 to 39 of schedule 2 of the 2013 Act).\r Every vote should be able to stand up to scrutiny....100%.	I Agree.
4266	1062420357	Redacted text	Individual	Individual	We were told that the 2014 referendum was a "once in a lifetime" vote. The result of that referendum has blatantly been ignored so I have no faith in the result of this proposed referendum having regard to the Will of the people. Unless of course, the result is one that is favourable to the SNP agenda.	No Answered	Why are Scottish citizens resident in the remainder of the UK not allowed to vote?
4267	447379313	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want a referendum at all . You have better things to do with my tax and I am outraged that a 'once in a lifetime ' decision is being considered 2 years later - most lifetimes a great deal longer.	This is a side issue. You have not given a fiscal breakdown on this irresponsible use of public money	Who cares - irrelevant
4268	285039694	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe the management of the referendum needs to be changed. I believe the involvement of young people in deciding their future is key to the management. It should without a doubt be 16 to vote.	No Answered	Polling and count staff, there should be background checks to ensure there is no bias either way. As well as checking social media posts. A lot of people do not physically act on their political support but do online.
4269	31038702	Jacqueline Paton	Individual	Individual	The management of the referendum should not pose any issues.	The proposed changes should not pose any issues.	I am again dissapointed that only those residing in Scotland will be eligible to vote, it is my belief that all people born in Scotland and residing within the British Isles should be eligible to vote. We are a United Kingdom therefore all Scottish adults and those currently residing in the country should have a say in the outcome.
4270	718461008	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We have said no , and we mean no.\rThe brexit vote was a uk vote , and we gave our answer also\rSo listen to the taxpayers	Just waste of time	Again just a waste of taxpayers money
4271	107999821	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Postal voting needs to be tighter to avoid 2014 events but otherwise ok	Content	Content
4272	848486327	Andy Russell	Individual	Individual	I agree.	I agree.	I agree.
4273	620195429	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the same arrangements as 2014 would be fine.	I think that anyone of voting age residing in Scotland ( 16+) should be eligable to vote, so i would like the franchise to be wider in scope to include those living here from outside the EU and Commonwealth too.	I would agree
4274	670048638	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The people of Scotland must not trust the SNP. In particular Ms Sturgeon and her predecessor Salmond. This consultation is not worth the effort, it has nothing to do with independence it is an admin questionnaire. People should be asked about independence NOT about administration of a referendum.\rWhat will our currency be?\rWe will not be automatically invited to be an EU member, the rest of the EU can not afford to take on a debt ridden Scotland. If and when an independent Scotland is invited to join the EU we will be even poorer. We're in a mess due to the SNP being power for the last 8 years. Imagine the poverty stricken shambles we'd be in if we're independent.	A load of nonsense. The real pertinent questions aren't being asked, such as how do like the thought of being poorer than Greece ?\rWould you like to have one of the largest debt burdens in Europe from Day 1 of independence?\rIn light of the way Scottish education has slipped to one of the worst in Europe how do you fancy being lead further down the garden path by the SNP ?	More balderdash. "They" lost the referendum, "they" subjected the people of Scotland to the most divisive time just because of their total, blind obsession with independence.\r"They" are so concerned with indyref 2 that education, Scottish Health, our roads and our Police force are in extremely poor health.\rGP surgeries are closing because we don't have enough doctors, A&E waiting times are a disgrace, the ambulance service is a shambles. Our record on education is plummeting, teachers cannot be recruited. Crime is actually increasing but this is hidden by the way it is reported statistically. But so what ! Let's have another referendum.
4275	1027241956	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Treat it the same as any other election	Everything should be fair and above board and independently verified	This is cine
4276	107948387	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum	I do not want another referendum	I do not want another referendum
4277	206118069	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Content with the arrangements	There should be a mandatory requirement for individual voters to be uniquely identified to prevent electoral fraud.	No comment
4278	923009921	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	More Independent consultants for example from the EU to make sure there is no fraud and no Influence taking outside Scotlands.
4279	1016416840	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum. We voted to remain part of the UK in the knowledge that there would be an EU referendum. We knew that we would vote in that EU referendum as a whole United Kingdom. There has been no material change in these circumstances and 1 million Scots voted along with the majority of English to leave the EU. \r For Scotland to leave the UK after the UK leaves the EU would be the most financially disastrous and stupid move possible. The rest of the UK is our biggest trading partner not the EU. \r The biggest current threat to inward investment in Scotland is the underlying threat of a split from the UK and the longer it goes on the more reluctant big business will be to locate here. This neverendum is hurting Scotland every day it goes on.	No Answered	The eligibility age for voting should be 18. If a 16 year old is not deemed mature enough to drink alcohol, drive a car or have a credit card then can they really have enough maturity to decide the constitutional future of our country? \r There should be a minimum residency term for non UK nationals before they are eligible to vote.
4280	538154276	Malcolm Smith	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
4281	178669424	Finlay Dunsmore	Individual	Individual	All persons involved with, and linked with monitoring of the vote, transporting of empty and full ballot boxes, and counting of ballot papers should previously declare any interest. Ideally all the above parties should be of an independent and external body.\rI do realise that this is very hard to enforce, however this, and other matters put to a vote, must be seen to be uncorruptable.	No Answered	In addition to the above on who is registered to vote in the proposed referendum, I would amend that said persons should be registered at their at their current or previous address for a minimum of 12 months prior to the referendum; with a minimum of 9 of these 12 months having been spent resident within Scotland.
4282	265310987	William Wilson	Individual	Individual	I think that there is no point in having another referendum as the answer last time was a resounding "No". I firmly believe that the SNP are using Brexit as a convenient excuse to have another referendum. Nicola Sturgeon goes on about the views of Scotland having to be respected regarding Brexit but at the same time doesn't seem to want to respect of the views of Scotland when it comes to the 2014 referendum. It doesn't take a genius to work out that more people voted "No " to independence that for Britain to stay in the EU (although the percentage voting to stay in the EU was higher than the percentage who voted "No" to independence, the number of people who actually voted in the Brexit referendum was much lower than in the 2014 referendum. \r Nicola Sturgeon may say that many of those who voted "No" to independence were mislead into thinking that this guaranteed staying in Europe but it was widely known in 2014 that the Tories were planning to have a referendum on EU membership though the date of that referendum had still to be announced.\r SNP clutching at straws in their attempt to get independence by any means, which will surely bring Scotland to its knees and we would end up like Greece or Ireland.	None	None
4283	740963286	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not wish for a second referendum. I feel that in 2014 we made our choice and should stick to it	No technical changes should be made that will allow an unfair advantage	no opinion
4284	570225603	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum regardless of the proposed management of it.	I would be very suspicious of the changes made to the technical changes as it would only be done to sway a yes vote.	I have no opinion
4285	541482246	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the majority of the arrangements although I believe the voting age should be lowered to 14.	This seems all very smart but please see my first comment.	This seems sensible.
4286	368061097	Zoe conway	Individual	Individual	Seems fine although the last Scottish referendum was not transparent with both side lying. I do not believe that another referendum is needed as the public spoke in 2014 and even though we had a referendum for the EU it was a uk decision and Scotland needs to accept that and realise that we will not be straight back in the EU if we were to go independent!	I don't think English European or international students should be allowed to vote as once they graduate they are unlikely to stay in Scotland so I do not see why they should vote on how a country that they will leave should be allowed to decided on its future	No opinion
4287	90729810	George Gallacher	Individual	Individual	I agree with the Scottish government proposal s	I agree with the Scottish government proposal i	I agree with the Scottish government proposal
4288	169550978	STEVE SHEPHERD	Individual	Individual	Widest spread of the franchise essential to ensure all those who have a stake in Scotland's future have their say.	Stricter controls over postal ballots imperative. No postal ballot should leave Scotland before the count. I believe this was not the case in the last Referendum on Independence. Closer scrutiny of all votes not cast in person should avoid any questioning of the result when it is known.	Accept technical changes as outline
4289	751283544	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The ballot boxes and votes should not be removed from Scotland and no persons out with Scotland should have access to them.	No Answered	No members of the House of Lords should be allowed a vote
4290	372735144	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No need for arrangements. \rNo need for another referendum for a generation or a lifetime.	No need for changes. \rNo need for another referendum for a generation or a lifetime.	No need for changes. \rNo need for another referendum for a generation or a lifetime.
4291	119420335	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
4292	1047601699	Simon keenan	Individual	Individual	I am appalled that we are being bounced into considering these change proposals at a time when this Government is failing across a range of strategic goals and targets.Governments energy ,expertise and resources should be focussed upon dealing with the real challenges facing the people of Scotland .Its failure to accept the settled will of the people following the "once in a lifetime vote" speaks volumes for what has to be one of the poorest performing Governments since we moved to a devolved parliament.The lack of any coherent economic strategy following the unsurprising collapse of world oil prices and its catastrophic effect on our economy is clear for all to see. The misinformation promulgated about the benefits that may or may not accrue beggar belief.Independence at all costs.............shame on you for potentially adding to the chaos which is erupting across Europe.The people of Scotland are waking up to the reality of this shambles despite the attempts to airbrush this out of the minds of ordinary people. Get on with dealing with the issues facing Scotland .Education ,failing strategic targets,health,failing strategic targets.....etc etc.	Administrative adjustments and changes are irrelevant as far as I am concerned.	Can't see how these changes will make any significant change to outcomes.
4293	554374185	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It seems to me that the proposed changes seek to ensure that the Referendum will be carried out fairly and in an unbiased way.	Absolutely fine with these arrangements	Seems fair that anyone involved in campaigning would not be involved in the count. This ensures impartiality to some extent
4294	1026806361	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine.	I'm most worried about the Absent Voting - this seems to be the area most open to electoral fraud.	I don't understand this.
4295	859177449	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	I WOULD PREFER THAT THE POSTAL VOTE BE CANCELLED AS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR CORRUPTION IS SUBSTANTIAL.
4296	345618977	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The law was changed for The previous referendum which allowed 16 year olds to vote. I strongly believe that 16 -18 year olds are not mature enough and should be permitted to vote.	Given the nature of the vote citizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland should not have a vote.\r Agree that 100% checks on personal identifier checks should be carried out on absentee vites	No view
4297	471170047	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't consider any of this contentious.	I don't consider any of this contentious.	I don't consider any of this contentious.
4298	1031243891	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	the country and families are still recovering from the divisive nature of the last referendum \rthe vote was conclusive and to put the nation through another referendum would be a foolish and reckless act with an apparently lack of awareness of the financial cost to the country that we cannot afford\rPUT THE TOYS BACK IN THE PRAM AND MOVE FORWARD IN A POSITIVE AND RESPECTFUL MANNER	NO SECOND REFERENDUM - HAVE RESPECT FOR THE DEMOCRATIC CHOICE TO REMAIN AND DONT WASTE MONEY	NO SECOND REFERENDUM - HAVE RESPECT FOR THE DEMOCRATIC CHOICE TO REMAIN AND DONT WASTE MONEY
4299	427856734	Keith forsyth	Individual	Individual	Scotland should always have the option to hold a referendum they should just have to ask wwestminister	I agree with them	I agree
4300	1025399596	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Good that Scotland has a plan. Bad that Westminster doesn't.	Good	Fine
4301	550373097	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	Minimum age should move down to 15.\rEx-pats vote should be included\rEnglish domiciled living in Scotland should be excluded otherwise Scottish domiciled resident anywhere in UK should be included also	There shall not be any participation from both governments.\r Campaign leads should not be a member of government.\r There should be three parties:\rScottish Yes\rScottish No\rRest of UK Yes (that should not led by member of government)
4302	978602842	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Purdah period should be longer and purdah should cover all UK & local government representatives, e.g. westminster mp's.\rElectoral commision or similar body should be able to intervene and correct misleading information presented publicly. This was particularly an issue in the EU referendum and is likely to be a significant issue in the next independence referendum.\rAll public bodies should be required to declare any interest or bias in advance of the campaign, and in any campaigning material.	Agree	Reflecting the residency guidelines on electors, permissable participants should be resident in scotland for a period of time prior to announcement of referendum e.g. 12 mths
4303	965586094	Alex Hunt	Individual	Individual	Will there be independent (foreign) observers during the referendum?	I like the improved checking of proxy voting.	Looks like an improvement
4304	236521051	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I approve	I approve	I approve
4305	144745488	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree with the change in the Eligibility to Vote. I do not agree that any person living in Scotland should have the right to vote on the independence of Scotland. The Eligibility to Vote should remain the same as in 2014.	I do not agree with the change in the Eligibility to Vote from 2014. I do not agree that any person resident in Scotland should have the right to vote on the independence of Scotland. The Eligibility to Vote should remain the same as in 2014.	This is fine.
4306	193936656	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't support another referendum, we were told "once in a generation". Can the "Scottish government" please just get in with the job they were elected to do please?	I don't support another referendum, we were told "once in a generation". Can the "Scottish government" please just get in with the job they were elected to do please?	I don't support another referendum, we were told "once in a generation". Can the "Scottish government" please just get in with the job they were elected to do please?
4307	181603097	Veterans for Scottish Independence	Individual	Individual	The group feel that this is correct and proper.	The group feels that tighting up on the proxy system is required to negate any chance of unsavoury practice.	Again the changes are necessary and the group feels that allowing dual roles will help the smaller organisations.
4308	347696940	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My view is that there is no need to manage a referendum as we as a nation voted to stay as part of the United Kingdom in 2014 and this government should respect these wishes and get on with doing what is best for Scotland as we are now	I have no problem with the changes but as stated there is no need for a further referendum as we as a nation voted to stay in the United Kingdom in 2014	These changes are ok but as previously stated we voted in 2014 and that should be the end of for this generation as Mr Salmond stated
4309	117008542	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The 2014 referendum was managed very professionally. Same standard again please.	I am happy with the proposed changes.	I am happy with the proposed changes.
4310	430509864	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We shouldn't even be considering another referendum.	Do not agree with them.	Do not think 16year olds should be voting and only those born and bred in Scotland should be eligible to vote
4311	339797197	Alan Reynolds	Individual	Individual	All voting procedures must be closely monitored.	All polling staff need carefully monitered.	Agree
4312	457238028	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't want a referendum - I don't want to be independent	I don't want to vote as I don't want a referendum	I don't want to vote as I don't want independence
4313	286448601	Douglas Wynd	Individual	Individual	Positive.	Positive.	Positive.
4314	800899557	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe there is a mandate for another referendum. \rI think there should be clarity on the situation regarding the majority rule. If only 25% of the public voted I do not think there would be a mandate for changing the status quo. There should be clarity on the position of non-voters.	I do not believe there is a mandate for another independence referendum.	I do not believe there is a mandate for triggering another referendum.
4315	1020408848	jock burns	Individual	Individual	in my view Scotland SHOULD have another referendum, and another and another until we have our independence, though it seams too be about the EU, Scotland has been fighting for independence for hundreds of years before it even joined the EU... so it should never come off the table, why go for more power when we can have it all... defo think we should have independence in the event that we are pulled out of the EU.....\rwe need it done asap before Cameron,brown,darling.smith ect have a chance too get too our pensioners again.... \rI would also like too hear that possible YES voters stuck in hospital beds have a way of voting.... how many missed out on their vote in 2014, even if they could have had postal vote ...DID THEY GET IT ? ...	id also like too see scotlands homeless have a vote... they could be yes voters but as they have no address they have no vote.....somebody could speak too them ie church or social work and get them voting....	how about selecting people (random) like they do for jury duty....
4316	842748573	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The question in 2014 was biased towards a Yes vote, it must be changed. The EU referendum question around "remain" or "leave" was much less biased and should be the basis of the question for leaving the UK.	No Answered	If EU citizens living in Scotland can vote it is only fair that Scottish citizens living in the EU can vote.\rTo avoid a divided country there must be a specific majority based upon a minimum turnout otherwise you will end up with a divisive result as per 2014 referendum or 2016 EU referendum and an ongoing failure of the SNP to accept the result leaving this country in perpetual limbo with divisive votes every 2 or 3 years.
4317	816026379	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am quite happy with the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum. Security of the poll and the numerous ballot boxes used should be tightened up on.	Happy here also, and I especially like the aims at addressing Absent Voting.	Purdah period was a disgrace last time and wasnt respected. Greater scrutiny of organisations and donors would be welcome also. Full transparency.
4318	172975346	Duncan Wright	Individual	Individual	I support the proposed arrangements!	I am happy that the eligibility to vote in the referendum will be the same as for Scottish local government and Scottish Parliament elections.	I am happy with this.
4319	735499755	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Scotland does not need another independence referendum. \r The government need to focus on education, crime and the NHS.
4320	388706393	Janice McGhee	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Before we go down the road of Indy.we must make sure that it is all counted in Scotland and postal votes are posted to a Scottish destination and not an English one. England has NOTHING to do with the referendum.
4321	211098280	morag clark	Individual	Individual	We would be better prepared this time as things such as what currency we should use turned many people away from independence. Many people think some of the counting officials were miss counting so need to be stricter and maybe filming every count may be needed. Would rather people eligible to vote would need to have lived in Scotland for a certain time, say maybe a year.	As I said before people should be resident for a certain time, I believe 16 to 17 year old should be allowed to vote. More security when counting the votes and ID when voting.	Sounds fine.
4322	864941276	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I support the proposed arrangements	I support the proposed changes	I support the proposed changes
4323	327642262	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Certainly 16 year olds and EU citizens living in Scotland should be given the vote.	No Answered	Enhanced checking of postal votes is a welcome change. \rPreventing campaigners from become polling or count staff may be problematic as it would need a solid definition of what constitutes campaigning . \rI could see a result being challenged or annulled if it was found counting staff campaigned at some arbitrary time in the past or was active for one side on social media.
4324	1028469994	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine.	Fine	Fine
4325	1027767313	Connor Burns	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements are adequate for the managing of the referendum.	I agree with the proposed changes as I believe it will enhance the referendum.	I agree with this as the Electoral Commission have proposed this change; by listening to their report of the referendum in 2014 it will only better the future referendum.
4326	450116588	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There SHOULD BE NO REFERENDUM and as such the arrangements for managing the referendum should be to minimise expense and STOP the referendum ASAP.	There SHOULD BE NO REFERENDUM and therefore NO changes necessary to polling and count arrangements.	There SHOULD BE NO REFERENDUM and therefore the changes to rules on permissible participants should be that nobody is permissible to vote.
4327	35650753	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No objections.	No objections.	No objections.
4328	201426242	Eleanor Kidd	Individual	Individual	Make sure there is security and 100% scrunity with exit polls etc to ensure no cheating by unionists	No Answered	Should exclude people resident in a holiday or second home on the night of the vote
4329	707964016	Martin Kay	Individual	Individual	I am not convinced of the need for a further referendum, it was stated by the First Minister at the time of the first referendum that it would settle the question for a generation. It has.	I have no concerns regarding the proposals.	I am not convinced that non-UK nationals should be allowed to vote.
4330	445695274	Kevin Paris	Individual	Individual	I will be happy with a second referendum!!! \rLabour have joined the tories and scotland only has 1 real party. \rWe need to have answers to all the questions posed like currency, i personally will be happy with the euro or we start our own currency. It needs to be plain to people about what we pay into the coffers and what we recieve back. \r Lets have the answers and lets do it with hope not fear.	Postal votes should be scrapped and the vote should be allowed by proxy voters on their behalf. \r Im sure the postal votes in 2014 were not counted correctly! \r The count should be done by an independent body!	Im happy with the changes
4331	730235841	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with them	No Answered	Happy with them
4332	493989936	Dean Williams	Individual	Individual	I believe the proposals to be fair and democratic, and, indeed, with the inclusion of groups of Scottish Residents who were denied an electoral voice during the recent European Referendum (EU Nationals and 16-17 year olds), the proposals uphold the very democratic ideals upon which a modern, progressive Nation should be founded.\r I also feel that a further refendum on Scottish Independence is clearly defined part of the mandate upon which the current Scottish Government was democratically elected, and that such changes as would precipate a further referendum as stated during this Government's electoral campaign have clearly been reached. It would therefore, in my opinion, be a failure of this Government to uphold their electoral promise and mandate where they not to, at the very least, hold a Consultation on a draft Referendum Bill.	I believe the proposed changes to be an excellent step forward in the safeguarding of the democratic process.\rThe proposals for Eligibility to Vote are also fair and democratic, allowing all who may be directly effected by Independence, should it happen, to have a voice.	I agree with the proposals as stated.
4333	1072000222	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	"Eligibility to vote" : Given recent accounts of a significant amount of eligible voters who have moved here from other parts of the UK and now make Scotland their home and who might vote against Independence for Scotland is very concerning for me.	As above.	Asabove
4334	1007434504	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum the Scottish people voted No to independence you should respect that	Disgraceful foreign nationals will be eligible to vote but not service personnel or students studying abroad or in other parts of the UK?	Sounds very like another method for the SNP to try and manipulate the result
4335	679646632	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	People who are Scottish by birth and are alive, and above minimum age, should be allowed to vote, irrespective where they reside.	16 and17 year olds are too young and it is not right they cannot buy alcohol in a pub yet they can vote. The only reason Scottish govt want them included is that they believe this age group will back independence.
4336	224139555	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I Have no concerns relating to the arrangements for the management of the referendum	No Answered	It was very clear following the EU referendum that many people who had submitted their postal votes at an early stage of the process may have changed their opinion towards the end of the voting period. It is highly likely that this will be the same within any independence referendum, and some steps should be taken to take account of this possibility All it may be an administrative nightmare, either votes should not be accepted until close to the closing date, or allow voters to take account of information received by them at the later stages of campaigning. We have clearly seen information drip fed towards the closer of campaigning.
4337	150211454	Alexander Fraser	Individual	Individual	We have a failing NHS and a failing Education system. Why are we wasting public money on this stupid useless excercise?	Why cannot the Scottish Government start governing instead of using red herrings?	Again more red herrings to sustain a failing government
4338	921132688	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The approach and arrangements are suitable for the referendum	the approach and audience is fair	Agree
4339	473440716	Amy Stuart	Individual	Individual	If the Scottish government does not believe that 16 and 17 year olds are old enough to drink or smoke then they cannot on balance conclude that they are old enough to vote.\r For any future referendum the General Referendum Register should be used.\r For any future referendum a super majority of at least 50%+1 of the eligible voting population should be required - for such a major change the presumption must be that failing to vote is a vote for the status quo of remaining in the union.\r The wording of any future question must remove bias by avoiding a yes/no answer.\r Given that you are consulting on the details of a hypothetical referendum I assume that a consultation on whether a referendum is wanted will be held, especially given latest polling information available on this subject.	No Answered	It is not acceptable to limit eligibility to those resident in Scotland. The General Election register should be used instead.\r It makes no sense to define 16 and 17 year olds as children for the purposes of alcohol and cigarettes but adults when it comes to voting.
4340	256975300	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A lot of people feel that the rules that allow temporary visitors ability to vote but doesn't permit Scottish residents temporary working/studying abroad the chance to have their say.	There has to be a preset level before significant changes to Scotland's constitution is made - for example a poll result of 50.01% for independence vs 49.99 % against would not only be silly but divisive. Obviously Parliament should decide the values but personally I would suggest 52% would be the lowest sensible value.	no comment on this issue but it is strange that there is no place for general comments or for registering the fact that a second referendum is not wanted by the majority of Scots for the reason that the prospect of this is destroying the country.
4341	851627739	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is fine.	I think it's important to include 16 and 17 year olds into this as they are old enough to understand these situations. Allowing them to vote will likely give them more of a reason to care about these issue as when I was that age I didn't really care since I couldn't vote.	Not too fussed
4342	757887022	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel that these proposed arrangements are not required as I do not agree that the SNP government should continue with further referenda until it has the answer it so desires. Stop wasting tax payers money and let it drop.	I feel that these proposed arrangements are not required as I do not agree that the SNP government should continue with further referenda until it has the answer it so desires. Stop wasting tax payers money and let it drop.	I feel that these proposed arrangements are not required as I do not agree that the SNP government should continue with further referenda until it has the answer it so desires. Stop wasting tax payers money and let it drop.
4343	205914203	Stewart Spence	Individual	Individual	All ballots should be recoded on sight with camera overviews of each official involved in the count. Officials should be vetted to ensure they are scrupulously impartial. \r Postal / Proxy Ballots must be secured at all times in clear sight of Pro and Anti Indi people.\r I would prefer to have properly independent oversight of the full process that includes an external (overseas body) who have no specific ties with the UK state. I would also like them to be anonymous to UK state officials to avoid any possibility of any sort of political, financial or physical coercion.	Yes to anything that will ensure the independance of the vote is not compromised.	As we have seen with the crooked Conservatives in previous General Election, "creative / cheating" is part of money no object campaigns.\r Monitoring is not enough. Clear infringements should be met with prosecutions (serious jail time) should be built into the system.
4344	885677066	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	we were told that we would have a referendum once in a lifetime.\rBut here we are 2 years later the Scottish Government want another.\rWhat happened to NO meaning No or is the Scottish Government not Listening to the \rScottish Voters.\rEven if the Scottish voters didn't vote for Brexit that does not mean we want an iny ref2\rwe still want to be part of the U.K.
4345	633301573	Ronald mckechnie	Individual	Individual	Only persons holding British passport allowed to vote and also16 years and over	No proxy votes only people staying in Scotland with British passport	No problem with it
4346	628471169	Sandra Strathie	Individual	Individual	I agree with the arrangements as proposed	I agree with them	I agree with them
4347	941212732	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I definitely do NOT want the Scottish government to waste tax payers time and money on holding another referendum, so there should be nothing to manage.	2.14. Given the unnecessary expense of holding the referendum at all, I disagree with the change in 2.14 that will reduce the type of emergency proxy votes allowed on the grounds that it has high overheads. All people's votes are equal, so if they have a genuine emergency that prevents them voting in person, 'predictable' or 'more likely' emergencies should not be given preference.\r 2.16. This should be stronger. 'Not knowing' should be strengthened by a requirement to do at least a reasonable check. Almost anyone could turn a blind eye and claim not to know someone had been involved in campaigning. \r 3.8. I agree that there should not be any public funds used for campaigning, but this in my argument means that politicians of any party cannot use their 'standard' working hours to campaign as these are paid for by the public. Some may think this a silly argument, but I believe that it is valid. For example, otherwise the party in power has a significant campaign advantage (regardless of their view), and anyone campaigning independently likewise has an almost insuperable disadvantage.	OK
4348	767847345	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	Greater care over who can vote.	Only people who live and work in Scotland allowed to contribute.
4349	974597956	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There seemed to be too many alleged irregularities in 2014. A Political Leader was reported as having seen the result of the postal vote before the count. Then there was all the utube videos of cheating undertaken during the voting process. Were these investigated, what is being done to stop this happening again?	nothing to add	nothing to add
4350	822799248	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't think that there should be another referendum!	Too much time has been spent discussing another referendum.	I think that Brexit has been used as an excuse to force another referendum
4351	970000231	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	I concur	I agree
4352	710546230	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agreed	Agreed	Agreed
4353	219712029	Mr William Laver	Individual	Individual	Totally opposed to another referendum, the SNP must respect the 14th September 2014 result for a generation, that is what they signed up to and they must respect democracy. Sturgeon is obsessed since she was 16 with Independence.\r If there is to be one then a different question is required. Clearly the choice now is Leave the UK and try and join the EU.\r So the new question should be:\r Do you wish to remain in the UK or leave the UK ? .....Answer Remain or Leave	Citizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland should be excluded.	The age limit should be 18 and over, opposed to 16 & 17 year olds getting the vote
4354	849805765	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Voting should be the same as general election. No lowering of age limit. All scots throughout Britain should be able to vote regardless of postcode.	Voting should be the same as general election. No lowering of age limit. All scots throughout Britain should be able to vote regardless of postcode.	No view.
4355	554886868	Robert Watt	Individual	Individual	Satisfactory	Satisfactory	Satisfactory
4356	124588497	Donald Grant	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The management of the referendum is of no concern to me. I voted to stay in Europe. But having listened to the rhetoric from the SNP Government about leaving Britain and joining Europe, I have changed my mind, and now wish to leave Europe and remain in the U.K.
4357	345754621	Adam Redpath	Individual	Individual	I believe that although I am a believer in independence the campaign must be more inclusive this time round to be successful.\rAsk no voters what they would like to see. We need to know what will happen or as close an idea as to what independence will look like to please doubters.	Only those living and working in Scotland should be allowed to vote.\rThey must have lived here for atleast 6 months to a year prior to a referendum.	In agreement with the above.
4358	1056806647	Mike Stokes	Individual	Individual	We don't want another referendum.	We don't want another referendum.	We don't want another referendum.
4359	142035734	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe that a second referendum is appropriate or necessary. The 2014 referendum showed 55% (and 28 local authorities out of 32) against independence; given that UK governments (and even USA presidents) are elected with a much smaller share (often 35% to 40%) of the total vote, then a 55% share of the vote is a significant majority. Scotland is part of the United Kingdom and we have to work together as a United Kingdom to get the best deal on Brexit.\r Question 1 is therefore redundant. It would be much better if the politicians focussed their full attention and energy on running the country in a time of economic crisis.	See 1 above, but if there were to be a referendum, at the very least all those born in Scotland and who wish to vote should also be allowed to vote.	See 1 above
4360	552130969	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	We already had the vote in 2014 are we going to keep asking the question until the SNP get the answer they want is this really democracy ? \rSo the scottish Goverment should get on with the job of running country and using the new powers for the good of the people
4361	938756177	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not again. Are you going to keep forcing us stupid plebs to vote on breaking up the country, until we get it "right"? Stirring up nationalism and extremism by pretending it will achieve social justice and equality is a dangerous, vicious, policy mistake.	Reducing the voting age is a desperate attempt at gerrymandering, with the mistaken belief that young people will be more ready to vote for change, proven wrong in both the Brexit referendum, and the previous divisive nationalist referendum in Scotland.	Irrelevant.
4362	134163705	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	How will the question be decided? I suggest 'Do you agree that Scotland should give notice to dissolve the Act of Union with England and become separate from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland within the next 10 years?'	Fine	Fine
4363	9615229	Susan Marion Fleming	Individual	Individual	Waste of public money, we answered referendum question in 2014 and the answer was NO	Waste of public money, we answered referendum question in 2014 and the answer was NO	Waste of public money, we answered referendum question in 2014 and the answer was NO
4364	459212044	Mark Prati	Individual	Individual	Independent observers should be at every polling place. And at every count I would prefer eu observers and every count closely monitored by camera	No Answered	All counting staff should be paired to check each other's counts any discrepenceys must be reported
4365	589008761	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Disappointed that there is no provision to force the Scottish Parliament to accept the result of the referendum, therefore the vote itself is pointless.\r If the people of Scotland vote no again then the SNP have already proven that they will continue to relaunch the referendum until they get the outcome they want rather than the outcome the Scottish people want.\r At the same time the SNP have already set a precedent that the outcome of the referendum does not matter therefore if the people of Scotland vote yes, then the pro remain campaign can just relaunch another referendum until we vote no again.... And so the loop continues...	No Answered	Disappointed that non Scottish citizens based in Scotland are still entitled to vote, while Scottish born citizens living elsewhere have no view.
4366	656648	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm happy with this	I agree with these changes	Sensible changes
4367	970681145	Dr Angus Mac Kinnon	Individual	Individual	Have no opinion as I am very much against another referendum	Answer as above	As above
4368	1026627449	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	I do not think there should be another referendum, the whole thing is total madness and financial sucicide. \r Start runing the country not trying to split it up.	N/A
4369	990796119	Anne Simpson	Individual	Individual	I do not believe there should be another independence referendum. I feel the whole thing is counter productive. I was a yes voter for independence in 2014. I also voted to leave the EU as I feel it is too large, unwieldy, corrupt and undemocratic. It is also not open to change. I have concerns about unelected members making crucial decisions about the future of our country. I would much rather be aligned to the UK than to EU. As an SNP voter with socialist principles I find it difficult to accept the way the EU are treating the ordinary people of Greece. The intransigence of the EU will result in other poorer members suffering the same fate as Greece. I cannot believe that the Scottish Government feel that they can trust the EU to have our best interests at heart.\r I also have grave concerns about uncontrolled immigration. I am not racists but level head with a lot of common sense. I know immigrants can ad value to our society but an open door free for all is unsustainable and will only create divisions and tensions in the future.\r I am a very proud Scot and believe we have a great wee country but at the moment the Scottish Government has taken its eye off the ball and is not doing the job it has been elected to do. It should be governing for all the people making sure we have excellent health and duration services and we should have a police force that keeps us safe. \r I am afraid the SNP has lost my vote and I shall be voting against independence and for the first time ever I shall ge voting Tory in future elections.	I am presuming that residency means permanent residency. I am still unsure about the inclusion of 16 and 17 year olds in the election process. Scots lie my son who is at present is working in New Zealand will be excluded from making this momentous decision although he intends returning to Scotlsnd to live.	I find this difficult to understand and full of political speak!
4370	100065242	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not controversial.	Not controversial. However, the Scottish Government should also be seen to consider verification of voters' identities in line with trials recently reported/underway.	Not controversial.
4371	721571078	LYDIA REID	Individual	Individual	I feel we need more security during the actual vote \rIt should be overlooked by a trustworthy body and votes should only be counted in Scotland \rWe should have proof of identity	No Answered	Very glad of the extra security on postal votes it is needed
4372	288307013	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No need for further referendum. For at least a generation as set out and stated in last referendum	No need to change any technical details as no need for another referendum. Result from last should be respected and no more time or money spent on one party ideological ideas. Result of last referendum should be accepted and new powers that resulted from last independence referendum should be used	No need to change anything as no need for another referendum
4373	24953449	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with these proposals \r Personally, I don't think there should be another referendum. In 2014 the majority of those who voted categorically said, Scotland should not be an independent country. My views have not changed. Scotland could not survive as an independent country. We are not an exporting country - how would we generate finances other than taxes. The majority of those who work in Scotland work in Governmental jobs and as far as I know, Governments do not export. I myself work with a local authority within gender based violence. The other majority are pensioners or children or those who do not work, be it disabled or those who just don't work and let the rest of us fund schools or the NHS. It seems to me that those who wish independence are those who do not work or just wish to free themselves from the union flag.\r I know from speaking with friends and family (Some of which are in the highest tax brand!)) that if independence is granted, then most of them, including myself and parents will move aWay from Scotland (imagine the amount of tax the government will lose here?!) - and I am the most patriotic person you will come across. I just don't see it working, I am worried about my finances including my pension. I think the government should be concentrating on helping the elderly who are treated outrageously especially when admitted to hospital (my gran being one of them. Staying on a trolley In acorridor for 13 hours and that was in 2005!!). Some of these people fought for our democracy and country, more money for roads, nurses, gendered based violence/domestic abuse/rape crisis/women's aid and police is needed. Too much is spent on children, yes they need help and education is vital but Money needs to spread evenly and proportionately \r I personally feel that a government voted by some people should govern the country rather than concentrate on creating an independent country when, as mentioned earlier, the majority of the people Voted against. They should concentrate on practicing what they preach in terms of delivering on:, NhS spending, road expansions etc. Unfortunately not everything they have proposed has come to fruition or worked out as well as they had hoped - trams, forth road bridge maintenance, snow gate, school maintenance contracts, costings for parliament building in the first place - although not solely down to SNP.	I agree with the majority of the proposals however I do not agree that commonwealth, Ireland or EU citizens resident inScotland should have a vote: they may easily move from the country. There is no comment about those within the Forces, I think they should be able to vote (even if serving abroad) as, after all, they will be living at home at some point after coming out of the services. They fight for Queen and country, therefore they should have a right to vote.\r I agree that CCOs should not knowingly appoint someone who has been campaigning. Infact, this should go for all involved. People should be checked thoroughly prior to being appointed in any campaign duties.	I agree with these changes however, I think a separate independent treasurer should be appointed. Actually, I think independent over-seers should be appointed to regulate and evaluate campaigning. These could be charity managers for example, advocates not associated with any political parties. I agree that a declaration of inpartiality should be signed.
4374	147097380	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A 'simple majority' is not appropriate for such constitutional change. There must be a minimum majority of 60% in favour of change.	No Answered	A second referendum should not be held. A vote was taken in 2014. The democratic outcome of that referendum should be respected.\r A 'simple majority' is not appropriate for constitutional change. There must be a minimum majority of 60% in favour of change. This would ensure that any change would be supported by the 'bulk' of the population, and we would not have a divided nation split down the middle (such as a simple majority would create).\r Furthermore, there must be a minimum turnout. Based on 2014 a turnout of 80% would be appropriate. The result of a referendum must reflect the will of the nation. The only way to determine this is to have a minimum turnout or compulsory voting.\r Eligibility to vote should only be given to British passport holders who reside in Scotland at the time of the referendum. EU and Commonwealth citizens should not be eligible.
4375	612299240	Linda Higgins	Individual	Individual	I am happy with those proposals	I am happy with these proposals	I am happy with these proposals
4376	300830216	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum	There should not be another referendum	There should not be another referendum
4377	315955580	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No further suggestions apart from rigorous scrutiny to ensure that there is no electoral fraud.\r Should the question encompass anything about local versus Westminster rule?	Increased checking of personal identifiers sounds good. \rAs someone working in the run up to elections following the referendum I wonder- do people who do not have capacity, due to dementia or mental health issues, still have the right to vote? I was made aware of what seemed like party arranged nursing home car runs to the polling boots.	No comment.
4378	223321427	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't believe the original referendum was managed correctly or that this one will be. I moved to London due to the recession and was a U.K. Taxpayer. Had only been away 3 years and was not eligible to vote even though the Scottish government benefited from my tax.	There will be a requirement at the polling stations to ensure there is no bullying tactics which may result in people changing their minds. I will do a postal vote	No\rComment
4379	268430168	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are inadequate in that they do not require a minimum turnout of persons deemed eligible to vote. Such a lack can potentially enable a minority of zealots to overwhelm a majority who are insufficiently motivated to vote, either through ignorance or lack of awareness of the potentially dire consequences of their failure to vote.	No comment as such but it seems strange in this age of technology to still rely on paper voting rather that electronic voting, either online at home or by machine at a polling station.	No comment - I do not fully understand what the explanations mean.
4380	702147526	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	there shoul be no referendum.... The result from last time stands.... We all knew the possibility that the UK would vote to leave the EU.. There is no evidence that more scots want to split from the UK now .	we cannot have nationals of other countries choosing if we leave or stay... Residency is permitted by reciprocal treaties. It doesn't confer nationality to someone. Only people with British passports should vote on matters of international importance.	No comment
4381	742447458	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements disrespect the democratic process and the majority of the population by seeking to get around the unmistakably clear result of a free and fair referendum that was held on the expressed commitment that it was a once-in-a-generation event. We took part in that hurtful, damaging process in good faith - the least the Scottish Government owes us is to respect the result.	The proposed arrangements disrespect the democratic process and the majority of the population by seeking to get around the unmistakably clear result of a free and fair referendum that was held on the expressed commitment that it was a once-in-a-generation event. We took part in that hurtful, damaging process in good faith - the least the Scottish Government owes us is to respect the result.	The proposed arrangements disrespect the democratic process and the majority of the population by seeking to get around the unmistakably clear result of a free and fair referendum that was held on the expressed commitment that it was a once-in-a-generation event. We took part in that hurtful, damaging process in good faith - the least the Scottish Government owes us is to respect the result.
4382	540618230	Nadia McVicar	Individual	Individual	I fully support the proposed management of a second referendum.	I support all proposals in relation to technical changes to polling and count arrangements. I am particularly encouraged by changes to postal voting and the tighter restrictions that will be put in place in this area.	I support all proposed changes.
4383	324876731	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	NO MANDATE, AFTER THE LAST REFERNDUM, THERE IS NO MANDATE FOR ANOTHER.	NONE, THERE IS NO CASE FOR ANOTHER REFERNDUM.	NONE, AS ABOVE./
4384	257910238	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	postal votes need to be looked at to avoid fraud..I would like an independent EU controlled regulatory body, who answers only to the Scottish Parliament and not Westminster	Happy with everything above, but not postal votes, there has been nothing done about election fraud from 2014. Postal votes must be counted by an Independent EU regulatory body, who answers only to the Scottish Parliament	Yes, happy to proceed
4385	337687767	M.Bater	Individual	Individual	We had a referendum already back in 2014.\r Why would we have another?	We had a referendum already back in 2014.\r Since the result wasn't accepted, I think we should require a 66.6% vote for the winner.\r That way, the result would be accepted or not at all. Not at all being the acceptance of the losers in 2014	Is it ok to have another if I don't like the result?
4386	437387621	Doreen Robertson	Individual	Individual	I would like to see us have a second referendum	Don't have one	Don't have one
4387	656018044	Frances Parsons	Individual	Individual	The referendum should not be held for a second time.	The referendum should not be held for a second time.	The referendum should not be held for a second time.
4388	465887054	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Management should be the responsibility of the Electoral Commission . However, I see no need for another referendum on this issue.	? Members of the House of Lords living in Scotland. Does this mean if they have a house in Scotland and England, they can vote?\rThere is no need for another referendum on Scottish independence at this time.	There is no need for another referendum at this time.
4389	24869369	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposal.	I agree, it is important for 16 and 17 year olds to vote.	I agree
4390	1006286753	Kirsty Paterson	Individual	Individual	There should not be a second referendum.	No Answered	There should not be a referendum.
4391	455824498	Stewart Parker	Individual	Individual	Good	No problem with any of this	Ok
4392	762141396	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	arrangements are compliant	in compliance	compliant
4393	555941461	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum	I don't care as I don't want another referendum	I do not want another referendum
4394	131145176	John	Individual	Individual	Happy, get on with it!	Happy, get on with it!	Happy, get on with it!
4395	607478622	Stuart Hardie	Individual	Individual	I do not agree with any further referendums as I think this is only a personal ego trip for Madam Sturgeon	Always disagreed with under age voters,some may be mature enough but I think very few.	No comment
4396	670501830	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not enough information has been provided	Don't know enough to comment but I don't have issues with the proposal	Agree
4397	879251142	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	You have no mandate for yet another waste of taxpayer's (US) time & money in pursuit of another ballot that is doomed to failure. The people of Scotland clearly voted NO last time, so respect that decision. The current administration is operating with a minority, but allied with the so called "Green Party", is close to being a one party state, better called the Scottish Communist Party, so left-wing are their policies.	As above.	None, as another referendum is baseless in law, so STOP WASTING OUR TIME & MONEY, you have plenty of experience of that already, roads, schools, NHS etc, how many more need I add to the growing roll call of 9 years of failure.
4398	1023229272	Lenore McGrath	Individual	Individual	I believe there was too many 'conspiracy theories' about rigging after the last referendum. Somehow voters must be reassured that no one is tampering with postal votes which is the main worry. \rPerhaps exit polls should be taken although I realise they have been proven to be not overly accurate, people seemed surprised there were none last time.	It's great that the eligibility has slightly changed to those resident & registered to vote or service personnel. Those who were non resident normally should never have been eligible to vote last time.\rAlso checking 100% of personal identifiers, as an ex banking employee if I'd only checked 20% I'd have been sacked on my 1st day.\rAs for proxy votes I suppose it's difficult to know when you are going to be too ill to attend, it's fine if you are away on business or something. I think this is going to be impossible to please everyone but needs to be stamped down on due to the massive increase. It is most open to fraud I think.	Seem sensible and straightforward
4399	162442656	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Would like an independent overview er	Quite happy with changes	Ok with changes
4400	1003650757	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy that the eligibility stays the same. However I would prefer it if postal voting was not permitted and instead voting by proxy was set up for those who were unable to vote in person. Also is it possible to have exit polls conducted this time.	Where would the postal votes be counted? Are they sent to London. If postal votes are to be permitted they should be counted in Scotland.	No objections
4401	694715552	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I am happy with this
4402	907209463	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine	Fine	Fine
4403	528446360	Alan	Individual	Individual	I voted NO in 2014. Nothing has changed.	Irrelevant. See above	As above
4404	559435586	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The SNP is destroying Scotland and relations with England, why is it that the parties sole obsession lies with Independance? I have never disliked a political party as much in my life, you are dangerous and Anti-English - simple as that!\r After the stupid Brexit vote the last thing we need is you lot constantly going on about independance, our whole social system is falling to pieces all around us, and lately figures show we are the dunces of Europe with our appalling education system. You cannot get a hold of police when you need them, the NHS is in a shocking state! Why don't you focus on sorting the major issues which blight our lives rather than spend mountains of our tax money on Independance campaigns? In 2014 a 94% turn out gave you the answer - No.... You lot keep going the way you are and you will be ousted and never to return - I certainly hope so.	Forget Independence and start serving the people of Scotland in the manner a professional Government should!	Forget Independence and start serving the people of Scotland in the manner a professional Government should!
4405	69596268	Craig Laird	Individual	Individual	There is no requirement for a second independance referendum.	There is no need for a second independence referendum	There is no need for a second independence referendum
4406	555441011	Derek C Riddick	Individual	Individual	I do not support the potential for another independence referendum	I consider that the elegebilty and procedures should be the same as for Scottish Parliament elections	Rules should be same as for the Scottish Parliament and / or UK Parliament elections
4407	637663838	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Postal votes are liable to misuse and require validation
4408	361599311	James Dick	Individual	Individual	I believe that the postal vite arrangements are subject to abuse. I was a polling agent at the last election. Numerous individuals arrived with postal votes, citing forgot to post as an excuse. Also a few had never received thier papers and lost their vote.	The proportion of postal votes is still far too high. Postal or proxy votes should be restricted to those who cannot for good reason physically go to the polling station during the hours of the poll. (e.g. disability, working at another polling station, on holiday abroad).	These changes are sensible.
4409	884962008	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe there is a serious problem where Labour controlled councils influenced and interfered with the voter registration and count processes. For example, voters in Glasgow were de-registered if they did not respond in six weeks to a City Council request letter. Interestingly, the council already had these voters on the electoral roll - how else could they send out the letters. Then in the count we had some very bizarre events such as missing boxes, and labour party activists counting votes. So in my view, to repeat the 2014 processes with minor tweaks, puts the Yes campaign at a significant disadvantage. My solution is simple. Outsourced electronic voting by passport or NI number. The Electoral Commision is not enough. There should be a Broadcasting Commision enforcing equal time on a daily basis, and for each infringement by bias deduct minutes to go to the other side. BBC, sky,itv,c4 etc. Please put this into the bill.	The changes do not go far enough. My postal vote was rejected on the basis that my signature did not match what they had on file. I did not find this out until six weeks after the referendum. I rang the Electoral Reg dept and asked to see my postal vote and a printout of what they had on file. I was told they could not do this as my vote paper had been destroyed ! Interestingly, in the follwing European election my vote bounced again as I had written in 1961, my dob, but on file they had 1960. Again I rang up and got nowhere. So my own council has an incorrect dob - where did they get that from ? My view is that there is an assumption that our Electoral process is unbiased and just. But it seems to be at the discretion of the councils as to who can and cannot vote. This should be done by a Scottish Goverment Elections department under a select committee and the voting process outsourced eg Capita. And stop postal votes, but allow proxies for elderly, sick or disabled.	Scots abroad. Americans abroad get to vote, so why shouldn't Scots? Say you have worked all ur life in Scotland and retired to Spain - a rule should be made that if you were born in Scotland you can vote. A simple check of passport data should be enough.
4410	349426382	Graeme Sprowl	Individual	Individual	No need for indyref2	No need for indyref2	No need for indyref2
4411	298377729	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe you should include an obligation for those people voting to provide some form of ID to reduce the threat of vote rigging.	I agree that hose involved in campaigning should not be allowed to participate in the count.	These seem fair and appropriate
4412	1009999222	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need to make arrangements the people of Scotland made a decision and it should be adhered to. Why waste millions more in public money?	Again no need for technical changes, the people of Scotland have spoken.	Pointless
4413	513960242	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Managing what referendum? There is no planned referendum nor is one needed therefore this question is rendered obsolete. Only a self serving, egotistical government would ask this question	The paranoia shown after the independence referendum knows no bounds. There is no need for a second referendum therefore there is no need for a change to any polling or count arrangements. The inference that staff in some way cheated the outcome of the referendum is disgusting	Adding people to try to ensure that your preference will win is a move worthy of the most vile and evil dictators we have witnessed. What will the Scottish Government think up next? That anyone voting against them will be banned from future referendums?
4414	690256820	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	PLEASE STOP WASTING EVERYONES TIME/MONEY ON THIS NONSENSE. THE SCOTTISH PUBLIC DESERVE A GOVERNMENT WHO ARE CONCENTRATING ON FIXING THE ISSUES WE HAVE AND NOT CREATING MORE\r A NO VOTE WAS GIVEN AND THE SCOTTISH PUBLIC SPOKE. STOP THROWING THE TOYS OUT THE PRAM AS THE RESULT WASN'T WHAT YOU WANTED AND ACCEPT THE RESULT \r I do not agree with the government allowing 16 & 17 year olds to vote as with new legislation that the government are going to progress 16 & 17 year olds will be treated as a child in the eyes of the law so giving a child a vote is incorrect and unethical.	Any resident of Scotland who is either born in Scotland or is a recognised resident (adopted Scotland as their new home) regardless of where they are from should be allowed to vote	These rules seem fair
4415	611516472	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Campaign rules should include measures to ensure that campaigns are not conducted in a manner that could be considered intimidating or threatening. To this end those involved in the campaign should be registered and if found to in breach of campaign rules be barred from further participation in the campaign. An independent authority should be set up to monitor this aspect of the campaign while it is underway and have powers to carry out necessary actions as described above	The changes to the polling and counting arrangements are to be welcomed. However I see no need to make specific reference to citizens of Republic of Ireland resident in Scotland. The eligibility should simply refer to citizens of EU countries resident in Scotland and this should only apply if the UK is still an active member of the EU at the time of the proposed referendum.	Campaign rules should include measures to ensure that campaigns are not conducted in a manner that could be considered intimidating or threatening. To this end those involved in the campaign should be registered and if found to in breach of campaign rules be barred from further participation in the campaign. An independent authority should be set up to monitor this aspect of the campaign while it is underway and have powers to carry out necessary actions as described above. Participants should be required to declare that the responsible persons sign a declaration that those whom they are responsible for and taking part in the campaign will not conduct themselves a manner that could be considered intimidating or threatening. Failure to observe this should result in their being struck off the campaign.
4416	214441219	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no issue with the voting system and regulations, although I would perhaps forbid those under 18 to vote	No Answered	I do not agree that citizens from other countries living in Scotland should be allowed to vote. I take particular issue with those from the EU being allowed to vote, as this might otherwise sway the vote from what the 'Scottish people' actually desire. \r Therefore, I'd propose a change to that. \r Should 'non-Scots' living in Scotland be allowed to vote, I feel that Scots living outside Scotland should also be afforded a vote.
4417	60968260	Mickey Mouse	Individual	Individual	Total crap	Total crap	Total crap
4418	824694339	Kevin Stewart	Individual	Individual	The Scottish Government prohibits 16 and 17 year olds from purchasing alcohol and tobacco but now allows them to vote in elections and referendums. This is contradictory: if a 16 or 17 year old cannot be trusted to purchase alcohol or tobacco, why trust them with the vote? \r I am also appalled, although not surprised, that you have failed to ask in this consultation the most important question of all: "Does Scotland need another independence referendum?". \r The SNP signed up to the 2012 Edinburgh Agreement stating they would respect the outcome of the 2014 independence referendum. I would not call threatening to hold another referendum only 2 years on from the original Indyref as respecting this outcome. \r Scotland voted NO in 2014. It is time the Scottish Government remembered this and respected the Scottish people's wishes to remain a part of the UK instead of constantly trying to revisit a vote which they lost.	No views.	No views.
4419	739791501	Patrick Harkness	Individual	Individual	Another referendum is being proposed on the pretext that 'Scotland voted to remain in the EU'. I voted, in Scotland, for the UK to remain in the EU, but the word "Scotland" did not appear on my ballot. \r It is therefore both unfair and bizarre to misrepresent my wishes for the UK's continued membership of the EU to fuel yet more nationalistic separatism north of the Tweed.\r Over two million Scots said 'No Thanks' to this scheme less than two years ago. These people were asked a question, and their answer must now be respected. 'No' means 'no'.	As you propose to keep asking me the same question, I propose to keep giving you the same answer.\r Another referendum is being proposed on the pretext that 'Scotland voted to remain in the EU'. I voted, in Scotland, for the UK to remain in the EU, but the word "Scotland" did not appear on my ballot. \r It is therefore both unfair and bizarre to misrepresent my wishes for the UK's continued membership of the EU to fuel yet more nationalistic separatism north of the Tweed.\r Over two million Scots said 'No Thanks' to this scheme less than two years ago. These people were asked a question, and their answer must now be respected. 'No' means 'no'.	As you propose to keep asking me the same question, I propose to keep giving you the same answer.\r Another referendum is being proposed on the pretext that 'Scotland voted to remain in the EU'. I voted, in Scotland, for the UK to remain in the EU, but the word "Scotland" did not appear on my ballot. \r It is therefore both unfair and bizarre to misrepresent my wishes for the UK's continued membership of the EU to fuel yet more nationalistic separatism north of the Tweed.\r Over two million Scots said 'No Thanks' to this scheme less than two years ago. These people were asked a question, and their answer must now be respected. 'No' means 'no'.
4420	499000181	Donald Duck	Individual	Individual	Rubbish	Rubbish	Rubbish
4421	654876844	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Given the cost of holding another referendum, the money could be better used at this time.	no problem	seems okay
4422	880676409	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My view is quite simple you have already had the view of the Scottish people and should be accepting it . No more money should be wasted on this instead it should be given to the NHS to deal with your failings in this area i.e. target waiting time for an orthopaedic consultation 12 weeks current waiting time 30 weeks - unacceptable.	No Comment	No comment
4423	954316476	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have none\rI firmly believe that the people of Scotland answered this question in 2014. Further political and economic uncertainty is not in the interest of Scotland or the UK as a whole. The current Scottish Government needs to remember it's promise to abide by the results of the 2014 referendum. The government needs to devote it's energies to governing the country for the benefit of everyone and not to pursue it's own narrow political agenda.	I have none	I have none
4424	506051295	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	That this should not happen at all. The previous referendum was clearly to be once in a generation- as agreed by our current First Minister. The Scottish Government does NOT have a clear mandate as they do not have a majority in Holyrood. Nor was this policy something they made clear in the run up to our last election. The policy was vague and it was not clear that a proposal would be made in 2016 for a draft bill. The polls have made clear that Scots do not wish another referendum (shown yet again this past weekend). The economy is worse off than in the rest of the U.K. I cannot believe that the Scottish Government is unaware that the continuous speculation on independence is affecting foreign investment into Scotland. Or that this combined with Brexit is making us far worse off. I would like to see the First Minister concentrate on improving the many, many problems we already have rather than adding to them.
4425	868446866	Kenneth McKay	Individual	Individual	There is absolutely no need or case for this legislation. The outcome of the 2014 referendum was clear and there is no case for a further referendum. The only legislation I would support is a Bill to give the Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire and the Dundee council areas independence leaving the rest of Scotland firmly part of the UK.	See above	See above
4426	884228687	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I am absolutely sick of hearing about referendums. I am sick of the constant threats from the snp if things are not going their way. \rThe best thing you can do is build a wall splitting Scotland in two. Unionists on one side nationalists on the other then you can take your proportional share of Scotland and go and live in it.
4427	116999006	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think there should be another referendum.	nobody under the age of 18 should be allowed to vote.\rAnd there should not be another referendum	There should not be another referendum
4428	158411854	Anna-Louise McCabe	Individual	Individual	I am in agreement with the proposed arrangements.	I am in agreement with the current proposed technical changes.	I am in agreement.
4429	985947788	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no need for a second referendum. The EU vote was an independent decision for the UK as a whole not region specific. Entering into a second referendum so soon after the first one undermines the outcome since there could be an argument if Scotland votes for independence on a second vote, what is to prevent another referendum before any split completes. The whole process would then become a exercise in a reactionary form of governance and therefore unsustainable. I would not however be adverse to a second referendum in 2-3 generations time.	Per above there should be no second referendum. That said I believe it is correct that 16+ should always be allowed to vote on any election or referendum. Also any referendum should expect the proposal for change should obtain a minimum % of those eligible to vote. I suggest >50%.	No view.
4430	342586125	Ali Wilson	Individual	Individual	I believe that the SAP and their desire for an Independent Scotland has always been made very clear and that by being backed overwhelmingly by the electorate post-referendum in the Holyrood election, they have a mandate to proceed with a second referendum. Even more so given the manner, result and handling of the EU referendum.	Voting in the UK is widely recognised as being free and fair. This was enhanced during the previous Scottish referendum and my thoughts on this remain.	I have no real thoughts on this.
4431	125158910	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There should not be a second Independence Referendum.\r The SNP have twisted the result of the EU Referendum in Scotland to suit their aspirations of independence for Scotland. I voted to remain in the EU but I certainly did not vote for a second Independence Referendum.\r The SNP should drop their IndyRef2 plans and stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the UK on the Brexit issue and get the best deal for all of the UK.\r Whatever happened to the SNP claim of a 'once in a lifetime' opportunity for Independence in 2014? If the SNP cannot stand by what they said in 2014 why should I ever trust what they say in the future?
4432	473196074	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	NO REFERENDUM REQUIRED	NO REFERENDUM REQUIRED	NO REFERENDUM REQUIRED
4433	247666221	Pauline Salvarli	Individual	Individual	The last referendum in 2014 was hugely divisive and very damaging to Scotland's integrity as a nation, as well as to her economy. However, since it had been pledged, that was unavoidable. But it was run fairly, it gave everyone who wishesd a fair chance to vote, including 16 year olds, and it produced the highest turn out ever for an election. It also was promoted as "once in a generation". And it produced a clear and decisive result. There can be NO excuse for putting Scotland through the expense and uncertainty of yet another referendum.\rMy views on the proposed arrangements are therefore that there should be NO arrangements	See previous reply.\rWhy does this "consultation" not begin with the obvious first question, namely "Do you think there should be another referendum"? You are starting as though that were a given, when it is not nor should it be.	See previous two replies
4434	259064794	Rebekah Todd	Individual	Individual	I agree entirely with what is proposed.	I agree with what is proposed but feel there should be restrictions on other British citizens living in Scotlands eligibility to vote. For example they should have lived here for at least five or more years not for study and intend to make Scotland their future home. I heard many a story on the last referendum of English students who were studying in Edinburgh and other Scottish universities who had moved here for the duration of university but intended on returning to England once they had finished their study. I do not feel people who fall into this category should decide Scotlands future.	I agree.
4435	823163141	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm happy with these proposals.	I'm happy with this.	I'm happy with this.
4436	457121054	Neil Harrison	Individual	Individual	This seems fair	I believe that we were very naive in the 2014 referendum and we should take every precaution to ensure that every vote is legal and binding, especially with the postal votes.	This seems fair
4437	137689093	Sandra douglas	Individual	Individual	I gave my response in 2014. It was NO to an independent Scotland.\r I do NOT want another referendum. The SNP should recognise that the country voted NO to independence at that point. There is no need or requirement for another referendum.	We as Scots voted in 2014. We were fully aware of why we voted. We wanted to remain part of the UK. Irrespective of the vote to leave the EU there is no need to have another referendum to have an independent Scotland.	Irrelevant
4438	1036361479	Charles Flucker	Individual	Individual	The 2014 referendum left many people feeling cheated not because we did not win, but there were many reports on social medea that not all the vote counting was carried out within the rules. It was claimed that there was yes votes being counted as no votes. What can you put in place to make sure that the results of thenext vote is a true reflection of the Scottish people's wishes.	Will proof that the counting staff will not play any part either by them self or through the assistance of a third party in trying to influence any elements of that campaign. I also think that this proof should be provided before the count starts, and that any person found to be interfering with that process should be subject to prosecution. I also believe that whoever is employed to collect the ballot papers should be subject to the same rules as the counters and also be subject to prosecution if they are fund to be braking these rules. We as a nation must be able to prove to all that we can hold a fair and democratic election if we want to prove to all that we can run a fair and democratic society.	I think in the main if this means that only political party members that are residents of Scotland then I am fine with that. This vote is for the people is Scotland and should only campaign for by the people who are residents of Scotland it should be totally free from any influence from any Westminster bodies.
4439	766904643	Jackie Gilliland	Individual	Individual	My views are that it is completely unnecessary	A complete water of time and money	Completely biased and racist
4440	114618937	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They seem adequate. However, I wish to register my objection to a second referendum in any form. Scotland voted to remain part of the UK in 2014, and the UK, as a whole, voted to leave the EU - the latter should not be used as an excuse for another parochial bout of navel-gazing, which (if current polls are to be believed) would result in an even bigger No vote than 2014.	No objections	No objections
4441	835698345	James Robert Elrick	Individual	Individual	Frankly there are more important things to deal with such as Brexit, diminishing oil returns and global uncertainty than wasting money on a repeat referendum and getting the same response.	No objections to these changes but please get on with running the country.	No objections to these changes but please get on with running the country.
4442	514829180	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	NO need or reason for another referendum	NO need or reason for another referendum	NO need or reason for another referendum
4443	537030999	Fiona Halloran	Individual	Individual	I am fairly happy with proposal	I am more than happy with this proposal esp counting and verifying of postal votes	I am happy with this proposal
4444	468733864	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No concerns	In a similar way as Brexit voting within UK, has consideration been given to only those born in Scotland having a vote? Would the Brexit vote have been different if all Europeans living in UK had a vote?	No issues
4445	228913515	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	no problem with how it would be conducted but totally against more money being spent on this whole process. Money could be better used for the people of Scotland who have already said no in the last referendum.\r How can Scotland truly be independent when you want the EU to dictate everything we do.	Seems okay	Seems okay
4446	200491050	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think it's sensible to run any referendum in accordance with other elections that are held within Scotland.	I think that it is only right that people who live in Scotland have a say in what happens regarding independence. Those who no longer live here should not have an automatic right to vote since they are no longer resident and any changes that would occur will not affect their everyday lives.	The campaigning rules should follow strict guidelines ensuring complete transparency, fairness of process and wing respectful to all individuals.
4447	600326851	Andrew Kelly	Individual	Individual	The proposed arguments are set out well, however following a clear indication in 2014 that we would remain as part of the uk and with a view that it is more benificial to be part of the uk than part of Europe I feel this proposal will cause nothing but more splits and disharmony than what the country needs at this time given the uncertainty we already face.	As above, these are also set out well .. you can't argue with them however again this is the wrong thing for the government to be concentrating on at this time.	As above, these are also set out well .. you can't argue with them however again this is the wrong thing for the government to be concentrating on at this time.
4448	379629647	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree with a second referendum at this time. We have had enough and continue to have political turmoil at a time when we require stability and working together to get us through Brexit as a United Kingdom; we joined it as one nation and shoild leave it as one nation . t the management of a second referendum shoukd not even been the agenda at this timw however it should be handled in the same manner as all other elections in Scotland that involve completion of a ballot paper	For polling purpose i don't believe it is proper for 16year old school to vote. Whilst we live in a very democratic society I believe most people of that age will be politically niave and also gave not been exposed to the full spectrum of political and government challenges we come across in life\rI firm2advocate a full 100% check of postal votes\rIf you no longer reside in Scotland you should not be eligible to vote	No comment
4449	654991585	Colin	Individual	Individual	There should not be a referendum hence no need for arrangements.	Should be irrelevant since there should not be a referendum.	Irrelevant. There should not be a referendum.
4450	631622611	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no complaint about the suggested management of the referendum but I do have an issue with the whole idea of this premature rerun of a decision that was clearly and fairly made only two years ago that was intended to settle the matter.	I have no problems with what is being proposed.	No issues with this.
4451	639034997	Sandra Arnott	Individual	Individual	I would like to see the UN involved in making sure there is no sabotage of votes or ballot boxes. No party or media should be able to access any insider information before or during the voting period.	This time I would like very strict rules at polling stations, the transport of properly sealed polling boxes and high security at both the polling stations and counting centres. No ex pats allowed to vote from overseas. We need to have strict rules and regulations from start to finish. paperwork signed and documentation for everything.	Agreed
4452	462098225	Ian ANDERSON	Individual	Individual	fine, as long as all votes are counted in Scotland.	ok	ok
4453	905404918	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't think it's required populous have already given their response	Changing goal posts to get a better result for snp is hardly constitutional	No changes are required
4454	411417230	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Very good	Excellent	Fine
4455	656754844	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with these proposals.	I am uneasy with these proposals. I welcome the change to 100% checking of personal identifiers. I would also like postal votes to be counted seperately. I see no reason for these to be mixed with other votes before counting. They should be counted seperately to allow anomalies to be seen after the count. Postal voting is widely seen as being wide open to fraud. The voting process must be shown to be trustworthy. Mixing votes serves no purpose that I can see, and leaves postal voting wide open to accusations of fraud.	I am happy with these proposals.
4456	32700557	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	All good.	All good	All goid
4457	205345975	Solicitor	Individual	Individual	It's ridiculous	Fine	Fine
4458	513769884	steven mcgill	Individual	Individual	im tottaly opposed to the postal vote, the 98% turnout last ime round was patent mischeif in view.	Sounds good, can we handcuff one yesser and one noer to each box untill boxes are opend counted to protect th contrnt untill counting takes place. there would be no shortage of volenteers.	transparent lobbying! lol. good luck guys.
4459	132214948	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I see no reason why the proposed arrangements shouldn't go ahead as they did for the 2014 referendum	Proposed technical changes are ok	Ok
4460	189292118	Shona	Individual	Individual	1. I think that there should be some outside (outside of UK) scrutiny of all campaigning, postal votes, ballot box transportation and counting, e. g. Some body from the EU with the power to sanction either side or declare the vote null & void in case of any wrong doing. \r2. Your document says 'everybody' will have a vote. Being pedantic you don't mean everybody you mean every person aged 16 and over.	No Answered	See above, we need scrutiny by a body from outside the UK. Outside Westminster influence.
4461	11902306	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The management of the last referendum was very good but the interpretation of results left a lot to be desired.	No Answered	Although the technical changes seem innocuous I do not agree with the voting power given to 16 and 17 year olds. Employment of relatives and friends of councillors and election officials should not be encouraged or tolerated. Too many local officials get people from their local circle to take up the positions and enjoy the generous rewards on offer.
4462	686009839	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There shouldn't be one.	Irrelevant.	Irrelevant. But if there was a referendum Scots living in rUK should be permitted to vote. Voting age should also be raised to 18.
4463	451753882	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Eligibility should be reviewed to include Scots, not just those IN Scotland. Some of us have to work elsewhere and should be entitled to contribute to the decision about the future of our nation. It's absurd that someone who has lived in Scotland for over 40 years and owns property there couldn't vote in the referendum just because they happen to be working in England or Wales for a year or two. No one cares about the verification statements etc, people only care about having a fair say.\rThe decision has already been made, there is no need for a second referendum	Eligibility should be reviewed to include Scots, not just those IN Scotland. Some of us have to work elsewhere and should be entitled to contribute to the decision about the future of our nation. It's absurd that someone who has lived in Scotland for over 40 years and owns property there couldn't vote in the referendum just because they happen to be working in England or Wales for a year or two. No one cares about the verification statements etc, people only care about having a fair say.\rThe decision has already been made, there is no need for a second referendum.	This is not important. What is important is that the eligibility should be reviewed to include Scots, not just those IN Scotland. Some of us have to work elsewhere and should be entitled to contribute to the decision about the future of our nation. It's absurd that someone who has lived in Scotland for over 40 years and owns property there couldn't vote in the referendum just because they happen to be working in England or Wales for a year or two. No one cares about the verification statements or if someone wants to call themselves a 'rude' name etc, people only care about having a fair say.\rThe decision has already been made, there is no need for a second referendum
4464	571668430	Charles Duthie	Individual	Individual	Do not think another independent referendum is required. Already voted no and am probably more against independence than I was in 2014.	All Scots anywhere in the world should be allowed to vote	NA
4465	427038447	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	More security around this as the last time many things were not right. Eg fire alarms going off in Dundee and people going around tables when everyone should have been outside. \rGreater security around where postal votes are stored. No one should be allowed to see or go near these especially after Ruty Davidson's comments 10 minutes after the Poling Stations closed the last time.	Every step should be checked and double checked.mevery member of proposed staff should have background checks done before employing them.	Sounds good to me.
4466	209228913	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
4467	20638774	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another independence referendum.	There should not be another independence referendum.	There should not be another independence referendum.
4468	1051979045	Patricia Mackinnon	Individual	Individual	As I am totally against a second referendum I do not have an opinion on the above. Our vote two years ago was to remain in the U.K. and now we have voted for Brexit it is even more important we remain in the UK. I have no appetite for another referendum.	Answer as above	Answer as above
4469	932509039	Andrew Welsh	Individual	Individual	I think a Scottish Electoral Commission set up by the Scottish Parliament should regulate the referendum process. The Electoral Commission was set up by the UK Government and as such may have a vested interest in maintaining the UK and therefore\rshould not be the regulator.	Their should be an appeal process for electors who require a proxy vote on the grounds of a disability, occupation, service or employment, where the grounds have arisen after the cut-off date for a normal proxy application.	This seems ok.
4470	113703529	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am totally opposed to another referendum regardless of arrangements made	no comment	I expect it to be a excercise in trying to gerrymander as many sheep to the nationalist cause as possible,16 +yearold vote...
4471	439233494	Luis McArthur	Individual	Individual	The public have spoken. No second referendum. I don't want another referendum.	The public have spoken. No second referendum. I don't want another referendum.	The public have spoken. No second referendum. I don't want another referendum.
4472	405639600	Robert ramage	Individual	Individual	Don't have a view	Make little difference	Not in agreement
4473	856538315	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It should extend to all Scottish citizens irrespective of their locality at the time of any referendum.	All Scottish citizens should be eligible to vote irrespective of their current domicile.	As above
4474	242761012	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The question assumes that there should be a referendum and asks for views prior to the Brexit UK settlement being known. In my view that makes the basis of this consultation exercise premature and invalid. I do not think there should be any referendum at this stage. If Scottish Ministers want to consult then the appropriate time is when the UK settlement is clearer. Asking people if they want to stay in the EU is not the same as asking people if they want to lose their UK citizenship so I struggle to see Scottish Ministers argument about material change. That said If the material change argument is justified why are Ministers asking exactly the same referendum question as before ? People should be asked whether whether they wish to opt for citizenship of an independent Scotland and give up UK citizenship .	Given where we are with Brexit I do not see the logic of giving EU residents or Commenwealth citizens a vote	No comments on technical changes
4475	194814300	Carlyn Fraser	Individual	Individual	Whilst there is nothing wrong with proposed arrangements I do not agree that another referendum should be undertaken	Whilst there is nothing wrong with proposed arrangements I do not agree that another referendum should be undertaken	Whilst there is nothing wrong with proposed arrangements I do not agree that another referendum should be undertaken
4476	583882982	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This referendum is not required or wanted	No Answered	N/a
4477	1061447551	Paul Martin	Individual	Individual	An international and unbiased organisation should be in place 6months to a year before any referendum to monitor mainstream media and to make sure all sides are given equal amounts of coverage. They should also assist in the counting procedures.\rBallot cards should be marked and identifiable in a way that will reduce fraudulent ballot papers entering the count. Anyone turning up to vote should bring some form of ID.\rPostal voting should be kept to a bare minimum if possible.	No Answered	Use an international, unbiased entity to oversee all rules are followed.
4478	239803576	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Stop wasting resources we voted against independence, get on with running the country	Stop wasting resources and get on with running the country	Stop wasting resources get on with running the country
4479	380753043	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A second referendum is not required	No Answered	16 and 17 year olds should not be able to vote in this election
4480	73369908	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with these.	No Answered	no comment
4481	750178579	David Lafferty	Individual	Individual	I would rather international observers present as I fear a future referendum would be rigged, influenced.	No Answered	I believe anyone who makes Scotland their home and has done for 3 years or more should have their say in Scotland's political destiny, also 16/17 year olds should have their vote.
4482	293591875	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If they are similar, fair and not changed from the information provided or from the previous referendum, I am all for the proposed arrangement	No Answered	I think these changes are all for the better
4483	62535565	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't think another referendum should be held. Considering the amount of public funding it would require, it is my belief that this should be better invested in Scotland such as mental health support etc	I think that's ok	Makes sense
4484	602369812	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel that the original referendum decision should be respected, and no further referendum ran in the first place.	These sound fine in principal, however I refer to my earlier point of there bring no need for another referendum.	No issue with this
4485	716448654	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	We should not have another referendum which whipped up bad feeling and loss of empathy for our neighbours. We should promote harmony and inclusion.
4486	394269109	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I see no need for a further referendum on Scottish independence.
4487	35633206	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A waste of money	Unnecessary as the referendum is unnecessary. It was promised that the 2014 was a 'once in a generation' event	Irrelevant
4488	635766284	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No concern with proposed arrangements.	The franchise should be extended to include ex-pat Scottish born people who retain a link with Scotland, such as young graduates working in England and other parts of the UK, but who retain family connections with those resident in Scotland.	No views.
4489	14221081	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	the country has given its opinion on independence and a new referendum is not necessary	only Scottish born people permanently resident in Scotland should have a vote	no issues
4490	49477500	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A referendum was held in 2014 and Scotland voted quite clearly it should NOT be an independent country and therefore remain part of the United Kingdom. Scotland did not vote in the EU referendum, the United Kingdom did and the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU.\r ANOTHER REFERENDUM IS NOT NEEDED	A referendum was held in 2014 and Scotland voted quite clearly it should NOT be an independent country and therefore remain part of the United Kingdom. Scotland did not vote in the EU referendum, the United Kingdom did and the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU.\r ANOTHER REFERENDUM IS NOT NEEDED	A referendum was held in 2014 and Scotland voted quite clearly it should NOT be an independent country and therefore remain part of the United Kingdom. Scotland did not vote in the EU referendum, the United Kingdom did and the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU.\r ANOTHER REFERENDUM IS NOT NEEDED
4491	995271611	Mary watson	Individual	Individual	Do not have a referendum	Do not have a referendum	Do not have a referendum
4492	681186101	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	OK	OK	OK
4493	503441337	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a referendum for independence for a generation. The Scottish Government should act in such a way that respects the outcome of the 2014 Referendum\rvote.	There should not be a referendum for independence for a generation. The Scottish Government should act in such a way that respects the outcome of the 2014 Referendum\rvote.	There should not be a referendum for independence for a generation. The Scottish Government should act in such a way that respects the outcome of the 2014 Referendum\rvote.
4494	744126585	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum. The " once in a generation " decision has been made. The public decided that they wanted to remain as part of UK.	No comment	No comment
4495	356340066	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements proposed for managing the referendum appear to be fair - they mirror closely what happened in 2014. It would be essential, so that there is no questioning of the result, that the impartiality of the Electoral Commission and the Electoral Management Board for Scotland were absolutely ensured.	I would have to question the eligibility criteria based on nationality. While it is fair to give all residents of Scotland a vote in any referendum, I personally believe that some form of miminum period of residency rule must be applied. This would be to ensure that those who are voting in a referendum do have a long-term interest in Scotland's future, and a genuine stake in Scottish and British society. While many may disagree, temporary residents may be less informed of the nuances of society, and therefore may make less informed decisions either way.	These changes appear to be fair and reasonable measures to be taken.
4496	1042160075	Fiona Gibson Wood	Individual	Individual	I don't think there is a need to change the way another referendum would be managed.\r I personally don't want another referendum on independence. Scotland doesn't need independence as we do not enough go money to support ourselves.	N/a	N/a
4497	998054030	John McLean	Individual	Individual	I voted for independence in 2014 but feel that, having lost that vote, there should not be another one in my lifetime. In my opinion, therefore, there should not be a referendum to manage.	Response as for 1. above.	See 1. above
4498	839568618	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe it is appropriate to hold another referendum on independance, we voted conclusively in 2014 to remain part of the UK	We should not hold another referendum	There should be no further referendum on independance
4499	852089027	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	My strong view is that we have had one referendum and like the result or not, the people have spoken and the result should be accepted and lived with. No new referendum should be held for at least another generation. So I have nothing further to say about the points raised in this consultation.
4500	617577576	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposals are fine if the referendum goes ahead but I do not agree with holding another referendum at present. Although I voted yes at the last 2 referendums I would definitely vote no for now as I feel there are far to many uncertainties currently.	These arrangements seem quite acceptable if and when another referendum is held but I don't agree with holding one just now.	No particular views
4501	546369354	Stefano Bellando	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	All Scottish people should be allowed to vote regardless of where they live as long as they hold a valid UK Passport.
4502	409777761	Albert Rae	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are a waste of time and money which would be much better spent on concentrating on improving the state of Scotland' residents.	No Answered	On the basis that any proposed referendum is a nonsense the question is irreverent.
4503	518000472	Mike Wilson	Individual	Individual	There is no need for another referendum, the country voted and that has to stand. The first referendum was very devise and another will only further widen the gap between yes and no people. The economy was damaged and would suffer badly if another ref. was run. We want to stay part of the UK and not part of a potent federal Europe.	Why change them there were no serious problems last time.	I have no views becuase I do not want another referendum.
4504	944623502	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The Bill should be withdrawn. We have already voted and rejected independence.	The Bill should be withdrawn. We have already voted and rejected independence.	The Bill should be withdrawn. We have already voted and rejected independence.
4505	621856140	Barry Northedge	Individual	Individual	There should be no new referendum. The country has already voted to stay part of the U.K. the SNP now need to accept the democratic decision of the Scottish people.	I have no opinion as I do not support a new referendum.	I have no opinion as I do not support a new referendum.
4506	825790265	Keren Carter	Individual	Individual	Worked well enough last time around but we don't need a second referendum	No comment to make here apart from no need for a second referendum	No comment but why waste time on a second refrendum
4507	750760493	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm happy with this set up	Happy with proposals	Happy with proposals
4508	376034201	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no second referendum as promised for at least a generation	No Answered	Only residents in Scotland should vote and the minimum age should be 18 not 16
4509	512323332	Sheila adamson	Individual	Individual	The euro referendum results show a clear preference amongst Zcots to remain in Europe and this is reason enough to hold a second Scottish independence referendum	I think this is all ok	I very much support the inclusiveness of the arrangements and would be disappointed if younger people's voices were not heard. Older people are less visionary - and will not face the next 50 years _ so should not be able to determine ut
4510	374993617	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Very poor.- voters think it is a waste of time and money.	No Answered	Use the old rules plus we will not be in EU so EU nationals should not be able to vote in a \rScottish Election.
4511	383299696	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Scotland has already voted to stay part of the U.K. The market and relationship with the other members of the Uk completely outstrips that with Europe. We believe in democracy and the U.K. Voted to leave the EU and although I disagree with that view I do not believe that this is any reason to revisit the Scotland independence question.	Scotland has already voted to stay part of the U.K. The market and relationship with the other members of the Uk completely outstrips that with Europe. We believe in democracy and the U.K. Voted to leave the EU and although I disagree with that view I do not believe that this is any reason to revisit the Scotland independence question.	Scotland has already voted to stay part of the U.K. The market and relationship with the other members of the Uk completely outstrips that with Europe. We believe in democracy and the U.K. Voted to leave the EU and although I disagree with that view I do not believe that this is any reason to revisit the Scotland independence question.
4512	504236367	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am totally against a referendum. We already decided in 2014.	I am totally against a referendum so this does not apply.	I am totally against a referendum, so this does not apply.
4513	696141334	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The referendum is unnecessary. The government sets great store in the British government respecting the will of the people in the Brexit negotiations. It should remember that it was the settled will of the Scottish people in the last referendum to remain part of the United Kingdom.	No Answered	As in any election there should be more rigid supervision of postal voting to minimise the risk of voter fraud.\rIf British citizens resident in Scotland have a vote, why should Scots residing elsewhere also have a vote?
4514	589960529	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	why is there no consultation in respect of the question given that it is the core part of the bill? given that the issue is independence from the uk, but now wanting to not be independent from the eu then should the question not explicitly refer to what scotland will be independent from and instead opt for the eu referendum style question of leave vs remain.\r if indeed scotland is independent from the eu, then surely the referendum on eu membership then becomes irrelevant.
4515	386637724	Alexander Skinner	Individual	Individual	Thatt he worked before and will work again without wasting time and money on unnecessary tweaking.	This tweaking is probably necessary but only to refine what worked before.	I agree with this
4516	557413554	Robert Andrew	Individual	Individual	Scotland urgently needs n independence referendum.	No objections	Anyone of age 16 or over should be allowed to vote.
4517	465073407	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are as they should be for an election but the referendum should not be taking pace if the SNP kept its word from the last one!	These arrangements appear to be fair	There appear correct
4518	136465696	Michael Brown	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposal	I agree with the changes. But Also believe that residents with full residency within Scotland should be allowed to vote.	Agree
4519	611173338	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I disagree that non-Scots EU residents should have any voting rights unless they become naturalised. This is Scotland's decision, nothing to do with foreigners.	I agree with the proposals.	I'm neither for or against these proposals, there's not been any suggestion of impropriety before.
4520	1054663830	Joan Chalmers	Individual	Individual	No comments other than to say that I do not support another Referendum	No comments other than to say that I don't think that we should have any more money wasted on another Referendum	No comments about this except to say that this is a complete waste of time
4521	331627551	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is a democracy. The people of Scotland chose to remain part of the UK. Waste of money to have another referendum.\rThe majority of the UK chose to leave the EEC, again a democratic choice.\rWhy does the Scottish Assembly think it knows best? \rThe people have made their views clear, at least Cameron resigned when he didn't get his way, MSPs should follow his example.	Waste of time and money.	The age of majority should be left alone, unless it is lowered for every thing, drinking, smoking, etc.
4522	458034664	Gerry williams	Individual	Individual	Get on with managing the country and do what you are paid for. We have had the referendum end of story.	If it ain't broken don't fix it.	No need to change a proven system.
4523	114359497	Ailsa MacInnes	Individual	Individual	I do not think a further referendum is necessary.	No referendum is necessary.	No referendum is necessary
4524	630729263	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements worked well last time and are a good example of modern democracy, particularly for 16 year olds.	This sounds reasonable however, there was a recent story about having to provide ID in UK elections to prevent voter fraud. I believe providing ID is a reasonable request. I would expect to provide ID to pick up a parcel at the Post Office.	I do not have the knowledge or experience in this area to comment.
4525	223023946	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agreed	No to Rep of Ireland and EU citizens.\r Sccots who live in the other countries of the UK should be permitted to vote on proof they were educated in Scotland	No comment
4526	367574149	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	I see no benefit from another divisive referendum. The vote to leave the EU was a UK vote and reflected the views of the UK population.	I do not agree with extending the vote to include 16/17 year olds or including EU nationals living here.
4527	580865289	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Referendum not wanted. This consultation does not include a simple option to offer this opinion.	No comment	No comment
4528	613660500	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I find the difficult to accept that the Scottish Government is asking for responses to the notions expressed in the Draft Referendum Bill but constructs a response format which allows only for comments to be made on the 'process' of the possible referendum. \rThe process described would apply to any referendum and there is little in it which one could complain about.\r Where however is the opportunity to comment upon the argument for holding a further referendum at all?\r The media has been encouraging us to make comment but we are not, in this process, given any space for a width of comment.\r The main question is : Should there be a referendum not how will it be run?\rWhy not ask for comments upon this main concept. Perhaps then the term 'The people of Scotland' could be used by the Government an appropriate term. After all I am a member of the people of Scotland and I do not hold the same views as our present Government.
4529	51609299	Robert Battles	Individual	Individual	There should not, I repeat Not be another pointless, in my opinion, referendum.\rWe were told by Salmond that this would be a once in a lifetime event, so are you going to keep holding these until you get the result you want.\rI would think that the £15 million that it cost would be better off spent within the NHS.	There should be no changes as a further referendum is not needed, the people of Scotland spoke and gave a resounding No to separation.	There should be no changes as the result of the last referendum was a positive No.
4530	965298994	David Rose	Individual	Individual	It is not necessary to hold another referendum.	As above, it is not required	As above, not required
4531	768168741	YES Ross & Sutherland	Individual	Individual	Agreed, however, we hold concerns over the continuing elegibility of holiday home or second-home owners to use those homes as their electoral address. We feel the elegibility should be resticted to principle and habitual residence i.e main home as the sole electoral address and would like this change brought into the legislation	Agreed.	Agreed
4532	958122378	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am strongly opposed to another referendum, but if there was to be a referendum, I would want it to be managed similarly to 2014, but I don't feel it's in the best interests of the majority of people in the country.	I am opposed to another referendum and I feel that residency is not enough to give voting rights in a referendum. They should have UK citizenship and been resident in Scotland for a reasonable length of time. This stops people taking up temporary residency to influence voting	I don't have strong views either way
4533	637600659	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I do not consider it necessary to hold a referendum on Scotland's independence as Scotland voted on this issue in 2014 and the outcome should be upheld. \r The United Kingdom voted to leave the EU and this should be upheld even though I voted to remain.\r The people of the United Kingdom have given their unequivocal mandate regarding Brexit and Scotland gave their unequivocal mandate in 2014.
4534	491479711	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As a Scottish taxpayer I am really unhappy about this additional spend in less than a generation. \r The management of elections has been good over many years so I see no reason to change.	Should a referendum go ahead - again I hope that it does not - then all the technical details seem appropriate	I hope this never gets in the way of the democratic wishes and ways of the people of Scotland going forwards. This MUST NOT be a process which can be extended in future without further consultation as this smacks of socialism and potentially fascism.
4535	370987067	Michael Duff	Individual	Individual	I have no specific views on managing the referendum as I think it is a complete waste of time and energy. The Scottish people voted on this 'exact issue' two years ago in a "once in a generation" referendum after 2 long years of debate.	All Scottish people by birth should be eligible to vote. The vote should not be open to EU residents living and working in Scotland unless they have lived in the country for 10 years. (but I refer to 4.)	As 2.
4536	125909435	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Seems sensible	What about scots who have a residence in Scotland but may be working abroad on a short term contract? Say a contract of up to 1 year?	No comment
4537	849071352	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This question assumes there will be a referendum; however the arrangements would be satisfactory.\rReferendum not required	Satisfactory but referendum not required	Satisfactory but referendum not required.
4538	692972764	Matthew Frew	Individual	Individual	I am comfortable with the arrangements for the referendum as they echo the successes of 2014, which all parties and positions benefited from.	Pleased at the amendments on proxy voting as, without 100% verification, this is open to abuse.	I am comfortable with these proposed changes
4539	1072508015	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A potential new referendum should indeed be aligned with the arrangements that are in place for other elections in Scotland, taking into consideration any recommendations of the Electoral Commission after the 2014 referendum and other elections.\r However, lessons should be learned from the 2016 EU referendum. A 'yes or no'-question gives too much room for interpretation. A clear cut choice should be offered, such as:\rShould Scotland become an independent country with a membership to the EU or EFTA and EEA, or stay part of the United Kingdom and its future relationship with the EU and EEA.\r I feel it is of the utmost importance to include the relationship with the EU/EEA in the referendum question, as this would be the main reason for staging the referendum and the main change to the situation compared to 2014. This could impose a restriction on the mandate for independence, i.e. getting a membership of the EU/EFTA and EEA, but it would also address the uncertainty that some voters had in 2014 regarding EU membership of Scotland and therefore choosing for a status-quo. We now have to make a choice between the EU/EEA and the UK.	I agree that (permanent) residents of Scotland are the main target group of a possible referendum, setting the eligibility to vote similar to the Scottish Parliament elections enables most of these residents to cast a vote. I do feel that two distinct groups are not represented, but should be:\r- Permanent residents with a nationality not captured by the EU/Commonwealth etc rules: these persons have made the UK and Scotland their home, proven by a lengthy residency. A split of Scotland and rUK will affect these people.\r- Scottish born British citizens, not resident in Scotland: Scottish born people might still have a strong bond with Scotland, even though they might not currently live in Scotland. Presuming these people would be able to get Scottish nationality when Scotland would become independent, they should be able to cast their vote.	I have no particular views on these changes
4540	384233609	Jennifer McElwee	Individual	Individual	There is NO need or requirement fof another referendum. The vote was no in 2014 and the promis was that this was a once in a lifetime vote. We cannot go throufh another year of infighting. The result in September 2014 was to stay in the UK. THIS RESULT SHOULD BE UPHELD AND THE SCOTTISH GOVERENMENT SHOUKD WORK WITH RESULT GIVEN BY THE SCOTTISH PUBLIC.	No vote is required or needed or requested. Technical changes as necessary to ensure all persons who live in Scotland are able to vote.	No vote is required! Fine.
4541	690711848	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We had a referendum in 2014 when we scots decided by a clear majority to remain as part of the U.K. The then leader of the SNP stated clearly this settled the matter for a generation and the current leadership should abide by this commitment. I voted for the U K to remain in the EC but the majority voted to leave so being a democrat I am content to accept the result of the referendum. The SNP have no mandate to call another referendum.	No comment	No comment
4542	664463630	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A complete rejection of the Previous referendum result which demonstrates a complete lack of acceptance of a clear majority of the electorate of the recent "Independence" referendum. But also using a result of a an area of the UK with less electorate than some city/metropolitan areas in the wider UK, as a valid reason for trying to allow the current day "Warlord equivalents" to attempt again, to split the countries of the UK and the Families of the UK into a position where mass emigration or poverty with exploitive leaders would be to the detriment of HM loyal subjects.	Irrelevant as they would not be used if my preferred route were followed.	As above
4543	359440037	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	national TV news led me to believe that I would be consulted by the SNP as to whether we wished a referendum to be held.\rnow that a consultation exists I find it doesn't even ask that question.\rI would prefer we do not hold a referendum as the last event had a very clear outcome. I find very few people who supported Remaining in EU who now want a referendum.	I clearly remember at the 2014 referendum there was huge animosity and disagreement over who should be entitled to vote. Scottish people living abroad were excluded from voting and yet many of them who had a massive stake in Scotland would have been hugely affected by the outcome.\rI believe any future referendum should allow voting by Scottish people living abroad. the cut-off proposed was from memory that anyone who had left the country up to 15 years earlier would be included.	these changes appear reasonable
4544	48341979	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy if this is the norm.	I am glad that the changes to the postal ballot will be 100 percent checked and polling and counting staff will be vetted also better checks on ballot count and numbers recorded.I am	I'm happy that the rules have been tightened.
4545	1041290376	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The referendum should not take place, the people of Scotland have voted and Mede it clear that we do not want independence, by a clear majority, so this is irrelevant.	See answer to Q1.	See answer to Q1
4546	705188935	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Admirable.	I approve.	I approve.
4547	974258494	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No view as I consider the Scottish people have given their view and voted to remain as part of the United Kingdom	As above no view as we shouldn't even be discussing this, the Scottish people have given their answer.	As above no view as we shouldn't be discussing as we have voted to remain in the UK.
4548	915177454	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There has been a referendum, we do not need another one for at least a generation.	There has been a referendum, we do not need another one for at least a generation.	There has been a referendum, we do not need another one for at least a generation.
4549	555742956	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is a non-issue. Feelings were made clear two years ago. There shouldn't be another Indy ref. Stop wasting public money on this.	This is a non-issue. Feelings were made clear two years ago. There shouldn't be another Indy ref. Stop wasting public money on this.	This is a non-issue. Feelings were made clear two years ago. There shouldn't be another Indy ref. Stop wasting public money on this.
4550	831422629	Kenneth John McKnight	Individual	Individual	Status Quo is fine	Status Quo is fine	Accept the change
4551	248288681	Jacqui Rose	Individual	Individual	I do not want a referendum. The decision was made 2 years ago to remain as part of the U.K. and should most definitely not happen again. It is an absolute waste of money. Just because this vote does not happen to be the outcome some people wanted.	Not required as a vote on another referendum should not be happening. Thus was a once in a life time vote!!!!!!	As above my views on this are unnecessary as a vote should not be happening.
4552	247390501	Graeme Stewart	Individual	Individual	I believe that a referendum should be held on the matter, and that all parties should be held accountable for any claims they make, to ensure that the electorate are not lied to in any statements, pamphlets, interviews in the media.	I find these changes satisfactory.	There would have to be clarity on the status of EU nationals, post "Brexit", to ensure that all those who continue to reside in Scotland have a vote, regardless of the UK governments' future position on their leave to remain.
4553	37338049	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Management fine. Vote totally unnecessary. We got an answer in 2014	This consultation is unnecessary. 2014 result stands	No view
4554	794672872	David Wharton	Individual	Individual	The last referendum was carried out in a way which favoured the independence cause. This should never be allowed to happen again.	Technically it is unethical to try to have a referendum when you agreed to abide by the result of the 2014 referendum.	No comment
4555	198188661	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My view is that there should be no further referendum for at least a generation. There are far more pressing issues which are being overlooked while the SNP remains obsessed with independence . I refer to serious shortcomings in education, health, social care and policing.\r Thus my view on the proposed arrangements for carrying out a referendum are irrelevant, although if SNP decide to waste time and resource on this senseless exercise, then the arrangements look ok.	Again, note that I strongly oppose a second referendum.\r However, if we are forced into one, I think it is outrageous that an EU or Commonwealth citizen who may be resident here for a very short time, is allowed to vote, while a Scottish citizen working however temporarily in England or overseas is not allowed to vote.	No comment.
4556	563898424	Ron Connelly	Individual	Individual	Scotland neither needs or wants a 'second referendum'. The 'once in a generation' opportunity clearly reflected the democratic will of the Scots. When asked, "Should Scotland be an independent country?" the answer was "No".\rThe later EU referendum posed the question, "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?" The democratic response being "leave ".\rScotland did not vote 'overwhelmingly' to remain part of the EU - the question was never asked. We decided to #1. Forego independence and remain part of the UK and #2. to leave the EU. No further debate necessary!	Scotland neither needs or wants a 'second referendum'. The 'once in a generation' opportunity clearly reflected the democratic will of the Scots. When asked, "Should Scotland be an independent country?" the answer was "No".\rThe later EU referendum posed the question, "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?" The democratic response being "leave ".\rScotland did not vote 'overwhelmingly' to remain part of the EU - the question was never asked. We decided to #1. Forego independence and remain part of the UK and #2. to leave the EU. No further debate necessary!	Scotland neither needs or wants a 'second referendum'. The 'once in a generation' opportunity clearly reflected the democratic will of the Scots. When asked, "Should Scotland be an independent country?" the answer was "No".\rThe later EU referendum posed the question, "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?" The democratic response being "leave ".\rScotland did not vote 'overwhelmingly' to remain part of the EU - the question was never asked. We decided to #1. Forego independence and remain part of the UK and #2. to leave the EU. No further debate necessary!
4557	39423075	Malcolm McLeman	Individual	Individual	There shouldn't be another referendum. We have already voted to stay part of the UK and the brexit vote makes no difference at all. We cannot cherry pick what bits that we don't agree with with decisions made by the U.K as a whole. The Scottish government should get on with running the country properly and dedicate their attention 100% to that task. This consultation is a complete waste of time as it is not seeking the relevant views of the country just questions that have no baring at all	Don't have any	Not relevant
4558	762534364	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Ok	Only uk citizens should be allowed to vote	None
4559	580550548	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Support the proposed arrangements	Support the proposed technical changes	Support the proposed changes to rules
4560	616981664	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	To avoid the possibility of electoral fraud, no postal votes should be allowed to be opened until polling day on any referendum	No Answered	improvements are good but more security measures in large polling count stations should be undertaken to avoid fraud.
4561	46511891	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No concerns about the management process for the referendum	As Scotland is currently part of the United Kingdom with many Scots living and working in other parts of the UK but still retaining strong links (and perhaps homes) in Scotland then I believe that those people should be allowed to vote. At various times during my own working life I have worked in other parts of the UK but have always regarded myself as Scottish as well as British.	No problem with this
4562	193897816	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I strongly object to the proposal for a second independence referendum for the following reasons;\r 1. A once in a generation referendum was conclusive in 2014.\r 2. The referendum campaign in 2014 was divisive within the community. Families, friends, social media contacts and community groups are angrily and resentfully pitted against each other in either Yes or No camps. This split is not going to begin to heal with a further referendum.\r 3. Business uncertainty is in my view a direct result of a possibility of a further referendum campaign.\r 4. Major unanswered questions from the 2014 Yes side remain as fatal flaws to any reasoned, ordered and fiscally viable independence. i.e. Currency, GERS black hole, Capital flight (including mine), businesses relocating to a lower tax and better standard of living environment, Pensions, Uncertain tax rates and Hard Border amongst others.	I prefer there to be no referendum.	I prefer there be no second referendum.
4563	442776455	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe the Scottish government have a mandate to run a second referendum. \r 1. We signed u to remain in the U.K. It was obvious at that time that there would be issues of difference in such a future. \r 2. The excuse of the euro vote is simply opportunistic and a way to set scots against the rest of the uk. The euro question was about the UK and had no additional Scottish specific consequences attached. To add them afterwards is political opportunism.	As a Scot working outside of the UK I was excluded from the referendum. Despite having only temporary working rights in my host country and maintaining a home and paying taxes in the U.K. This is wrong and should be changed.	No comments
4564	1042994582	Peter Buchan	Individual	Individual	A future referendum is a waste of our (public) money. The NHS Scotland, education, social services and many more need this money. These areas of our national infrastructure are being neglected as the Scottish government , like Nero, continue to fiddle their only tune ( (independence) while the country suffers. I presume that the reason is to satisfy the SNP hubris and excacerbate the sense of national grievance against Westminster. In order to gain support for their selfish political ambition no matter what the cost to our once great nation.\r The other questions in this consultation are irrelevant.	No comment other than to say that non-British persons, whether resident in Scotland or not should not be permitted on this vote. This matter should be cited by Scottish British residents.	No comment other than to say at the last Indipendence referendum, at meetings I attended locally here in the Highlands, there were aggressive and threatening anti-English and anti-remain members of the local SNP who sought to disrupt the meeting and prevent views with they did not agree being heard and discussed. These people were not democrats but demagogs. The so called "cybernats" were active and aggressively threatening. The Scottish Government should introduce rigorous measures to prevent and bring to justice those who conduct hate crimes of geese kinds.
4565	366806706	Paul Dishington	Individual	Individual	There is no mandate as the supposed "sustained evidence that independence had become the preferred option of a majority of the Scottish people" is clearly not evident, and "such as Scotland being taken out of the EU against our will" would already have happened if the 2014 referendum went the other way, so to state against 'our will' is hypocritical to then use this as an excuse to cause further unnecessary division for our country. If you look at the clear timelines, David Cameron told the UK in January 2012 that if they where returned to government at the General Election in 2015, a referendum on Europe would take place, so more than 32 months before the Independence referendum took place, giving enough opportunity to set out scenarios for opinions to be taken into account for Indyref and for the electorate to vote accordingly. Either no political party or side took up this chance, and therefore the vote the electorate took to remain in the UK, supersedes any SNP/Independence grievance to try and hold a pointless and further divisive referendum to address some Utopian childhood dream that independence would be of any benefit to our country, so stop this idiotic pursuit. As informed on numerous occasions EU membership is not a devolved issue, and Scotland did not hold nor vote on this matter. We gave the UK permission to handle this matter in 1707 and again decisively in September 2014. As Scotland does not have any governmental decision over the UK majority vote on leaving the EU, please mind that 100% of my household voted LEAVE and if any separate decision that Scotland got did not follow suit with the rest of the UK, i would have to take legal action on having my property (along with any other like minded property/land owners) set up as independent states within the UK.	Most of the changes are ludicrous and only serve to further pro-Independence support by trying to manipulate votes by continually distorting the facts, ie the continual usage of 45% to represent the number supporting a yes vote when in reality the number was less than 38% of the electorate, thus meaning more than 62% of the electorate did not support your proposition . Allowing other EU residents would throw up numerous legal challenges as they themselves are only members of the EU as long as their own country remains a member, and who knows where the EU will head after the UK's successful withdrawal from this bureaucratic disaster zone. Why is it necessary to refer to the Republic of Ireland "citizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries" and not just "citizens of other EU countries". Commonwealth citizens should also not be given any additional vote as this matter does not affect there membership of the Commonwealth and would it be deemed appropriate for US to vote in their elections, NO. British Citizens, as long as they had at least been registered to vote in the previous Scottish or UK elections, time-bar any potential sympathy voters.	No idea what this means really, so don't have any comments to state.
4566	994245667	Claudio	Individual	Individual	I agree with a second Indy ref	No Answered	I agree with
4567	251750129	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Consistent with established practice.\r No objections to proposals.	Again I am in total agreement. \r Is it possible to enfranchise Scots living in other EU countries?	In agreement with proposed changes.
4568	71052102	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is a need for independent international observers too.\r Strongly agree that ex-pats should not be given a vote, as they are not stakeholders in Scotland's future.	No Answered	Regarding eligibility to vote, I feel anyone over the age of 16 - who makes Scotland their home - should be entitled to vote, irrespective of nationality.\r I don't see the relevance of restricting the franchise to British, EU & Commonwealth citizens.
4569	108547864	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The referendum is not necessary as the decision was already given.	You have to trust those doing the role on both sides. Don't think the changes are necessary.	No issues.
4570	506174055	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Why are we having another referendum ?\r We have already voted to remain part of the UK.	Citizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries should not be allowed to vote.	Changes are irrelevant, we should not be having another referendum.
4571	582441885	Matthew MacLeod	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements for managing the referendum are fair and transparent, in line with those proposed and subsequently followed in 2014.	The proposed technical changes are adequate and proportionate modifications which will address the valid concerns about excess emergency proxy voting, bring the checking of postal voting statements in line with best practice, and clarify the responsibility of the counting officer with regard to appointment or employment of potentially unsuitable staff. This appears to satisfy the recommendations as given in the Electoral Commission's report on the 214 referendum.	In line with the Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act and the Electoral Commission’s report on the 2014 referendum, these changes should be expected to better preserve integrity and transparency of the referendum process.
4572	997725374	Leeanne Graham	Individual	Individual	I believe the voting system is fair.	I don't believe people under 18 are mature or informed enough to make such important and potentially life changing decisions. I would have considered myself too ignorant of life at that age too.	I see no issue with the changes.
4573	505682411	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Although I voted in favour of independence in 2014, I do not think there should be another vote, i.e. No 'Indy 2'.
4574	650367346	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The actual 2014 referendum appeared to be managed fairly and efficiently, so a similar system should work for future public decisions.	I do not support votes for 16 and 17 year olds. I believed this to have been an underhand way of trying to improve the Yes vote in the 2014 referendum.\rThat said, the processes to include the younger voters seemed to operate effectively.	No comment here.
4575	68932071	Carolynn McQueen	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements for management of the next Scottish Independance Referencendum. \rI also strongly think it should be done ASAP. \rI personally know of at least 20 odd folk who previously voted 'NO' who almost all immediately afterwards whisked they had voted 'YES'!!!	I am happy with the proposed technical changes from the 2014 referendum procedures.	I am happy with the proposed technical changes to rules on permissible participants.
4576	385230074	John Fotheringham	Individual	Individual	The independence question has been decisively decided by the people of Scotland; there is no further justification for holding a new referendum within the next 20 years.	Irrelevant rubbish	Irrelevant rubbish
4577	704847603	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Use the same as 2014 and allow people 16 and older to vote	Also should allow people who are Scottish born but working/living abroad	No view on this existing rule seems fair
4578	294941666	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Satisfactory	Satisfactory	Satisfactory
4579	409534841	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel that something as important as the independece referendum should be managed slightly different to before. Perhaps an independent and unbiased system for the polling and counts. There was far too much suspicion on the arrangements last time where people speculated too much about foul play. To avoid this I feel an independent source would be wholly beneficial for counts and such like.	No Answered	Scotland has a wide selection of students who are entitled to vote. Some often here for a short duration of 3 years or so on a temporary basis. During the 2014 period leading up to the vote I worked beside a fair few students from England and other areas within the UK who in fairness argued their case against Independence but didn't take into account that they were short term residents in Scotland with no intention to remain after their whole university study term. Wouldn't a minimum residency term of longer than 5 years for British residents living in Scotland be more beneficial? More so in terms of those here for education rather than establishing a permanent life for themselves?
4580	617069935	Alan sibbald	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I was watching the news this evening (4 January 2017) and listened to individuals being asked whether there should be a referendum or not. This prompted me to visit this site, and to my astonishment I find that the consultation is simply about how a referendum should be run, not about whether there should be one or not.\r For the avoidance of doubt, I do not support there being a referendum; and if one should take place I will vote for Scotland to remain in the UK. Scotland is not capable of surviving as an independent country, either in or without the EU, without suffering severe economic consequences that would have dire repercussions for the citizens of Scotland. \r The SNP have now been in power in Scotland for a number of years and during that period have overseen a downturn in the quality of our educational system ( School., FE and HE), the NHS and the Economy; and sadly have consistently blamed everybody but themselves for the situation.\rRedacted text
4581	338176262	Mrs	Individual	Individual	Why are you even considering another referendum? I voted Yes last time. I won't be voting Yes if you have another referendum as I have no wish to remain in Europe and furthermore have no wish for open borders.	I don't agree with you in regards to the groups of people who will get a vote. Scots who work abroad and have a residence in Scotland surely should also be allowed a vote too. And only Scottish people should be allowed to vote.	I don't agree with another referendum, so this has no relevance to me.
4582	954453970	David Watt	Individual	Individual	More transparency and more independent neutral observers.	Agree with procedure	Agree
4583	806621248	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no clear mandate for a second referendum. Using the euro vote which specifically addressed a U.K. Question not a Scottish one is simply opportunistic. \r When we signed up clearly to remain within the uk we knew there would be times of difference going forward. regional differences are not unsurprising.	They are fine but should specifically include those working temporarily outside the uk unlike last time when they were excluded if not normally resident for a temporary period.	Not comment
4584	940399310	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The Scottish voting public already gave their views and voted against independence. \r Please respect the views of the majority of Scots and do not waste any further £m's on any referendum. This money is better soent on education, NHS, public transport etc etc etc etc etc .....	see above. I believe any changes are only a ploy to try and gain more votes to obtain a Yes vote. Let it be and resepct the last vote.	see above
4585	447125596	Ian Kerr	Individual	Individual	No Answered	great idea	again, great let's have another vote
4586	631413356	Donald Todd	Individual	Individual	There is no need for another referendum therefore the proposed arrangements are not necessary\rWould the first question not have been better to be is there a need for another referendum? It may have saved some time on drawing up these proposals.	There is no need for another referendum therefore the proposed arrangements are not necessary.\rThe suggestion that changes are required to the previous referendum may suggest that this is only a ploy to get the answer the current government want	There is no need for another referendum therefore the proposed arrangements are not necessary.\rThe suggestion that changes are required to the previous referendum may suggest that this is only a ploy to get the answer the current government want
4587	879095421	Robert Cumberland	Individual	Individual	I think the arrangements for the managing the referendum cannot be bettered.	Everything seems fine to me.	Again everything seems fine to me.
4588	963415038	Morag Patterson	Individual	Individual	I feel another referendum so soon after the original is a complete waste of time and money and detracts the government of the job of managing the country.	Why do we need amended polling arrangements, why not use the existing system or better still forget it. Or is this an attempt to massage the voting pattern into what SNP want!	Understand the benefits of allowing 16+ to vote but why not change this for all elections if this is the 'best' option
4589	221016770	Barrie anderson	Individual	Individual	I have no views on this question	Happy with these arrangements	No views on this
4590	546390546	Kenneth Crooks	Individual	Individual	It's a complete insult to the majority of the Scottish electorate who have already made their position clear.	I have no views, and no interest in, the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements.	I have no views, and no interest in, the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
4591	113093831	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not wish for there to be another referendum on Scottish Independence.	I do not think there should be a referendum.\rI do not think there should be changes to the previous system.	There should not be changes
4592	428008248	Mark Duncan	Individual	Individual	It's pretty clear that the situation has arisen that another referendum should be held, I feel that an independent Scotland is better equipped and has planned well for this situation while Westminster have no idea what to do now their committed.	The bit that stands out to me is the 100% checking of postal vote identity great idea.	Sensible
4593	317025148	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no objection to these suggested amendments.	I can foresee that post any future referendum, there will be plenty of complaints that someone voluntarily working as a polling or counting officer had allegedly been involved in 'campaigning' whether in a formal or informal context. This will challenge the legitimacy of any result and could potentially involve legal challenges. I support the spirit of this idea, but think it rather unworkable.	I support these proposed amendments.
4594	285805192	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Do not feel that enough people would support another referendum as too soon.	Would support	Agree
4595	161730705	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements for the management and regulation of another referendum.	The proposed technical changes appear to be fair and equatable in my opinion. People who live in Scotland she be eligible to vote. Those who live here are affected but the current political climate of uncertainty and division and should therefore have the opportunity to make their vote count on the future of Scotland within the UK and beyond.	The proposed changes to rules on permissible persons appear fair and in line with changes in legislation.
4596	1072245394	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with them	In favour of them. A great deal more scrutiny is needed of postal votes	Good
4597	884585368	Colin Macpherson	Individual	Individual	I have lived in Germany under freedom of movement for all my adult life. This is, at least on paper (I could take German citizenship in a minute, but am not and never will be a "German") being taken away from me. Throughout my life as an expat I have retained my Scottish identity, which is why I still take a close interest in Scottish affairs - under current laws I am even disenfranchised, as I can not vote in national or regional elections either in my home country or in the country I have chosen to make my home. That of course is a general issue, which is only mildly relevant here, I can accept that the ultimate decision on Scottish Independence is a decision which can only be made by the people who live in Scotland and are directly affected by the result. Equally I do think that there could be scope for Scots abroad - my EU rights on freedom of movement for example will be taken away from me, without my having even a vote, and with my home country voting overwhelmingly to let me keep those rights....... For a referendum issue perhaps too difficult to define, but a point which needs to be made.	There will need to be further consultation on postal votes after the issues raised after the last referendum. This should not exclude postal votes, but there needs to be a system which precludes any (sometimes also very far fetched) doubts as to the legitimacy of any postal votes cast.	Sounds good
4598	437343539	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Make sure it's managed better than the last one.	No Answered	Too many people used others votes in the last referendum who had no interest in voting. I personally think if someone can't vote on the day then they should vote at a council office or similar. None of the postal votes as too easy to abuse
4599	878705467	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't want another referendum so the arrangements are irrelevant as I feel so strongly that we should not be engaging in a further divisive debate when there are more important matters to be resolved.\r If the worst happens, and the Scottish Government go ahead with a referendum despite the majority view that there shouldn't be, the arrangements should be the same as before, subject to any technical updates. I assume the same rules and procedures would be in place as for a general election.	All of this seems to make sense.	Technical matters, just seems to be sensible updating.
4600	1072093388	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If it follows the same procedure as local and national elections, this would be satisfactory.	People who are Scottish and may live and or work outside Scotland should be allowed to vote.	These changes appear to be acceptable.
4601	646071551	Karl Abel	Individual	Individual	There must be far greater security and oversight. Postal vote system to be reviewed and tightened. Seals to be recorded and checked. No unaccompanied transportation of boxes and International observers at every count.	Postal votes should NOT be removed from Scotland where they must be kept sealed under lock and key. They should be counted separately and ballots kept seperate from non-postal ballots.	Ensure that Increased financial penalties and terms of imprisonment are penalties for non-compliance.
4602	352657842	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No views as they appear good	No views as they appear good	No views
4603	712896564	Stephen Nelson	Individual	Individual	The Scottish Government have not got the right to hold an Independence referendum. The questioned was asked and answered in 2014 and I suggest they do what they were elected to do and if they are incapable of that resign.	No Answered	The minimum age should be 18. Letting children vote is irresponsible.
4604	733936527	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy it is brought into line with the arrangements for our other democratic processes and will provide consistency and transparency across the board.	I am happy that the sane consistency will be applied on the technical side, including absent votes - for which all personal identifiers and postal vote statements can all be checked as part of the normal receipt and verification processes using the election software available, generally without further funding/resources required.	I am happy as it should improve transparency and disenfranchise no-one.
4605	967443066	Robert Campbell	Individual	Individual	The Vote Should only be Counted In Scotland	Postal voting should not be Allowed	Your View is Your View
4606	256869558	David Blighford	Individual	Individual	Broadly, I support the proposed amendments, though, in addition, I would like to see international observers being involved in overseeing the referendum campaign and subsequent collecting, counting and recording of votes cast. To me, this is best practice in all elections and referenda- particularly those with profound constitutional ramifications- and would help to eliminate the doubts as to the validity and integrity of the result that arose in some quarters following the 2014 vote.	Again, while I broadly support the provisional changes detailed, I would like to see thorough checking of the identity of voters in person and, especially so with those voting in absentia, which will again help to alleviate the concerns of any voters who might be disappointed by the outcome. Furthermore, all voting slips at polling stations should feature a unique barcode on the reverse, as my vote and those of many others during the 2014 referendum had no such identifying labels on the back which, again, sowed seeds of doubt in some minds as to the integrity of the process. Nor should anyone involved in the campaigns be allowed to sample the postal vote in advance of declarations, which, if not actually illegal, caused considerable controversy in the aftermath of the 2014 vote. Finally, exit polls should be carried out at as many polling stations as possible, which I believe to be standard good practice in all elections and referenda and were notably absent in 2014.	I fully support the proposed changes in this area.
4607	849647785	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The draft bill notes in 1(2) that the question is "Should Scotland be an independent country?"\r The consultation document in paragraph 1.6 notes "At this stage, it is expected that the same question would be used again - but if as a result of consultation the Scottish Government is minded to propose a variation on that question it would submit the proposal to the Electoral Commission for independent testing in the usual way."\r Inspite of paragraph 1.6, there is no indication anywhere in this consultation document of where to comment on the fundamental question that would decide which way someone would vote. I have thus noted my comment about the question itself in this section.\r The proposed question of "Should Scotland be an independent country?" has an underlying affirmation bias, an answer of "Yes" is psychologically perceived as being more positive than a reply of "No" that has a negative connertation and thus is not a fair question to debate or respond too, let alone vote on.\r Following the EU referendum could the question be reworded such, "Should Scotland continue to be part of the United Kingdom, or should Scotland leave the United Kingdom to become an independent country?" \r Responses could be either "Continue" or "Become independent", thus being a qualified responses and no so reliant on psychological bias.	The draft bill notes in 1(2) that the question is "Should Scotland be an independent country?"\r The consultation document in paragraph 1.6 notes "At this stage, it is expected that the same question would be used again - but if as a result of consultation the Scottish Government is minded to propose a variation on that question it would submit the proposal to the Electoral Commission for independent testing in the usual way."\r Inspite of paragraph 1.6, there is no indication anywhere in this consultation document of where to comment on the fundamental question that would decide which way someone would vote. I have thus noted my comment about the question itself in this section.\r The proposed question of "Should Scotland be an independent country?" has an underlying affirmation bias, an answer of "Yes" is psychologically perceived as being more positive than a reply of "No" that has a negative connertation and thus is not a fair question to debate or respond too, let alone vote on.\r Following the EU referendum could the question be reworded such, "Should Scotland continue to be part of the United Kingdom, or should Scotland leave the United Kingdom to become an independent country?" \r Responses could be either "Continue" or "Become independent", thus being a qualified responses and no so reliant on psychological bias.	The draft bill notes in 1(2) that the question is "Should Scotland be an independent country?"\r The consultation document in paragraph 1.6 notes "At this stage, it is expected that the same question would be used again - but if as a result of consultation the Scottish Government is minded to propose a variation on that question it would submit the proposal to the Electoral Commission for independent testing in the usual way."\r Inspite of paragraph 1.6, there is no indication anywhere in this consultation document of where to comment on the fundamental question that would decide which way someone would vote. I have thus noted my comment about the question itself in this section.\r The proposed question of "Should Scotland be an independent country?" has an underlying affirmation bias, an answer of "Yes" is psychologically perceived as being more positive than a reply of "No" that has a negative connertation and thus is not a fair question to debate or respond too, let alone vote on.\r Following the EU referendum could the question be reworded such, "Should Scotland continue to be part of the United Kingdom, or should Scotland leave the United Kingdom to become an independent country?" \r Responses could be either "Continue" or "Become independent", thus being a qualified responses and no so reliant on psychological bias.
4608	736868703	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't belive there should be another referendum	Na	Na
4609	603212299	Frank Crawford	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I see no valid reason that there should be another referendum.The wishes of the Scottish people were expressed and should not be ignored.
4610	155831469	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the vote should be open to 16-18 year olds as per 2014	Agree	No comments
4611	493892080	James McWilliam	Individual	Individual	Since the Electoral Commission is accountable to the UK parliament then I would suggest not using them for this referendum. Set up an Independent Scottish Electoral Commission for the job and run the referendum ourselves under owr own oversight.	Do not have any postal or proxy voting at the next referendum	Media organisations should be registered as permitted participants in order to be able to cover the referendum, after all they're all political beasts.
4612	855819015	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Firstly, Ms Sturgeon's continues to use 'exaggerated language', stating that Scotland 'overwhelmingly' voted to Remain rather than to Brexit when the correct statistic was about 62% to Remain, certainly NOT 'overwhelming'. Her use of the English language is very unfortunate, but she has a habit of doing this, and her 'followers' largely copy her. I voted to Remain but am now changing my mind as the Scottish Government has not given the subject of 'uncontrolled movement of people across Borders' any adequate study. Also, apparently some 36% of SNP Voters voted for Brexit so Ms Sturgeon is incorrectly interpreting the current views of SNP Supporters.\rSecondly, 'the once in a Generation' Indy Vote (Mr Salmond's words) has created conflict in families, destroyed friendships, and ruined relationships. The situation is not improving with time.\rThirdly, the SNP have no Economic Plan for an Indy Scotland and even their American Economic Expert has recently apparently changed his views. The SNP currently follows what they consider are 'populist' Policies but which are unaffordable as the tax-base in Scotland is far too small to pay for them and are largely dependant on the Barnet Formula for funding them. An Indy Scotland would have to borrow £Billions and would end up like Greece, being unable to afford loan repayments. In short, the last Indy Plan was weak, there has been no Revised Plan probably because no self-respecting Economist would put his name to it, as it would be even weaker.\rYou can take it therefore that I am Strongly Opposed to any further Referendum for at least 10 years as it would be an expensive farce and would not show a different Result, in fact there is a view that the SNP Support has now 'peaked', the Local Elections in May will be very interesting.\rThe Scottish Government should concentrate on what it was Elected to do and stop chasing 'rainbows', even if the bulk of their Supporters enjoy rainbow-chasing.	No comments on above.	No comments on above
4613	783768508	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Ok	Ok	Ok
4614	219858382	Nikki Houghton	Individual	Individual	I feel we need somebody neutral with greater powers than the electoral commission. To ensure a fair vote.	Nothing to add.	I feel that only those living and working in Scotland should be involved in campaigning, same with donating money.
4615	115733271	Sandra Murray	Individual	Individual	I have no issues with the arrangements but I would rather the 2014 referendum was not repeated. Scotland made its decision clearly in 2014 in 'a fair and transparent referendum' and no further amount of appropriate arrangements will change my view that another referendum is required. The 2014 vote was a clear No!	I did not agree with allowing 16 and 17 year olds to have a vote in 2014 and don't agree that is the the correct decision for any further voting opportunities.\rI also do not agree that EU citizens who are resident in Scotland should be entitled to vote in purely Scottish issues.	No issues.
4616	221600727	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with them as they are	Happy with these too	Happy
4617	803429140	Robert Adams	Individual	Individual	I think the count should take place where the voting was held, their should also be exit polls.	OK. I've read the statements above and all seem all right.	Everything seems OK in the technical changes above.
4618	37864014	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	Only UK passport holders should be allowed to vote	No comments
4619	88394175	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Scotland voted just over 2 years ago to remain in the U.K. There should be no referendum so soon.	Scotland voted just over 2 years ago to remain in the U.K. There should be no referendum so soon.	Scotland voted just over 2 years ago to remain in the U.K. There should be no referendum so soon.
4620	268395640	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I cannot answer this question . This question assumes there will be a referendum, which should not happen given we were promised that the 2014 referendum would be once in a generation. \rWhy is there not a question asking whether there should be a referendum in the first place?	Despite the fact a referendum should not be happening ( as the 2014 democratic result should be respected,) the whole of the UK should be allowed to vote in a decision which affects the whole of the UK- not just people who live in Scotland. Also, lots of Scottish people live and work in England due to the nature of their work but would want to retire to Scotland. They are being excluded from a vote on their home country.	I would need longer than 11th January to consider fully the legal complexities if this question.
4621	87018086	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with this proposed arrangement.	I met a retired couple; Scots who lived permanantly in Australia, but had come home to vote in the 2014 referendum. Their views on Yes/No are not relevant, but it bothered me that they were visiting their son, and so had taken the opportunity to register to vote, using his address; so contriving residency. Following the referendum, they went home to Australia as planned, and have no intention of returning. \rIs there a way to stop this happening?	Seems fair.
4622	106831184	Jane Irvine	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum.	I do not wish to see another referendum.	Fine..but I do not want another referendum.
4623	202981541	DAVID MURISON	Individual	Individual	This is another shameful example that the SNP is unfit to govern Scotland, they are supposed to represent the people of Scotland not their party membership.\rThe question to the people of the UK was \r 'Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union" nowhere does it state Scotland and the 62% who voted for remain was for the UK not Scotland to suggest otherwise is dishonest and dishonourable	N/A as no referendum should take place for at least20 years	N/A as no referendum should take place for at least20 years
4624	679334716	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Any procedures utilised in a second referendum should be transparent and completely free from media interference unlike the first vote.	No members of the UK or Scottish Government or government agency or other similar organisation should be entitled to vote on the grounds of an obvious bias. Where it could reasonably be deemed in the circumstances that the vote would be biased towards a yes or no vote then this is grounds to exclude a person or group or organisation from voting.	No issues regarding changes.
4625	2234188	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Rights to be represented . Add -folks who have previously registered to vote in Scotland and are Disenfranchised by the Representation of the Peoples Acts ( Scotland ) 1985 / 89 amended Political Parties Elections Referendums Act 2000 page 141 under miscellaneous amend 20 years to 15 years - RoP acts . In itself an undemocratic act against folks Human Rights . Under the aforementioned 2000 Act the qualification to vote in a one time Referendum IS PERMITTED TO BE ' NEGOTIATED' by the Referendum sponcers and therefor could enable Overseas UK Citizens previously registered to vote in Scotland the RIGHT TO REPRESENTATION . - additional qualification could be in this specific case - proprietoral interest ( Scotland ) , pension rights ( Scotland) , Birth / Family in Scotland etc. . I am a disenfranchised UK Citizen with all the above mentioned ' qualifications' with ZERO Rights to Representation ( I am in France ) . We all await the Supreme Court Judges opinions but surely any continued breach ( presumed ) of the SCOTS ACT OF UNION 1706 / 7 needs to be fully exploited and fully explained to ALL UK Citizens / Residents as being the 'point in Law' reason for need for Independence / exit from England Act of Union 1706/7 . NI is in no mans land at present and Scotland is disenvantaged by the serious doubt of the future of Scotland meaning loss of potential investment by non Scots Companies whilst this British Homegrown farce continues ( in this case but not uniquely Brexit )	No Answered	My No1 comment covers Voting Qualification / Eligibility. As a one off Referendum the existing 2000 Act permits extension to above limitations as set out above No 2. The terretorial Residency qualification is not valid as it limits the Right TO Representation ( UNDER CURRENT WESTMINSTER ACTS OF DISENFRANCHISEMENT ) all as aforesaid in comment no1
4626	811435984	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no comment.	I would like more detail on the definition of a resident of Scotland. This should detail time living within Scotland and also the time that must pass before you are classed as a non resident of Scotland. I believe this to be important, for a serious question such as independence, as it does not cover Scottish citizens working within the European Union who have every right to return at any point. Equally citizens from other EU countries have the choice to leave at any point. I do not accept that independence would mean automatic continuation of our current arrangements, within the EU, so I do not view the definition of residency to be that simple. This is important as I do not associate a second vote for independence, from the UK as a non EU member, the same as voting to become a full new member of the EU as an independent country. The 2014 debate on an independent Scotland within the EU has been answered by the result of the UK EU referendum, we will not be able to operate under the terms we gained with the UK so residency must be defined under the terms of what either outcome of the referendum would provide.	I have no comment.
4627	360196616	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There is NO mandate to do this. The Scottish people have NEVER voted on whether or not Scotland should stay in Europe or not. \rThere have been NO arguments put to us about the merits of such a proposal in relation to Scotland so this referendum proposal and consultation is based on a totally FALSE premise.\rThe very idea that Scotland should cut itself off from its biggest trading partner ie England and belong to a failing and bankrupt European Union with open borders is completely ludicrous and the pros and cons of this have NEVER been put before us.\rThere has been NO substantial change in our position ie that a couple of years ago the Scottish people voted to remain part of the UK. NOTHING has changed and we all voted in regard to Europe in the full knowledge that this is the case.\rWhat a complete waste of time and money this excercise is.
4628	268528548	Rebecca Kennedy	Individual	Individual	I have read the various under noted proposed technical changes to polling count arrangements along with the other points itemised in points 1 to 5 and wish to express my sincere objections to the SNP Government continually refusing to accept the democratic wishes of the Scottish public. I am not willing to answer the various points individually as they are totally unnecessary, the main point being, do the Scottish people want another Referendum? - NO. In the previous SCOTTISH Referendum the Scottish people voted to remain part of the United Kingdom which meant we are a united country. In the BRITISH referendum the British people voted to leave the European Union, as Scotland is part of the United Kingdom, which part of this vote do the SNP Government not understand? Scotland can be described as a subsidiary of the United Kingdom and as the voting public showed, they wish the British Government to lead us out of the European Union. I did not vote for an SNP government in Scotland and believe this party to be to the detriment of Scotland as they are a nationalist party whose main aim is to separate from the United Kingdom and they have extremely poor quality MSPs attempting to run various aspects of our country. The present poor results of this Government speaks for itself in the worsening education crisis, the centralisation of our police force, with devastating results, the property market almost at a standstill due to changes in taxes, the highest business taxes which will stagnate growth, the proposed highest personal taxes in Britain, the list goes on and on. This Government will keep attempting to divide the United Kingdom to the detriment of us all and the sooner we have a strong opposition party in Scotland the better.	I do not believe EU or commonwealth residents have the right to vote in a Scottish Referendum under any circumstances.	Smoke and mirrors
4629	688633989	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with proposed arrangements	The proposed technical changes seem fair	Agree with the summary notes on the proposed technical changes
4630	281832176	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The system used in 2014 was inclusive. I would stick with this. All those living in Scotland	I would only allow Lords who are predominantly resident in Scotland for the majority of the year	fine
4631	849470575	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Whilst I agree that in the event of a referendum the proposed arrangements appear to be adequate, this does not mean that I agree that a referendum should be held.\rI am also concerned that the questions contained in this consultation will not provide any information to the Scottish Government on the actual views of the public on the need or desire for a referendum and therefore have to question both the need, motive and validity of this consultation.	Whilst I agree that in the event of a referendum the proposed technical changes would be desirable, this does not mean that I agree that a referendum should be held.\rI am also concerned that the questions contained in this consultation will not provide any information to the Scottish Government on the actual views of the public on the need or desire for a referendum and therefore I would have to question both the need, motive and validity of this consultation.	Whilst I agree that in the event of a referendum the proposed technical changes would be desirable, this does not mean that I agree that a referendum should be held.\rI am also concerned that the questions contained in this consultation will not provide any information to the Scottish Government on the actual views of the public on the need or desire for a referendum and therefore I would have to question both the need, motive and validity of this consultation.
4632	741577676	Brian Moore	Individual	Individual	Don't want another referendum. Scotland spoke in 2014	None	None
4633	1051327127	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum. The government should use the powers already have to fix the schools and the econony instead of this huge distraction.	There should not be a referendum under any circumstances. There is no money for an independent Scotland. We trade more with England than the rest of Europe. You will destroy Scotland because the current government has no track record in taking the tough decisions required reverse the decline in many aspects of scottish life under your mandate.	The huge effort going into this should be spent elsewhere. Your drive for independence is anti english rascism. Its time to have some maturity in our political leaders
4634	724630628	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As an observer at my local polling station I was surprised at the lack of security over postal boxes. Cheap platicuff tags for sealing that could be purchased in any hardware shop. I would suggest a confirmation signature from both sides of the campaign would sign a form confirming the number of forms that should be inside the ballot box and the boxes sealed with a relevant coloured plasticuff or tag with a local identifier seal to be verified at the counting station. Boxes at the count in Renfrewshire were mixed with no traceability. I would also like to see International independent Watchdog in place to oversee the count.	I would query a couple of things here. No issues with anyone who is a current Scotland resident. However one of the things that should be taken in to account is someone's mental status at the time i.e. Signed over power of attorney etc , living in a care home with Alzheimer's Disease etc. If not deemed in a suitable state of mind for decision making then in my opinion they should abstain otherwise their vote can be manipulated.	Happy with this
4635	446114215	David Francis	Individual	Individual	No problem with any of this - BUT ..............TOTALLY IMPARTIAL scrutiny of all votes MUST be ensured.\r Internationally Recognised Organisation would be best - one totally based OUTSIDE the UK.	No problems with this.	No problems with this
4636	742805710	alan anderson	Individual	Individual	WE HAVE HAD A REFERENDUM AND STURGEON SHOULD RESIGN !	No Answered	What about Redacted text, will they be allowed to Vote ?
4637	73681965	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We had a referendum in September 2014 and we don't require another for a generation.	I don't agree with 16 and 17 year old children being permitted to vote in the referendum as most are not mature enough to make an informed decision.	I don't hold a view on this particular matter.
4638	312869463	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel uncomfortable with the phrasing of this question as it appears to pre suppose support for a second referendum. I do not support holding a second referendum.	Again this question appear to suggest that a second referendum is to be held. I do not think this is in the best interests of Scotland.	Again, at the risk of repeating myself this question presupposes a second referendum is to be held. I feel this is not in the best interests of Scotland, and that another referendum would be an unnecessary distraction from more pressing issues that the government should be addressing.
4639	344343944	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposals on the arrangements for conducting the referendum.	I would only question why people currently living Scotland, who have come from countries outside the EU or Commonwealth, are not allowed to vote.	It is good to see Electoral Commission recommendations being proposed, I am happy with these technical changes.
4640	208590937	Michael Mackintosh	Individual	Individual	I feel that there should be independent body overseeing the count as a way of making sure that there is no wrongdoing. Other than this it seems like decent arrangements are being put in place.	The changes look very good and have assised to rule out the oppertunity to have votes cast for inelligable people. It also reduces the risk of fraudulent votes.	They seem agreeable.
4641	1028106917	Suzanne Hendry	Individual	Individual	I trust that the Scottish government will do the right thing for the whole of scotland	Again I am more than happy to accept any recommendations the Scottish government makes	All seems fair
4642	344349056	Anonymous	No Answered	Individual	I'm happy enough for the management of the referendum but would add that I feel that students should not be given the vote, they would be making a vote on the future of a country they are basically just passing through and after finishing Uni they go back to their own country, it should only be for anyone who lives permanently in Scotland, I know that some folk may be working in Scotland for several years but most folk when they move here, stay here. Students I feel are different, they want to make a difference to their country with their expertise.	Having been active within the local Yes campaign as well as at the polling station and count I would hope that this time round there is a tightening of all ways that the system could be tampered with. Our count there were several confusing delays of the count which seemed to be happening elsewhere, I have been to counts before and have never experienced this, at one point counting was stopped for around half an hour..what was going on behind these doors whilst we all stood waiting for more boxes and counting to re-start. I have not much trust in the postal vote, I know personally it was abused, especially by people in the south who had switched their holiday homes as supposed full residence in Scotland, this was reported to the police who contacted the Electoral Commission. It is far too easy for folk not allowed a vote to abuse the system of postal votes. In the olden days there was very few folk allowed postal votes, the old folk or disabled. At the our count the Yes were in the lead till the postal votes..seems it was that way in quite a few of the counts. I would also look at other choices of the question. Maybe Should Scotland return to an Independent country? After all our forefathers were pretty responsible for being a small Indy nation for centuries, this is nothing new, us being Independent, maybe then folk may look at the question differently. We are in a far better place now that in the olden days of Independence and our forefathers were hardy folk just like we are today in when we decide we will pull together and make Scotland work again as an Independent country. It should only be about people who live here, not just passing through for a few years. As for the proxy vote, not sure that is secure, after all, a No voter may live in Scotland but they could find a way of making it look like a person from the south with no right to vote, is "living" with them but are away for the vote......I don't trust that anymore than the postal vote. I'm glad there will be a 100% check on postal voting statements though. I would like to make sure that people going to polling stations bring their cards and identity, after all, maybe someone who can't be bothered voting, gives their card to someone who is of No or Yes and they get their own vote and someone else's, if identity needs to be shown along side the polling card, that is a wee bit more stricter, 99% of us have proof of identity, a drivers licence, a bill with name and address etc, we need them for many a thing we are registering for, i.e. banks etc.	I'm not sure if this is related to it but I thought it was so wrong for over 100 Labour MPs to not only travel up to Scotland to door knock as well as some English Labour MPs were asking folk to help with canvassing in Scotland, these people do not know really what Scotland is all about, they were basically knocking on doors, not knowing the people, their towns and communities never having lived in Scotland yet lying and distorting the facts (many folk were speaking about these visitors telling them lies/distortions/scaremongering)
4643	813313347	Christine Findlay	Individual	Individual	I believe that polling by going to sign your cross at the polling station is fine but as a disabled person who sends her vote by post is open easily to fraud and should be looked into a better method	I am pleased to see that things will be better and agree with the above statement	I agree and hope that there is a lot off folks out there have difficulty understanding the rules for voting so there should be groups all over Scotland targeting there area and helping to either collect there votes or taking them to there local hall ect ..
4644	814405591	Steve Horton	Individual	Individual	No views except that the Scottish Government does not have a mandate to push for a new independence referendum for a generation. I voted to stay in Europe, but if there were to be a new independence referendum for Scotland in the short term I would vote to remain part of the UK.	No views except that the Scottish Government does not have a mandate to push for a new independence referendum for a generation. I voted to stay in Europe, but if there were to be a new independence referendum for Scotland in the short term I would vote to remain part of the UK.	No views except that the Scottish Government does not have a mandate to push for a new independence referendum for a generation. I voted to stay in Europe, but if there were to be a new independence referendum for Scotland in the short term I would vote to remain part of the UK.
4645	624980862	Tommy Mailey	Individual	Individual	These arrangements are as they should, legal and transparent.	Straightforward .	I don't find any issues with these changes.
4646	318905344	Jim gardiner	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	It is my firm belief that binary referenda do not represent true democracy but merely give the opinions of those participating at that point in time.\rIt seems to me that a decision to make major changes to the way anything is run be it a country , a town or a county should not be decided by in the extreme situation a single vote.\rIn such a case one person being ill and unable to vote could be the deciding vote.\rThis is a ridiculous situation and is certainly not democracy at work..\rA more sensible approach would be to set a higher bar e.g. 55 per cent which would then be a clear indication of the wishes of those participating.
4647	346725464	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	Scottish people living abroad should have vote. Please take this off the agenda.	Scottish government money should not be used for this purpose. Political parties should be funding this. It has already cost millions just 2 years ago
4648	154597634	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This sounds alright as long as postal votes don't go south first this time before count	This sounds alright especially checks on counters	Sounds good to me
4649	155497281	Douglas davidson	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements are fair and will ensure a demonstrate an honest result	The technical changes are fair and reasonable and and ensure that all those resident in Scotland have the opportunity to vote on their future.	The proposed changes are fair and should improve transparency.
4650	585775167	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't think there should be another referendum	I don't think there should be another referendum	I don't think there should be another referendum
4651	889138146	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements for the referendum were fine for the 2014 referendum, and should be for the next proposed referendum. However, extra care should be taken to ensure that votes are counted accurately. For example votes could be counted twice by different people each time. This is to rule out any possibility of fraud.	See above comment.\rIn terms of people eligible to vote, I am strongly in favour of EU citizens, as well as those of other nationalities, voting in the referendum. \rSuch citizens should, in my opinion, be able to demonstrate (or at least confirm) their intention to acquire Scottish nationality/reside in Scotland should it become independent.	No particular opinion.
4652	890704238	John Thomson	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements, but would like a tightening of the 'postal vote' system, which I feel is open to abuse.	I have no objections to the changes	I have no objections to the proposed changes
4653	985046020	Michael Sheridan	Individual	Individual	I don't want a referendum	I don't want a referendum	I don't want a referendum
4654	362558474	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't think the Scottish people have the appetite for another referendum. The last referendum resulted a great deal of disharmony and social division and this will undoubtedly be escalated in Indiref2.\r Scotland does not have a viable economy based on present or future expectations of revenue from oil, industry, services and tourism etc. without the Barnet Formulae support. The marginal economic case made in the previous referendum was based on substantially better oil revenues than may be expected in the foreseeable future. \r The only way to establish a balanced economy for an independent Scotland, would be to have a substantial increase in taxation with attendant loss of living standards and quality of life. Too big a price to pay for independence.	See above, don't want another referendum.	No Comment
4655	1065965677	John Oliver	Individual	Individual	There is not a "clear indication" for another indy ref. Indeed over 1/3 of your own membership voted against time round. You want indy from the UK but want to tie us into the EU why??	No should be the same the UK national elections.	What about armed forces who are Scottish but have to work away due to postings??
4656	747929595	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Would expect the same level of integrity as national elections	ROI and EU citizens should not have a vote. By definition they are not citizens of the UK and by not being citizens have shown no commitment to the country	No view
4657	879530785	Barry Somerville	Individual	Individual	I feel that it well thought out, constructive from Scotland's perspective and very fair to all.	No Answered	Doesn't seem to be much new stuff in there.
4658	758502480	Ross	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I think this is another waste of time and effort and most of all a waste of tax payers money... Nicolas sturgeon needs to be put in a padded cell and locked up with wee eck!!!
4659	725305272	Allan Paul	Individual	Individual	The arrangements sound very satisfactory.	I am happy with technical changes outlined.	Satisfactory.
4660	388947880	Charles spittal	Individual	Individual	As a snp voter I don't agree with a referendum until Brexit is sorted.	Nothing wrong with the statusquo	No issue with it
4661	479952569	Ian hardie	Individual	Individual	No postsl votes to be counted outwith scotland	Goof	Good
4662	599284110	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Seems fine	No opinion	Anything to make things more transparent
4663	851206796	robert mcartney	Individual	Individual	im a for	yes agree as i believe there seems to be an issue with the vote .................	agree
4664	671409770	Douglas davidson	Individual	Individual	Arrangements are fair and reasonable	Arrangements are fair and reasonable, pdticularly as aall those resident in Scotland can have a say in their future's	The proposals for permissible participants are fair a d reazonable and assist clarity.
4665	773626349	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Looks good.	👍	👍
4666	983044484	John Dickson	Individual	Individual	I disagree with eligibility criteria. This referendum affects expat Scots like me who live in the EU and we should have our say.	See my answer above	No comments
4667	179126875	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel this is a fair way to manage the referendum.	These changes puts the referendum on par with any other election in Scotland and is the correct thing to do.	I have no view on this.
4668	745945173	Rachel Brown	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
4669	632040477	Simon	Individual	Individual	"Accordingly, the Scottish Government proposes that the poll and the count\rwould be managed in the same way as in 2014, by the returning officer (designated\rfor the referendum as the “counting officer”) for each of Scotland’s 32 local\rgovernment areas under the overall direction of a Chief Counting Officer."\r As you know as I sent you my court of sessions documents, 10s of 1000s of ballot papers were swapped on the way to the counts.\rRedacted text police's obstruction of justice was the most surprising.\rSecurity was laughable last time, you didn't even use permitted participants.\r OperationScallop will be running again but this is your job and not mine, secure the vote or you've already lost again.	"Accordingly, the Scottish Government proposes that the poll and the count\rwould be managed in the same way as in 2014, by the returning officer (designated\rfor the referendum as the “counting officer”) for each of Scotland’s 32 local\rgovernment areas under the overall direction of a Chief Counting Officer."\r As you know as I sent you my court of sessions documents, 10s of 1000s of ballot papers were swapped on the way to the counts.\r Redacted textpolice's obstruction of justice was the most surprising.\rSecurity was laughable last time, you didn't even use permitted participants.\r OperationScallop will be running again but this is your job and not mine, secure the vote or you've already lost again.	"Accordingly, the Scottish Government proposes that the poll and the count\rwould be managed in the same way as in 2014, by the returning officer (designated\rfor the referendum as the “counting officer”) for each of Scotland’s 32 local\rgovernment areas under the overall direction of a Chief Counting Officer."\r As you know as I sent you my court of sessions documents, 10s of 1000s of ballot papers were swapped on the way to the counts.\r Redacted textAitkenhead road police's obstruction of justice was the most surprising.\rSecurity was laughable last time, you didn't even use permitted participants.\r OperationScallop will be running again but this is your job and not mine, secure the vote or you've already lost again.
4670	890166041	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no 2nd Referendum!	There should be no 2nd Referendum	There should be no 2nd Referendum
4671	1031181139	Thomas Easson	Individual	Individual	THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN. NO TO INDEPNDENCE. I WONDER IF THE GOVERNMENT CAN ACTUALLY READ WHAT A POLL SAYS...NO MEANS NO\rIF THIS IS THE CASE, THEN THEY SHOULD ALL RESIGN. PLEASE PASS COMMENTS TO MS TURGEON.\rTHESE COST MILLIONS & MY CHILD GOES UNEDUCATED, MOTHER CANT GET PROPER CARE..USE THE MONEY FOR THAT. OR DONT PUT UP TAXES & HELP THE ECONOMY..DO YOU NOT REALISE THAT IF PEOPLE HAVE MONEY THEY SPEND IT, CREATING JOBS, & RAISING TAX..NO..YOU DON'T SO MAYBE RESIGN	NO POINT,. NO REFERENDUM REQUIRED	NO POINT..NO REFERENDUM
4672	789262791	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I, and many others are concerned by the suggestion that the last referendum was open to abuse. I would like to see totally independent people (possibly from other EU nations) appointed to oversee the process.	No Answered	I approve of the amendment regarding appointment of counting staff. However, it would be more effective if the counting staff themselves were held legally accountable for not disclosing their involvement in campaigning.
4673	515224694	Declan Dundas	Individual	Individual	I see no reason why this method can't be used and why any other voting method is better.	If the proposed changes make the referendum more democratic, then I'd accept them. Although I'm confused as to the actual impact of the changes.	If changes are more democratic and reasonable then definitely - I see no reason why they aren't though.
4674	150234746	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We have already had one referendum and a clear answer. The country voted no and the Scottish government should accept that and move on. Why do they feel they can ignore the will of the people they represent and waste even more money? It feels like personal opinion is getting in the way of running his country in the best way possible for the people.	I really don't care. I think that any more time, effort and money wasted on a referendum shows a dangerous lack of respect for the will of the people. We had a vote and got a result.	See above.
4675	884782375	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think that any arrangements should be made whatsoever. The majority voting population of Scotland clearly decided in 2014 that Scotland should remain in the U.K. This was a once in a generation decision. The United Kingdom's decision to leave the EU was as democratic a vote of the whole of the UK as was the vote by the whole of Scotland not to leave the U.K. Accept it and move on.	The rules should ensure that any person who has been involved on campaigning during the referendum is not eligible to be appointed or employed in any role concerned with the administration or count of any referendum and that they must declare such to any person offering to appoint or employ that person in any such role. i.e. The responsibility should not just be that of the counting officer. Failure to do so may result in any such count being declared invalid and being rerun.	No comment.
4676	653984715	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should NOT be a second referendum therefore this is irrelevant. We were promised the divisive 2014 referendum would be a "once in a generation" occurrence. The EU referendum is not a reason to break this promise and indeed Scotland is without doubt far better off within the UK and out of the EU. The EU is in its dying throes and it would require a seriously ill-informed politician to fail to recognise this.	I repeat, there should NOT be a second referendum therefore this is irrelevant. We were promised the divisive 2014 referendum would be a "once in a generation" occurrence. The EU referendum is not a reason to break this promise and indeed Scotland is without doubt far better off within the UK and out of the EU. The EU is in its dying throes and it would require a seriously ill-informed politician to fail to recognise this.\rIt is outrageous that so far this "consultation's" questions are predicated on the presumption that there should be a referendum. That is undemocratic and demonstrates a wilful intent to deliver a presumption in favour of a referendum. \rThat is the corrupt tactics of a desperate government and failing administration.	This is becoming ever more tedious with each question. There should NOT be a second referendum therefore this is irrelevant. We were promised the divisive 2014 referendum would be a "once in a generation" occurrence. The EU referendum is not a reason to break this promise and indeed Scotland is without doubt far better off within the UK and out of the EU. The EU is in its dying throes and it would require a seriously ill-informed politician to fail to recognise this.\rIt is outrageous that so far this "consultation's" questions are predicated on the presumption that there should be a referendum. That is undemocratic and demonstrates a wilful intent to deliver a presumption in favour of a referendum. \rThat is the corrupt tactics of a desperate government and failing administration.
4677	576004485	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have little confidence that the electoral commission will deal appropriately with those who break the purdah rules, such as better together, senior unionist politicians, the civil service, etc.	Even with the proposed changes to postal and proxy voting I still do not trust that these methods could not be interfered with.\rThere should be better I dependent scrutiny at the counting stations, possibly by another EU country.	No views.
4678	175354515	John Saunders	Individual	Individual	I remain concerned that electoral fraud was prevalent in the 2014 referendum, given the video evidence on social media, and would welcome independent surveillance of counting procedures - along with more robust security of polling boxes before counting commences.	Postal vote reporting was the most controversial aspect of the 2014 referendum. More security and clarity is required on the reporting of the accuracy of the postal vote. The accuracy of the postal vote remains in dispute.	Acceptable
4679	270040825	Ruth Barratt	Individual	Individual	Happy with these proposals	I would like to see a better structure of observers at the counts. I believe if observers from both sides team as pairs then there would be less likelihood of complaints made regarding counters.\r Postal ballots should NOT be counted before the close of poll.	No comment - I don't understand it all!
4680	856747144	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The most recent referendum I feel was divisive and instilled resentment amongst its citizens and the wounds from that have still to heal. \r Consequently, if there is to be another referendum then careful consideration should be had to the question which is put to the electorate, not a YES or NO answer. I consider that the question should be less contentious or confrontational and herewith put forward my suggestion:\r Do you want Scotland to be an Independent Nation? ( )\r \t\t\t\tOR\r Do you want Scotland to remain as part of the United Kingdom? ( )	No Answered	I consider that it is only competent for British citizens, resident in Scotland, to vote on an issue of Sovereignty. To allow nationals from other countries, who are transitional by definition, to vote on a the issue of independence is unconstitutional.
4681	133026116	Kim Elliot	Individual	Individual	I agree but ballot papers should remain in Scotland and under control and scrutiny of the Scottish govt	I am of the view that there should be no postal or proxy votes! The living will find a way to the polling station !	Agreed
4682	1026578938	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	N/A - do not hold another efurendum - we already held one and the vote was clear	N/A - do not hold another efurendum - we already held one and the vote was clear	N/A - do not hold another efurendum - we already held one and the vote was clear
4683	433750761	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would like Scottish people who are not presently living in Scotland to be able to vote somehow.	Again I would like Scottish people who do not presently live in Scotland to be able to vote.	No view.
4684	936057229	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think above what was done last time that exit polls should be taken at most if not all polling stations is possible as theirs would give a fair view of any abnormalities that may arise.	This all seems fair.	All seems fine again.
4685	808666570	James Hood	Individual	Individual	This very system has served us all well since inception. No reason, therefore, to change a formula that works.	I agree with the broad principal contained in this section although I believe that all Scots throughout the world also ought to be given a vote. Given that there are hundreds of thousands of Scots living in other countries who have a vested interest, it seems fair and reasonable that they should be allowed a vote on the future of their mother country.	Agreed
4686	681926107	Dave McQue	Individual	Individual	As long as it's handled properly. If possible there should be less of the "we need to take a sample to conduct a straw poll". It would cut out the possibility of fixing allegations on either side.	They all make sense & reflect the proposal that the future of Scotland should lie with the residents of Scotland, (hence Scottish people) & also the addition of people counting votes shouldn't be a part of any Party campaigning, but independent volunteers.	Like I said before, the fact you need to make little changes like these, is telling. Mainly about the results & coverage of the 2014 referendum.
4687	291832115	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I believe 16 year olds should be allowed to vote. They are as entitled as the people aged over 65. I believe all arrangements should follow 2014 model.
4688	927998284	David Milligan	Individual	Individual	The Electoral Commission should have nothing to do with a second independence referendum.\r Purdah was wildly broken by the three main party leaders and by an ex prime minister offering "something new" after the start of the purdah period and strangely after the postal votes had been cast. \r The board of the Electoral Commission saw no wrong and therefore did nothing.\r Any overseeing authority should be expected to pounce and deal with wrong doing and be seen to be a proactive part of the process.\r Other than receiving reports of how much campaigning money was spent, they did very little else.	No Answered	It doesn't matter whether you buy into the idea of electoral fraud or not during the 2014 count, what matters is that in a future referendum, secure measures should be taken to demonstrably show that we all accept there is a greater or smaller risk of fraud and that we have done something to combat it.\r With that in mind, I suggest the following changes;-\r 1. Scrap all postal votes. They are a fraud waiting to happen. 700,000 postal votes in a country with a voting population of just over 4 million is ridiculous.\r 2. Promote proxy votes. They cause additional work to process but the person presenting as proxy must provide proof of identity and is therefore another level of security.\r 3. The idea of uncounted ballot boxes going over the hills and far away yet again invite fraud.\rIt takes no more people overall to count at the Polling Station and complete a secure return to the Returning Officer which could be by both electronic communication and followed by a paper form delivered in person. The electronic and paper communications must be checked by a nominated person for both the yes and no sides in each case before they are accepted into the final gross total.\rThe ballot boxes would be sealed after the count is verified and accepted and held securely at the polling station. This would stop the idiocy of a recount where "a few extra boxes were suddenly found".\r 4. All ballot boxes should be clear. This prevents the situation where boxes could have a false floor and be pre-loaded.\r 5. All polling stations should be fitted by a temporary CCTV system to cover all hours that the vote is taking place and the on site count. No more than one or two cameras would be necessary to record the days proceedings each on a temporary stand and with a small network video recorder to take the recordings. Police would then take a copy of the hard disk at each polling station and take it into police evidence to be kept at the nearest Police Station secure evidence store. The effectiveness of this will be twofold; \ra) it would create a deterrent against fraud.\rb) it would yet again show that secure measures had been taken.\r My suggestions are offered in good faith. It would be a very dangerous thing to do if almost the same methods were used and yet again we had rumours of fraud and a "no" vote was returned once again. That would be extremely foolish.\r Therefore I commend the above changes to the Scottish Government.
4689	1025065123	Michael Millar	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
4690	895065620	Claire Marie Corry	Individual	Individual	I am happy for this to be managed in the same way as it was in 2014, but feel the regulation should feel more under Scottish control. In 2014, it appeared to be very much under Westminster control.	I believe the eligibility to vote should be dependent on being ordinarily resident in Scotland (excluding, for example, those only resident in Scotland for education purposes, and including individuals temporarily living elsewhere with a residential address in Scotland).	I am happy with what is proposed.
4691	829702377	Roddy Johnston	Individual	Individual	sounds good	good	good
4692	1060054645	ROY DOUGLAS	Individual	Individual	There should be no repeat referendum. \rThis is a misuse and waste of public money which badly needed elsewhere in Scotland.	Still a waste of our money. Let the snp fund Sturgeon's self glorification quests.	None
4693	277479443	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	fully in favour	no objection	agree
4694	487936106	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There must be independent adjudicators at all counts to prevent any suggestion of fraudulent counts.	All postal votes must remain and be counted in Scotland . There should be an independent adjudicator present when counting takes place.	These changes seem acceptable.
4695	532154518	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't disagree with the arrangement although I do not wish another referendum	I don't disagree with the arrangement although I do not wish another referendum	I don't disagree with the changes although I do not wish another referendum
4696	529856273	Brian Watters	Individual	Individual	I would like to ensure that there were robust controls on postal votes , who is eligible for them , how the they are handled , counted , what oversight and security is in place before the count etc. \rThere were many stories (rumors) of postal votes with no official stamps or numbers . It should be absolutely clear that there should be no doubt whatsoever over the numbers of votes cast by post , and their validity	very happy to see increased scrutiny of the postal voting system.\rI seriously wonder at the necessity to have proxy voting system that can be open to abuse of the personal choice of the "proxy giver" . Is such a thing really required when a robust and simple postal vote system is in place, is this not an anomaly from a bygone era ?	no comment
4697	244267909	Stew Pidnat	Individual	Individual	I have none, I gave my views on September 14 2014, you through a toxic combination of arrogance, duplicity, mendaciousness and divisiveness have chosen to ignore them as your Government is a cancer on the economic wellbeing of Scotland.	I have none, I gave my views on September 14 2014, you through a toxic combination of arrogance, duplicity, mendaciousness and divisiveness have chosen to ignore them as your Government is a cancer on the economic wellbeing of Scotland.	I have none, I gave my views on September 14 2014, you through a toxic combination of arrogance, duplicity, mendaciousness and divisiveness have chosen to ignore them as your Government is a cancer on the economic wellbeing of Scotland.
4698	974379024	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would like some guarantee that the voting system can't be tampered with. I've been made aware of rumours that there were certain improprieties in the last Scottish Independence referendum concerning access to the postal ballot & in the supervision of the people sorting & counting the voting papers! Just how much truth is in these rumours remains to be seen but the possibility still remains in the next.	I feel that EU residents in Scotland should be allowed to vote but non - Scottish students should not. I'm quite sure the student vote I have suggested would be almost impossible to implement but last time we had a considerable number of students from England who voted no & then returned to England after their studies!	That's an improvement
4699	991322520	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Sounds good. Ideally the vote would be available to Scots living abroad	Would like to see Scots living abroad included	No issues
4700	455217549	Jordan Rowson	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Absolutely against it. I believe that the country needs a sustained period of stability and that the government should be focused on improving education, healthcare and social welfare in the country as oppose to diverting efforts and attention to another referendum. \rThe last referendum was incredibly devisive and I believe that time for those divisions to heal should be allowed before launching into a new referendum.
4701	942702632	Andrew Burns	Individual	Individual	Totally against this referendum and everything associated with it	Totally against this referendum and everything associated with it	Totally against this referendum and everything associated with it
4702	961305294	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am in general terms in favour of the proposals regarding the conduct of the referendum and welcome the proposed tightening regarding postal votes etc. I'm not sure if the entire management of the referendum will be conducted within Scotland but think it should be. There should be a much stronger policing and audit of procedures and purdahperhaps more than initially being proposed.	I welcome these amendments and would like even more tightening. I have heard (verbal only) that some with holiday homes have been able to vote despite not being resident in Scotland and suspect those doing this will in the main be 'No' voters. The rules regarding this and the possible punishment should be increased. I have also heard that once postal voting is requested then it continues longer than just for the upcoming vote. i may be wrong about this but would like to be sure this (the postal vote) would only be permitted on a one off basis unless there are particularly special reasons. Not sure how long postal votes are retained but that should be long enough forthe extra checking which should be required to be completed. I also have concerns that there may be abuse involving those in care homes.	I welcome these alterations
4703	491561900	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree with the proposals .	Agree with proposed technical changes	Agreed
4704	824113551	Brian brown	Individual	Individual	I think these are acceptable	I think this is acceptable	I think this is acceptable
4705	173464239	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no opinion	I'm of the view that those resident in Scotland must not be eligible to vote if they are or have been registered to vote elsewhere in the U.K. or elsewhere in the EU, Commonwealth, etc within a reasonable time period of, say, 3 years. This to PREVENT mass-registration in holiday homes, hostels, hotels etc by normally non-residents.	I have no opinion.
4706	66813900	Daniel Brown	Individual	Individual	The previous referendum wasn't a completely fair referendum in regards to the facts and figures with both sides guilty of exaggerated figures (Alex Salmond regarding how much oil is left and how much revenue it would generate). The question posed should also be changed to give the other side a fairer chance given that the 'Yes' answer has positive connotations and the 'No' answer negative. E.g. "Should Scotland remain part of the United Kindgom". Although considering the SNP are pushing for independence and are in power this is unlikely as it reduces their chances.	Regarding counting and polling, through media observation this seems as though it was done fairly last time so should work again. I do not however know if letting EU, and Commonwealth citizens vote without including international residents as they are all living in the same country under the same laws. Either everyone or just British nationals living in Scotland.	The rules on permissible applicants seem fair.
4707	830574150	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	The proposed arrangements are inappropriate for a constitutional issue of this magnitude.\r A 50% + 1 vote majority is likely to add to the division in Scotland we have seen since 2014. For example, when Norway voted for independence, over 95% of those who voted, voted for independence. Given support for Scottish independence is variable and currently in a minority, there should be minimum requirements for both voter turnout and a 66% majority in favour of independence.	Given the SNP's Named Persons Policy required a named person for under 18s, it does not seem appropriate that under 18s vote in any referendum. Does the SNP consider 16 - 18 year olds adults or not? If yes, a named person is not required. If no, they should not be able to vote.\r The eligibility to vote after residing in Scotland for 6 months should be reconsidered because individuals that are eligible under this rule may not have a considered, long term view or long term interest in the success of an independent Scotland.
4708	965285714	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do NOT support another independence referendum campaign	I do NOT support another independence referendum campaign	I do NOT support another independence referendum campaign
4709	575643719	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Just as the white paper it's interesting to see fairytales in print.	Laughable	Just goes to show you will stop at nothing to get the vote no matter what happens to Scotland.
4710	519962567	Rod Macfarlane	Individual	Individual	There were many requests on the last referendum for the EU to be asked to send official observers, can we ensure that such oversight is sought on this occasion?	I have no objections to this...however there has been wide spread concern among certain sectors of the public over postal voting and its security and transparency. \rThere have also been suggestions that in the last referendum the responsibility for overseeing postal voting was given to an English based company run by a former senior tory politician. This needs to be clarified. \rAlso on the issue of postal voting, can we be sure that those who do so have a right to do so.\r There were concerns also at the last referendum that there were those from elsewhere using holiday home and other temporary homes purely to have a vote in the referendum. \rIndeed I know of one instance where someone who had been in Australia for the previous 18years came back and registered to vote, then left immediately afterwards. Is there some way to check such abuses on this occasion?	no further views.
4711	831139855	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I was not happy with the stipulation of "no recounts" at the 2014 referendum and have always wondered if this normal because I wasn't aware of that being an issue in previous ones and certainly never heard it mentioned re the EU one.
4712	257288250	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The voting age should be 18. The question should not be of a YES/NO nature.	Irish, Commonwealth and EU should citizens should not have a vote.	No view
4713	11407637	N/A	Individual	Individual	International monitoring to ensure no corrupt state action ,far more" robust " stance by Scot gov of the British stance and challenge the position of non political entities such as CBI who are manipulated by the British state. Make crystal clear that this is Scotland final chance for independence before being reduced to a county not a country ,this is not a union it's a domination . And the implication of British fascism now the norm pushed by the Murdoch and state media , I find myself disappointed by the Scot govs poor challenging of the status quo , must be far more robust ,confrontational ,the British gov have an appalling record NOT exploited by the Scot gov , WE need to be determined as THEM, and every bit as RUTHLESS as the British state ,failure to do so will fail to motovie stimulate, the response we need to deliver a free Scotland with sovigern people. Now go and deliver us a free Scotland .	Shorhter stronger campaign ,highlighting the political bent of the state corporate media ,this must be challenged at every opportunity .
4714	10959064	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not interested as this should not be on the table . It was made clear in 2014 this was a once in a lifetime vote.	Should only be for Scottish people to vote and using under 18 year olds should be changed. If the government deems them to be to young to drink or drive and make other responsible decisions then then how can voting be justified.Hypocracy	Not interested as this is an unjust Referendum in which the people of Scotland have been lied about.
4715	718030287	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These arrangements are satisfactory - it seems however that in this day and age , some form of electronic voting should be available . If the census can be submitted electronically then why not voting in elections ?	Satisfactory arrangement	Satisfactory arrangement
4716	1036958202	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	You might want to spell this out for people as most will not take the time to read up on the arrangements currently set out for elections.	At every count there should be a representative from each side of the campaign at each table/polling station and every vote seen as it's counted and each side should have the opportunity to count each pile, checking the backs of each ballot. No one enters or leaves the polling station while the count is happening. Also the representatives at each polling table/station should have the ability to get the counts from all of them before reporting the numbers back to their headqiarters. That way the rough nbers are known well before they're officially announced. Ballot boxes should NEVER leave a polling station (building) before being counted. Ever. Even on the islands surely they have enough people to count ballots and people have cell phones they can call numbers into headquarters with.	Perfect.
4717	970732141	lorraine	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	i think security should be high and ballot papers remain and are counted in scotland
4718	1056721675	R Young	Individual	Individual	Satisfied	Satisfied	Satisfied
4719	594424503	Quisling tory britnat yoon	Individual	Individual	Why are you asking me?\r I'm a NO voter\r You see me as the enemy	Why don't you do something like running scotland?	Why are you asking me?\r I'm a NO voter\r You see me as the enemy
4720	10785818	Bert Iannetta	Individual	Individual	Count shoult be independantly managed. No fiasco as happened in Dundee.	No Answered	House of Lords members ????????
4721	758503740	Vicki Turner	Individual	Individual	I think they are fair.	The changes seem sensible and give everyone a chance to vote appropriately	I agree with these changes.
4722	324545681	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think it should be done by an independent party who has no gain from either Scotland being independent or remain part of the UK. I feel the count in 2014 may have been mishandled.	I feel these changes would be fair	I feel these are good
4723	202633601	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Do not hold this referendum.\rThis is a simple "think past the sale" question\rEverything was done last time to stack the chances of those wishing to break up the United Kingdom, and you still lost	Residency does not make a person Scottish. \r I regard myself as British, and since the creation of Holyrood , embarrassed to be thought of as Scottish	Another attempt to stack the outcome to the so called Scottish "Government" requirement
4724	211451567	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no other referendum. We made our views clear in 2014. We don't want to be an independent country. Accept it and move on. Try using your time and so called expertise in improving peoples job prospects, improving health and education. You don't want us to be governed from London but are quite happy to be governed from Brussels!	No need to change as we do not need another referendum	No need to change as we do not need another referendum
4725	105083137	Jacqueline Bradley	Individual	Individual	I am happy and confident that using the current Electoral Management Board is the most efficient and fair structure to use.	I am happy with that we would continue with current best practices and that 100% of personal identifiers should be checked on postal votes. \rI feel that counting and polling staff should be responsible in declaring that they have not been involved in campaigning and that what constitutes 'campaigning' is clear eg: is wearing a badge or displaying a poster or attending a public rally considered campaigning. I do not think this should be the responsibility of the counting officer.	I would be happy with this.
4726	444530866	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agreed.	Agreed.	Agreed.
4727	651808912	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think it is right to offer 16 year olds a vote. You cannot say they have significant decision making ability to vote on one hand and on the other hand class them as children and in need of a named person as proposed in another proposal. This is hypocritical. Also the need for a referendum is an insult to democracy as the results of the previous vote has not been respected. The vote to leave the EU is not an excuse to further a pipedream.	If citizens from the republic of Ireland are given a vote then Scottish citizens living in the republic of Ireland should also be given a vote	No comment
4728	113764688	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	16 and 17 year olds should not be allowed to vote.\rThey are not allowed to buy tobacco products. The are dealt with in juvenile courts. They cannot drive heavy or large motor vehicles. They are still subject to child protection orders. \rThe reason for this is that The State has not deemed them mature enough to make decisions that affect their health and safety and the safety of others around them. If we are to take referendums, elections and democracy seriously this should also apply to voting.	No comments here.	No-one convicted of any offence should be allowed to stand for office. If you can't adhere to the laws you have no right to be part of the process that defines the laws.
4729	709714915	John Noble	Individual	Individual	I am totally against another referendum. Nothing in the paper convinces me otherwise. We had a referendum. The Scottish people voted to stay in the UK. We should respect that vote for at least "a generation" i.e. minimum 25 years to avoid de-stabilising political, financial and security matters.	Unnecessary.	Unnecessary.
4730	552305958	Thomas Grant Greenock	Individual	Individual	Only people resident and paying council tax in Scotland should get a vote. \rNo postal votes unless you can prove you are overseas on holiday or for work	No Answered	What is the difference between british citizens and lords?
4731	230181293	Elizabeth Noble	Individual	Individual	Ridiculous. We have had a referendum. Respect its result. We are stronger in UK. We are stronger out of a failing EU.	Irrelevant. We should not have another referendum.	Irrelevant. We should not have another referendum.
4732	828069192	John pollock	Individual	Individual	I fully support the Scottish government in their decision	I agree with the changes as I feel the original count for the first independence referendum was wholly and completely inaccurate	Again I fully support the Scottish government
4733	993703815	BARBARA MCDONALD	Individual	Individual	Waste of time, concentrate on running the country.. no means no	Not needed	Keep it the way it is
4734	210663406	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	A waste of tax payers money. We voted No the first time.
4735	291301784	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think it is appalling to be thinking of another referendum. It was promised to be a 'once in a lifetime ' vote which was a NO to independence.	No Answered	Why won't The Scottish Government concentrate on governing and not be spending time and money, which we don't have, on breaking up from the United Kingdom.
4736	293326704	Sandra Hoffland	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals for management.	I agree	I agree
4737	290925009	Not an snp nazi	Individual	Individual	Not bothered	Should be 18 to vote. What's this about another referendum? Once in a generation?	Not bothered
4738	1009419992	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think that the proposed arrangements for the referendum are fair and good. I like the fact the 16 year olds will be able to vote because it is them the outcome will impact most.	I think that any person no matter what nationality should be able to vote if they have chosen to make Scotland their home. So I agree.	fine
4739	746351032	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't wish to have another referendum	Don't wish to have another referendum	Don't wish to have anothef referendum
4740	111918267	Robert Cassells	Individual	Individual	These seem entirely satisfactory.	These changes have a proven successful track record and it makes sense to use them for this referendum.	This is appropriate.
4741	402174890	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Content.	Content.	Content.
4742	593140239	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Returning Officers (no doubt local government Chief Executives or similar) should not be paid extra to carry out these duties	Surely only British citizens should be entitled to vote!	No comment
4743	381231747	Norman Ewan	Individual	Individual	The Scottish Government can't run the country as an administration they would never manage the country as an independent country	First past the post	Over 18's only
4744	245774057	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We voted No in 2014. No need for another waste of taxpayers money (mine!) on another vanity project.\r My two year old has a better understanding of the word 'no' than the SNP have.\r Ms Sturgeon stated that we need to respect the result of Donald Trump wining. She needs to respect the result of the 2014 vote first!	We voted No in 2014. No need for another waste of taxpayers money (mine!) on another vanity project.\r My two year old has a better understanding of the word 'no' than the SNP have.\r Ms Sturgeon stated that we need to respect the result of Donald Trump wining. She needs to respect the result of the 2014 vote first!	We voted No in 2014. No need for another waste of taxpayers money (mine!) on another vanity project.\r My two year old has a better understanding of the word 'no' than the SNP have.\r Ms Sturgeon stated that we need to respect the result of Donald Trump wining. She needs to respect the result of the 2014 vote first!
4745	829561831	Roger Hunter	Individual	Individual	I agree. Do it now!	Fine. No issues.	Again, no issue with proposals.
4746	446756282	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe there should be a restriction on who should be allowed to vote, There should be a residential qualification. Holiday home owners not allowed, students who are not in 4th year or over not allowed.\r I believe it showed be overseen by UN invigilators. Postal votes only for proof of infirmity, electoral registers checked by independent people	see above	i agree
4747	250404491	william kidd	Individual	Individual	They are satisfactory	Have no objections to proposed changes	thee are sensible
4748	196425541	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I voted No in the first referendum and the original vote greatly affected my work load and reduced business with so much uncertainty. It is also far too soon since the first referendum and the Scottish goverment needs to respect the views of the Scottish people and the outcome of the original result.	I voted No in the first referendum and the original vote greatly affected my work load and reduced business with so much uncertainty. It is also far too soon since the first referendum and the Scottish goverment needs to respect the views of the Scottish people and the outcome of the original result.	I voted No in the first referendum and the original vote greatly affected my work load and reduced business with so much uncertainty. It is also far too soon since the first referendum and the Scottish goverment needs to respect the views of the Scottish people and the outcome of the original result.
4749	24727453	Claire Mcginlay	Individual	Individual	Think it's a waste of money and effort \rAlready had once in a lifetime one so we were told in 2014	Why change	Scots only should votes save money don't waste it
4750	1016064055	Bruce Lundie	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The Scottish Government should NOT have 2nd referendum.\rWe were promised that it would be a once in a lifetime vote.\rGET ON WITH GOVERNING
4751	1069697362	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Citizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland should not be entitled to vote for Scottish Independence
4752	691763237	Corinne Noble	Individual	Individual	The only concern I have is that the postal votes were sent to England to be counted, that people were privvy to those votes before the referendum. The fact that independent count watchers said something was wrong and people running polling stations said something was not right ie. The boxes not being sealed and transported properly? I'm not a conspiracy theorist but something doesn't sound right?	These sound like very wise choices.	No feeling on this, maybe I misunderstand the significance of the change?.
4753	554077169	charles devlin	Individual	Individual	No issues with these arrangements	No issues and looks very fair and reasonable	No issues
4754	917715174	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't have one \rWe were told last time it was once in a lifetime vote.	Why change .	Give up on having another referendum please
4755	274257743	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no view as I do not believe another referendum is necessary and it will be a distraction to the day to day running of the country and an avoidable expense for the people.	I do not believe people who are not tax resident or otherwise determined to be actually living in Scotland should have a say in determining issues such as this.	I have no specific view on this
4756	565433239	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for another referendum.	There is no need for another referendum..	I see no case made out yet that requires another referendum..
4757	598376076	Margaret Hutchin	Individual	Individual	I was not happy with the previous arrangement. Many people felt they had fraudulent ballot papers which did not have barcodes. There were unescorted ballot boxes taken to the count and many discarded ballot papers found. I didn't understand the need for postal votes being sent to England either and there was no city poll. \rI am happy that 16/17 year old will be given the right to vote.	I am happy with these changes	I am happy with these changes
4758	9840776	Steven Williamson	Individual	Individual	I will Redacted text	I AGREE	I agree
4759	709394907	Derek Maxwell	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposals for how the referendum will be managed.	I am happy with the proposed changes and counting arrrangments	I am happy with the proposed changes from the 2014 procedures
4760	809717424	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Should be aligned with all UK.	Should be same as rest of UK for consistency sake.	18 year old and above should be allowed to vote.
4761	500514424	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No comment on process but would question the cost & expense of pushing through a second referendum on this subject.	Any change to procedures that tightens up on ensuring no fraudulent practices or undue influence can be exerted is welcome.	No comment on this technical detail.
4762	422606562	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These are acceptable	Acceptable	Acceptable
4763	943145959	Nelson McFarlane	Individual	Individual	It is important that the arrangements for the next referendum are beyond reproach. Personally, I would go further than the current proposals and have independent adjudicators/observers from another country.	I totally agree with these proposed changes which again should help to ensure an open and honest vote. I am amazed that more thought isn't given to IT systems in 2017 and more use of verifiable electronic voting. It is surely anachronistic that we continue to rely on a booth with a pencil on a string?! On which point, if we are saddled with that for now can we insist on pens AND ID checks?	Again, in the interests of fairness I agree with the proposals. Can we also have a clear definition of 'purdah' prior to the vote so that all involved (including the media) are clear about the convention/rules?
4764	191771378	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Yes I agree we need another referendum	Don't agree with them	I agree
4765	331256047	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Needs to be tighter as I don't feel the 2014 referendum was fair as many anomalies occurred.\rYes to electoral commission involvement, but also would welcome the introduction of a completely independent third party to check and balance	No Answered	Only permanent residents should be eligible to vote in this type of referendum, not people who will only be here for a few years.\rAgree with the other proposed changes
4766	501581528	Rosemary Hunter	Individual	Individual	Sounds good	I think not allowing someone who was actively campaigning to be involved in the count is a good idea and suggests impartiality-perhaps even using people ineligible to vote could be considered.	All good
4767	554529988	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Scots working abroad are a key component of our economy, being effectively invisible exporters of every £ repatriated. They should therefore be allowed to vote!	No comment required.	No comment required
4768	1010356305	Linda Jackson	Individual	Individual	Fine	Fine	Fine
4769	62557356	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I strongly believe that there should NOT be a second referendum, I think what the previous referendum and the Brexit referendum showed us that many people are ill informed and vote on ideals and these beliefs will not deliver what they mistakenly believe they will.	I think it is right to let 16 and 17 year olds vote, however why should this just be restricted - it should apply nationally	no view
4770	810450654	Bryan Evans	Individual	Individual	I absolutely disagree	I disagree	I disagree
4771	201693141	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Whilst the count may be managed in the same way as previous referendum, I believe with such an important issue the levers of support for independence needs to be more than 50 percent. It should be at least 60 percent in favour. This would reduce the instance of a divided country!\r The question this time should be changed and agreed by the Electoral Commission. perhaps the question could have other options from which to choose.	Non UK nationals should not be allowed a vote unless they have been resident for at least ten years.....this shows their commitment to remain in the country.	No objections.
4772	474398111	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is uncontentious.\r I have been through this form again and again and cannot find any question of relevance to the REAL QUESTION. \r This is: Do we need another Referendum at all?\r We do NOT. The last referendum was stated to be a once and for all statement by Scottish People. The Referendum was divisive and an altogether unpleasant experiance. Repeated opinion polls confirm that the Scottish People do not want another one. The position is settled.\r Your motives in producing this grossly irrelevant questionaire are suspect. What possible point is there in asking these obscure and technical questions when the core issue is left out completely?	There is a need to guard against electoral fraud. On the assumption there should be another referendum (which there should NOT be) the proposals are innocuious.	No comment
4773	768786347	Margery Evans	Individual	Individual	I totally disagree with anything associated with Independance	I disagree	I disagree
4774	644955676	Evelyn May	Individual	Individual	I think it's a good plan.	Looks fair.	Looks fair.
4775	1005870699	Sally Rogan	Individual	Individual	Fully supportive of this plans	My own view is you should be currently living in Scotland or at the very least have a Scottish address. Doubt many in the House of Lords would have!	No comments , support
4776	631497240	Joyce Cox	Individual	Individual	happy with that	No Answered	the postal vote was the one which worried me and many others. Steps taken will hopefully put minds at rest. We must never have the same doubt attached to postal voting as there was in 2014.
4777	758940407	Helen Yates	Individual	Individual	I am quite satisfied with all proposed arrangments	I'm agreeable	I'm agreeable
4778	703279803	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	citizens of the Republic of Ireland and all European Countries should not be allowed to vote in a Scottish Referendum. They only live here whilst retaining their originality.\r All Scots born persons living within the United Kingdom should be allowed to vote and\rhave a greater claim to vote over non Scots.
4779	635650709	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no need for any changes to this, as there is no requirement to have another Independence Referendum. This was decided in 2014 and was a "Once in a generation" referendum. The Scottish Governemt resources should be used on supporting the UK Governemnt in getting the Best Brexit deal possible without demading things that cannot be acheived in the hope of getting another Independance Referendum on the table. Doing this would put Scotland at great risk, even worse than Greece. I would not vote for Independance any time soon as the time is not right, we need to wait till we are in a much better position economically and politically, and this will be a couple of decades in my view.	There should be no need for any changes to this, as there is no requirement to have another Independence Referendum. This was decided in 2014 and was a "Once in a generation" referendum. The Scottish Governemt resources should be used on supporting the UK Governemnt in getting the Best Brexit deal possible without demading things that cannot be acheived in the hope of getting another Independance Referendum on the table. Doing this would put Scotland at great risk, even worse than Greece. I would not vote for Independance any time soon as the time is not right, we need to wait till we are in a much better position economically and politically, and this will be a couple of decades in my view.	There should be no need for any changes to this, as there is no requirement to have another Independence Referendum. This was decided in 2014 and was a "Once in a generation" referendum. The Scottish Governemt resources should be used on supporting the UK Governemnt in getting the Best Brexit deal possible without demading things that cannot be acheived in the hope of getting another Independance Referendum on the table. Doing this would put Scotland at great risk, even worse than Greece. I would not vote for Independance any time soon as the time is not right, we need to wait till we are in a much better position economically and politically, and this will be a couple of decades in my view.
4780	497545713	Willie Orr	Individual	Individual	Acceptable	Acceptable	This is a necessary change
4781	930393759	Jams scott	Individual	Individual	As long as fair and just should still be first past the post	Must be resident for 5 years no votes for anyone outside of Scottish Borders	Agree with new proposals
4782	250081906	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I am unreservedly opposed to the prospect of another referendum on Scottish independence; the proposed legislation disregards the outcome of the 2014 poll which shows a clear majority of citizens are against Scotland seceding from the United Kingdom.
4783	586300343	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'll considered and politically destabilising.\rScottish Government needs to focus on significant weaknesses in the Scottish economy and social structure.\rThere should not be another referendum... 4 is enough!	All those eligible to vote in the UK should be eligible to vote in a referendum that fundamentally affects the whole nation.	All those eligible to vote in the UK should be eligible to vote in a referendum that fundamentally affects the whole nation
4784	893597448	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Views	Do not believe that 16 year olds should have a vote	No views
4785	587065719	Keith Otto	Individual	Individual	I think there is no need presently for a further referendum. There is considerable uncertainty at the moment as to what the future holds without adding a further layer of complexity	Fine, happy with these changes	Fine
4786	964131884	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No need for a second referendum - the decision was made by the Scottish electorate in 2014 to remain part of the United Kingdom; the decision on EU membership was taken as a UK referendum.	No need for a second referendum	No need for a second referendum
4787	317481751	James Cook	Individual	Individual	I am disappointed that there are no questions seeking views on the need for an independence referendum or the circumstances under which a referendum would be necessary.	I am disappointed that there are no questions seeking views on the need for an independence referendum or the circumstances under which a referendum would be necessary.	I am disappointed that there are no questions seeking views on the need for an independence referendum or the circumstances under which a referendum would be necessary.
4788	645993224	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Shoud provide valid ID at polling stations and do not think vote is necessary	Shoud provide valid ID at polling stations and do not think vote is necessary	Shoud provide valid ID at polling stations and do not think vote is necessary
4789	749203666	Colin Gray	Individual	Individual	I do not feel there is any need for another referendum and Scottish public money would be better spent on necessary services rather than another referendum.	I think it should reflect UK voting practices.	no comment
4790	977354657	Jacki Griffiths	Individual	Individual	There should be no further independence referendum.	The public already decided in the referendum vote . No further referendum is required	The result in 2014 stands. No further action is required
4791	514275045	George Shepherd	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Have read through this consultation but I feel that what is here is beyond the capabilities of people like myself to make a judgement on, and therefore, can not add any constructive comments. As a SNP member of Braes Branch I have to trust the good judgement of our elected representatives. \r Note :- I would require ALL counting to take place in SCOTLAND not England
4792	470453862	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am appalled at the time and money spent by a government in even preparing this document .What part of no do you not understand . \rI am surrounded by people who are despairing at the disaster that is our once fantastic education system , of which I was part , of our NHS which all my family is involved in ,...they are on their knees ... .. you the SNP are in charge , you are failing us , difficult to imagine what your thinking is really . \rOBSESSING on Independence will be your undoing . \rI have read the draft bill and cannot begin to discuss it as I disapprove of its conception . \rRedacted text, mother of 4 , grandmother of 6 , large extended family of hard working crippled tax payers, proud Scots , with ancestors who were raised in Glasgow ship yards , who would be turning in their graves .\rSNP , Independence... not on my watch or my family .	N/A	N/A
4793	524740744	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are similar to the previous referendum, but this whole exercise is a total waste of taxpayers money and should be shelved	This is contentious issue..... but 16 and 17 year olds should not be allowed to vote in the referendum.	OK
4794	599327274	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think that the referendum should not take place at all. The Scottish Government does not have a clear mandate from the Scottish people to hold a second referendum because they did not win the first.	No Answered	People born in Scotland resident in the rest of UK should be allowed to vote.
4795	995415333	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No comment	I object very strongly to being disenfranchised in the independence voting - in the last vote and in these proposals. I am a Scottish person who lives in England. I would be directly affected if the election ended in favour of independence as my status in the UK would be changed significantly and without my being able to have a say. It was - and now is - astounding to me that the Scottish Government choses to blithely ignore my concerns, and the concerns of many thousands like me, and has disenfranchised us all. I am a Scottish person and feel very deeply about Scotland and it is ridiculous that I cannot vote. \r Following EU rules, if I lived in France I would be able to vote in UK elections, as French people living in the UK vote in French elections. It seems that the rules governing elections have been deliberately changed to ensure that people like me are excluded. Given the Scottish Government's devotion to the EU I actually find it bizarre that they don't follow EU election rules.	No comment
4796	692958163	Alastair Kennedy	Individual	Individual	Overall, I believe the proposals create an apropriate setting in which to run a referendum.	I have some concerns regarding Armed Forces personnel. I don't agree with forces personnel who are, after all, on postings, being allowed to vote if their actual long-term home is not in Scotland.\rLiving in Moray, we saw the last vote skewed by the number of forces personnel living here but mainly for a couple of years before moving back, usually to England.\rThose people who have most of their family in England should only be eligible if they have lived here for a certain minimum period of time....in my view.	As the previous answer.
4797	98731715	Mary grant	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I have no wish to have another ref as the last one give a proper verdict and I wish to remain in the u.k. Time for us to leave Europe.
4798	854047445	Kathryn gabb	Individual	Individual	I do not think we should be having another referendum at this time. I support Scottish Independence and after a lot of thought voted yes in the 2014 referendum and was disappointed that we did not achieve independence. The world has changed since then and at the moment the Scottish Government has new powers over tax and benefits that it needs to concentrate on and make a success of. Devoting energy to a referendum at this time is not a sensible step- let us show what we can do with the powers that we have and also tackle some of our problems in education and housing and the inequality of society and then I think we would win the argument for independence. I broadly support the SNP but at times their totally blinkered approach to independence actually does them a disservice as it diverts attention from other matters.	no specific views	no specific views
4799	271779072	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with that.	Happy with that.	Happy with that.
4800	993650245	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Acceptable	Acceptable	Acceptable
4801	314560803	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't believe there should be another referendum, so the question is irrelevant.	I see this, as in the past, no more than an insidious attempt to rig the vote in favour of the SNP. True natural born Scots should be able to vote no matter where they are located.	Still not transparent enough.
4802	596438063	Gordon Fulton	Individual	Individual	I think they are about as good as could be expected in the current climate, although maybe they could go further.	I believe this could be they way forward.	Good
4803	709997589	Iain Crighton	Individual	Individual	The use of postal votes to be closely monitored, use of algorithms to cross check voting patterns against the electoral roll , the need for exit polls. Postal votes to be counted in Scotland with a broad representation present. No counting of postal votes until close of polling	Consider people who may own more than one home , may reside in England with a home in Scotland abd may try to use their Scottish residence as eligibility to vote	No comment
4804	6888336	Norma Gray	Individual	Individual	I agree with the above	I agree with the changes which would introduce necessary safeguards	I agree with the changes
4805	127588637	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Want to see a tightening up of security around ballot boxes, at all stages of process, also with postal votes. ID checks at polling stations and exit polls taken.	Agree with the changes.	Agree with proposals.
4806	11237827	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree with the proposal that we have a 2nd referendum.	* I do not support a 2nd referendum.\r * I do not agree with the lowering of the voting eligibility age because, as with 2014, activists, campaigners and politicians will seek to enter classrooms to speak to pupils and present their views. This has no place in our schools. Also, teachers will feel free to press their views on their pupils. This is a concern.	We should not have a 2nd referendum.
4807	861632165	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If the referendum goes ahead, then it must be decided by total votes across the whole of Scotland and not by regions. If the vote goes against the beliefs of the SNP then another referendum will not be an option. However, the 2014 referendum was meant to be a once in a lifetime vote and we shouldn't be having another vote so soon.	Anyone under 18 should not be allowed to vote.	No views.
4808	958722885	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Looks well thought out	I am happy with the added security measures	Sensible changes
4809	276522929	Colin Jackson	Individual	Individual	I approve of the proposed arrangements	I approve of the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements.	I approve of the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants
4810	877776807	Grace Galloway	Individual	Individual	I believe that the referendum should no longer be up for discussion. As a Scottish resident and tax payer, I think it is abhorrent that the funds I contribute are being used towards this farce a second time. Please put these funds towards its intended purpose - schools, NHS and other public funds (maybe fix a road or two for a change).	I believe that the referendum should no longer be up for discussion. As a Scottish resident and tax payer, I think it is abhorrent that the funds I contribute are being used towards this farce a second time. Please put these funds towards its intended purpose - schools, NHS and other public funds (maybe fix a road or two for a change).	I believe that the referendum should no longer be up for discussion. As a Scottish resident and tax payer, I think it is abhorrent that the funds I contribute are being used towards this farce a second time. Please put these funds towards its intended purpose - schools, NHS and other public funds (maybe fix a road or two for a change).
4811	688264435	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In the 2014 referendum, I disagreed with the fact that Scots living outside of Scotland were not allowed to vote. I would hope that would not be the case again in any new referendum.	As in previous question, I strongly disagreed with the fact that Scots living outside of Scotland are not allowed to vote.	I agree with this.
4812	285604022	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I cannot see that any arrangements for another referendum are necessary in that if the views of the people are being taken into account vis a vis the vote to leave or remain in Europe, why are the views of the people not being taken into account vis a vis the result of the 2014 referendum? Why do we need another and if the result turns out to be a 10% difference again but this time in the opposite direction will we have another referendum in a few years when people decide the decision wasn't to their satisfaction?	I have no views on these changes	Will this ensure that voters will be given true and unbiased information prior to the referndum about the possible consequences of voting in either direction? Or will we be given the same hopes and aspirations (without factual content) that we were given at the last referendum?
4813	644486967	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They are fair and reasonable.	I find the information about the proposed technical changes quite difficult to understand.	Once again the language used makes it difficult to understand the meaning.
4814	485201376	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum	This is merely an exercise in circumventing the result of the previous referendum	Again this is merely an exercise in circumventing the result of the previous referendum
4815	150572495	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Legitimate way for referendum to be managed	Satisfactory	Agreed
4816	613531393	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Brexit means there has been a significant change on Scotland's relationship with UK so there has to be another independence referendum. Scotland voted to stay in the EU and is being taken out of it against it's wishes.	Agree	Agree
4817	1010311946	T Cook	Individual	Individual	You have avoided the primary question and focused on secondary detail. The question is should there be a referendum and how are you going to gauge that the public wants this. This paper effectively assumes that there is a need for one and hence asks about how to execute it. I see no need or any clear understand on why other than the SNP's core political aim why a referendum should be called! There is no discuss on the principles that will be used to gauge 'public support'! The secondary detail is all straightforward but that is not the important points for discussion.	This is all secondary detail which is fine but misses the big issues and questions	Again, this is all secondary detail which is fine but misses the big issues and questions
4818	1066613495	Kirsty Slater	Individual	Individual	I completely agree that young people and EU Nationals should be included in the vote - they are the future of our country	This will eliminate any question of the integrity of staff	It would be nice to believe that these rules will create an even playing field however the national press will print whatever they like regardless of what the campaign funding looks like!
4819	75671347	Jan Murdoch	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements.	I agree.	I agree.
4820	63756940	Ian Stevens	Individual	Individual	There is no need for another independence referendum.	There is no need for another independence referendum.	There is no need for another independence referendum.
4821	271778665	Mark Thomson	Individual	Individual	Fine......... But no other referendum..	Fine.. but no other referendum..	Fine.. But no other referendum..
4822	310452367	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I think that Scotland has already made this decision in 2014!
4823	709552207	Bruce Crichton	Individual	Individual	The proposals provide for timely, fair and balanced arrangements for management of the referendum	The proposed changes are aimed at encompassing the broadest possible electorate and applying best electoral practice and, as such, should be adopted.	These changes should be adopted.
4824	583458340	Alison Taylor	Individual	Individual	All sounds good.	I think you should only be able to vote if you are a citizen of Scotland. You cannot give suffrage to EU citizens if through Brexit they will possibly be leaving. You may be living and working here on a temporary basis in which case I do not think you should be able to vote. If people living here wish to vote they should have to apply for citizenship.\rI would only give 16 and 17 year olds if they have suffrage in all elections in Scotland and the UK not just an independence referendum.	No comment
4825	606217107	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There shouldn't be a 2nd referendum therefore negating any need for "managing " it	Please refer to question 1 answer	Please refer to question 1 answer
4826	702081222	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No issues with proposed method of managing a referendum, although like the vast majority of Scots, I do not support a second referendum on independence.\r The 2014 referendum concluded a significant majority of the Scottish people did not support separation from the UK. This has not changed and the result of this democratic 'Once in a generation' opportunity should be recognised and the SNP government should not be allowed to further their minority, narrow-minded goal of separation using a UK held election on EU membership. \r Scotland would not be a better place with independence for three main reasons:\r a) The Scottish Government is inept and is currently unable to manage this country.\rb) The resulting £14B deficit would add to current spending pressures on public services and defence and / or would result in a severe increase in taxation on working population, making Scotland an unattractive place to work.\rc) The vile disruptive and damaging behaviour of the nationalist support, fostered by the SNP would snowball unchecked, leaving Scotland reminiscent of Germany in the 1930s.	No issues	No issues
4827	58294143	Alvin Gilbert	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There should not be another independence referendum.
4828	218648535	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	1. I believe TIGHTER SECURITY should be in place after the votes are cast - the ballot boxes should be under the [rotection of a policeman from once the ballot closes until they reach the count area. (This is the case in other EU countries e.g. Ireland). \r2. Postal Votes should be counted in Scotland (not London) and the forms should eb under the guard of Police Scotland until they are counted\r3. Exit poles should be utilised	all votes cast, either postal or normal, should be protected by Police Scotland until counted.\rI am happy with the technical proposals otherwise	ok
4829	384599015	Derek Farmer	Individual	Individual	Another Referendum is not required !\r There is no justifiable case for holding another referendum, beyond the obsession of the SNP to separate Scotland from the UK.\rThis obsession can not be supported on any economic nor geo-political grounds.\r Therefore its "management" is irrelevant	Completely disagree.\r Eligibility to vote in matters of severe constitutional change, should be restricted to long-term residents of Scotland (ie, the indigenous population) who are also holders of British Passports.\r It is entirely disingenuous for the SNP to "arrange" voting rules that it considers will further its daft cause.	There should be no "lobbying" permitted in matters of long-term constitutional change and the persuasion of eligible voters.
4830	613995013	William Shepherd	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	My view is that every voting paper must be videoed live so that no cheating can occur
4831	364379692	John Jamieson	Individual	Individual	I agree with these proposals.	I am not happy with the postal voting system, believe that it is too open to possible fraud and mis-use.	Agree.
4832	172303673	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I amhappywiththe proposed arrangements.	I am satisfied with these proposed technical changes as I fear the original referendum results were not truthfully reported.	I am happy with the rule changes on permissible participants.
4833	757238379	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements.	The proposed changes appear to be appropriate	These are sensible changes
4834	395734568	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANOTHER REFERENDUM. RESPECT THE VOTE OF THE PEOPLE.	THERE SHOULD NOT BE ANOTHER REFERENDUM VOTE . DON' T WASTE ANYMORE MONEY ON THIS . GET WITH DAY JOB.	VOTE ONLY FOR SCOTTISH BORN .
4835	977180643	Iain Ferguson	Individual	Individual	I am concerned with electoral fraud taking place as did the last time.	I am ok with that.	Ok
4836	486902452	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't have any views	I have no views on this question	I have no views on this question
4837	510787833	Scott Shortridge	Individual	Individual	The referendum should be open to those on electoral register, as is the case for general elections. Scots living overseas should also be included in the referendum. I lived overseas during the 2014 campaign, had views, but was in no position to make a difference. In my opinion this is unfair, it is possible to vote in general elections when living overseas so it should be the same case for the referendum. Scots living overseas who plan. To return to Scotland in the future should have a say in the future of their country too.	Please refer to question one for my views. I will add that I 16 and 17 years olds should not be included in the vote. They are not eligible to vote in the general election. The same rule should apply for the referendum.	No opinion on these changes.
4838	786216860	Robert Blake	Individual	Individual	This consultation is a farce.\r It consists only of technical questions concerned with the running of a referendum. At no point does it ask if I am in favour of a referendum.\r There is clearly no point in performing this consultation except for the weasley political purpose of being able to claim that the people have been consulted.\r Another referendum is a waste of time and money. Do not hold one!	This consultation is a farce.\r It consists only of technical questions concerned with the running of a referendum. At no point does it ask if I am in favour of a referendum.\r There is clearly no point in performing this consultation except for the weasley political purpose of being able to claim that the people have been consulted.\r Another referendum is a waste of time and money. Do not hold one!	This consultation is a farce.\r It consists only of technical questions concerned with the running of a referendum. At no point does it ask if I am in favour of a referendum.\r There is clearly no point in performing this consultation except for the weasley political purpose of being able to claim that the people have been consulted.\r Another referendum is a waste of time and money. Do not hold one!
4839	817251909	John Waddell	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	An independence referendum is unnecessary and a waste of public money. Using the EU referendum result as an excuse to hold ANOTHER independence referendum is a smokescreen. Forget about the referendum and just get on with governing the country, that was the mandate you were given.
4840	412784511	Violet Wallace	Individual	Individual	The arrangements seem to be fair.	I am pleased that the proxy voting system is changed as it could be open to fraudulent voting.	I agree with this change.
4841	605431502	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	the arrangements seem straightforward but unlike the 2014 referendum it is imperative that exit polls are conducted and tighter security around who is voting and whether ballot papers are legitimate, we can't have any doubt cast upon the outcome of the next referendum	postal voting is wide open to abuse there needs to be some alternative to postal voting, we can't have Ruth Davidson having a wee peek before hand	seems fine
4842	930637280	Stephen McNeill	Individual	Individual	I am content with the proposed arrangements but am fundamentally opposed to another referendum at this time or in the future. People who live in Scotland have already spoken on this matter and it was a NO.	I am content.	I am content.
4843	813114887	Ailig Peadar Morgan	Individual	Individual	I support the bill's proposals.	I support the bill's proposals, but with tightening of procedures in respect of absent voting, specifically in respect of voting through the address of second and holiday homes. To minimise misuse of these addresses by those not normally resident in Scotland but owning a property here, and to minimise the chances of double voting by those meeting residency requirements but with a second property within Scotland, consideration should be given to tighter distribution and verification procedures than applied in 2014. For instance, essential communication of application documents could be limited to the claimed residence address, and/or to and from the postal area of that address.	I support the bill's proposals.
4844	685341650	Teresa McNally	Individual	Individual	I have read through the proposed draft bill, note the amendments made from the 2014 experience and support.	I support the changes.	I support the changes.
4845	895764447	Nathan West	Individual	Individual	The referendum in 2014 ran smoothly as far as I am aware so have no issues with this arrangement.	Voting by Proxy should be kept to a minimum to ensure that there is minimal interfering in others people's vote so restricting emergency proxy votes is positive.\rHaving used postal voting previously, the more identifiers that can be checked to ensure the vote is genuine the better.\rPersonally am not sure on the 16-17 year old voting as standard due the there being a significant portion of them who have little care for politics (in my experience) but a lot of the effects from election do impact them directly so maybe this will help engage them.	Making sure that the responsible person is fully aware of their responsibilities is a better system and the prevention of offensive words as names is just sensible.
4846	760400592	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements are costly and The People have already voted on this issue. \rThe Scottish Government are hiding a further vote for Independence under the issue of Britex. We as Scots voted to remain British therefore we have to learn to take the majority vote of the British People.	Citizens and tax payers of Scotland should vote on production of valid ID.\r EU members working in this country, if having been resident for more than five years. \rI agree anyone who is in prison or Serving at Her Majesties Pleasure should not vote.	The proposed arrangements are costly and The People have already voted on this issue. \rThe Scottish Government are hiding a further vote for Independence under the issue of Britex. We as Scots voted to remain BRITISH therefore we have to learn to take the majority vote of the British People.
4847	428694634	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The people of Scotland voted, in a once in a lifetime referendum in 2014, to remain part of the UK. No second referendum is necessary.\r If the SNP cannot honour the result of the 2014 referendum then there is no reason why people in Scotland should honour the outcome of any second independence referendum.\r This "consultation" is a sham as it does not allow the people of the Scotland the opportunity to express a desire to not have a second referendum.
4848	556322124	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Another referendum is a pointless waste of public money	None! No referendum required or appropriate	None - as no referendum required or appropriate
4849	335606659	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The model used for the Independence Referendum was highly successful in respect that it led to a new generation of young adults becoming actively involved in the democratic process. Using the existing counting system also simplified matters and helped ensure the count was efficient and votes returned quickly. I like the proposed arrangements for a possible second referendum.	I particularly like the proposal that those who were involved as active campaigners for either side CANNOT take part in the count.	I agree with the proposed changes.
4850	283119150	John McDougall	Individual	Individual	I see no problem with the arrangements used before. If it's not broken don't try to fix it .	As above I see no reason for change . It has worked before.	no changes needed
4851	350233208	Christopher Gobey	Individual	Individual	Edinburgh agreement covering the 2014 referendum contained a commitment to respect the outcome of the referendum. The fact that less than three years after the vote a further referendum is being proposed shows that referendum results in the Scottish region are not respected. Future legislation covering referendums must contain legally binding clauses compelling those involved to respect the outcome of the referendum.	No Answered	Voting entitlement should include\rScottish voters currently living in other parts of the UK or EU.\rGovernment workers and members of the Armed Forces formerly registered to vote in Scotland who are currently serving outside Scotland.
4852	621140511	Scott currie	Individual	Individual	Absolutely fine	Fine	Also fine
4853	131574722	Henri Macaulay	Individual	Individual	I would like to see international observers at all counts. I would like ballot boxes to be transparent and tagged with GPS so that their journey from polling station to count can be tracked. I would like all voters to present ID at the polling station. I would like an actual human being to go to homes to verify residence - like a census.	I think the onus should be on the count and polling staff to declare any interest - and not just the counting officer "knowingly" .\rProxy voting and postal voting allows for more fraud - with non-existent of absent people voting. Many instances of holiday homes being used and family members voting while living outside Scotland.\rUpdating the voting roll - but not by post as people lie! I know of people whose family members in England were included in the 2014 count. Otherwise honest people who would find it easy to lie on a form, but difficult and uncomfortable to lie to a human being in front of them.\rAn anonymous phone line for reporting false registration to vote would be helpful.	Holiday home owners should be checked - or sample checked with real sanctions for double registration/inventing imaginary people etc..
4854	895753414	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No comments	I strongly disagree that 16 & 17 year olds should be eligible to vote, as they are still, legally, children for almost all other areas of law.\rI also strongly disagree that Irish and other EU citizens living in Scotland should be eligible to vote.	No comments
4855	451212969	Ken Blackie	Individual	Individual	That there is no requirement for yet another referendum. The question was asked in 2014 and answered if only the SNP would listen to ALL of Scotland as was promised. When the SNP assumed power they were good at Government; now they only seem focused on The pursuit of independence.	See above no referendum required	As above
4856	318635969	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think Scottish nationals who live abroad should be given opportunity to vote, via postal vote or other means. I also think closer attention should be paid to transportation of postal votes for counting, not allowing anyone to begin counting votes before the official count begins once polls have closed.	No Answered	Agree with changes, although as stated above Scottish nationals residing in other countries should be given the opportunity to vote on their home countrys future.
4857	287447033	Trish Gould	Individual	Individual	I have no views as to the arraingments, but do think that there was a lot of tampering during the 2014 referendum	As long as its fair and just then I have no qualms	that's fine
4858	776862734	Bruce Bernard ( Bernie ) Mitchell	Individual	Individual	IF the referendum proceeds then the arrangements described in the supporting information seem acceptable.	These technical changes not pose any threat to democracy.	None. These seem acceptable.
4859	1027102607	David Hill	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	As the current Scottish Government did not secure a majority in Parliament is has no clear mandate to hold an independence referendum under any circumstances.
4860	887666946	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	seems fine	this seems fine	this seems fine
4861	274759926	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposals for managing a referendum are acceptable, however I disagree with holding another referendum in such quick succession to the last - despite the changes regarding the EU. This generation has had the opportunity to vote and stated that they wish to remain within the UK. There is no guarantee that an independent Scotland could remain in the EU and this should not be used as a reason to campaign for another referendum.	No Answered	The proposed changes to the polling and count arrangements are acceptable
4862	429680497	William Heggie	Individual	Individual	referendum not necessary.	not necessary.	not necessary.
4863	385610712	Dougal Scrimgeour	Individual	Individual	Under 18s and other eec people should be excluded as they do not have the experience nor interest to make a valid decision.	None	None
4864	856015277	Brian Roy	Individual	Individual	Agree with proposal	Content with proposed arrangements.	I have no problem with changes.
4865	193588953	Stewart Murdoch	Individual	Individual	IF Indy2 was to happen, personally I feel that the process by which arrangements for managing the referendum would be fair and acceptable. However in contrast to that I am not sure if 16 and 17 year olds can always make a valid and comprehensive thought process on such an important decision. Voting is very much like gambling, for instance choosing a party that represents you is very much like picking a horse in the Grand National, its a lottery of sorts as to who will pass the post first. So if our 16 and 17 year olds can not legally gamble, why might we allow them to vote as they will be gambling on our futures.	I whole heartedly agree polling and counting SHOULD NOT involve any individual who is involved with campaigning, on either side of the debate.\r I would like to ask in the instance of absent voting, how individuals who register to vote in Scotland, via postal vote with named residence in Scotland, but live abroad or in other parts of the UK permanently will be tackled. For Instance someone who lives and works in London however uses a parents address in Aberdeen for postal vote, so that they might have a say in local and national election or referendum in this case. Surely their vote is neither valid or fair as they have given up such rights to make any decision on Scotland's future. Is there any fail safe to prevent this from happening?	No real opinion on regards to this, provided public money is not used in any campaining
4866	753840697	Margaret Harris	Individual	Individual	This is straight forward	This is fine.	This is fine.
4867	458255523	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A second referendum on independence is unnecessary and a complete waste of taxpayers money.	A second referendum on independence is unnecessary and a waste of taxpayers money.	A second referendum on independence is unnecessary and a waste of taxpayers money.
4868	747142269	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
4869	858518424	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The people of Scotland have already voted to remain as part of the United Kingdom and it is obvious that the SNP have been waiting for any excuse to go back on their promise of a once in a lifetime referendum on this matter. WE have already given our view and expect you to honour your commitment to the Scottish people on that vote.	This vote should not take place as the people have already given their vote on staying as part of the UK.	Not applicable > As already stated we have already voted to remain part of the U.K. and expect y'ou to honour your commitment to us on that issue
4870	797305288	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We voted in 2014 to stay part of the UK. That result must be honoured. We do not require a second referendum on independence for at least a generation i.e. 30 years!	I agree.	I agree
4871	579343827	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum. The Scottish Government should respect the democratic vote of the Scottish people who voted against independence instead of using any excuse possible to have another.	Residents from the EU should have no vote in a referendum as the UK will be leaving the EU. Under 18's should not be allowed to vote as we should vote in line with UK policy.	No need to change
4872	626105286	Gordon Hughes	Individual	Individual	Waste of time	Waste of time	Waste of time
4873	762306202	Janet Weir	Individual	Individual	I am happy it is controlled by the Scottish Government and not Westminster.	I am happy with this, I did have concerns regarding postal votes as they are open to fraud.\r I strongly believe that only those resident here should have the right to vote.	All okay.
4874	428886246	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Can there also be other independent bodies at the count? I believe that there were some improper practices happening. Ruth Davidson patently knew about postal votes for example	Why should anyone from the House of Lords automatically be eligible? They may only have a residence here that they hardly use - plus they are not exactly known for doing much in other people's interests	Fine
4875	746248889	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They seem reasonable but do not address the most important issue.\rAs was clear during the Scottish referendum and reinforced in the EU referendum people voted for a constitutional change for a wide variety of often contradictory reasons. In the event of a vote for major constitutional change there is a need for a second ballot to approve, or not, the terms of the final settlement. This is essential to ensure there is majority support for the actuality of the change and not just the wide principle that could be interpreted in many ways. It is easily conceivable that many supporting change for one reason would oppose it if that did not feature in the settlement.\rThe bill gives no consideration to the concept of "losers consent". This suggests that following an election/referendum there is a requirement for those supporting the losing proposition to consent to the implementation of the winning proposition. If there is ambiguity about what was offered/promised/implied during the referendum for example on currency, Scotland's status within the EU or NATO, the monarchy, trade relations with rUK etc etc it is possible that the Scottish Government will fail to achieve any level of losers consent unless it is shown the actual settlement has majority support.	they seem OK.\r They do not prevent either side making wrong or misleading statements.\r This is the biggest risk to an outcome that will be supported following the vote and should be of significant concern when looking at this Bill.	They seem OK
4876	909521611	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum	There should be no referendum and therefor the question does not arise	There should be no referendum
4877	400947951	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't waste your time. Get on with dealing with real problems - NHS, Education.	See 1. above	See 1.
4878	133902207	Robert Knox	Individual	Individual	I think there needs to be stricter controls on the referendum. I know that the ballot paper i filled in at last referendum was blank on the reverse and did not correspond to the description that was given. The rule was that if it didn`t have a barcode and similar marks it would not be counted. A more stringent counting process and use of seal numbers and other security features need to be in place . Ballot boxes need to be secured at polling stations and securely transported with signatures required when handing them over. I would also insist on independent observers at every count.	These seem to be acceptable proposals	Again reasonable adjustments
4879	568114665	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't want another referendum	Don't want another referendum	Don't want another referendum
4880	15951561	Michael Mccabe	Individual	Individual	I believe that the mandate for a referendum had been made prior to the election of the 2016 Scottish parliament elections. The people of Scotland voted and the largest party that became government of Scotland, were voted for in order to deliver their manifesto pledges that included a referendum on independence if Scotland was taken out of the EU against the people of Scotland's will.\rSo the mandate is there, \rIt's up too the Scottish Government to persuade MSPs to passed the bill for a referendum and if they do then they will have a democratic majority of the nation's parliament also.	After the EU referendum of 2016 that did not allow EU citizens from outside the UK to vote, had a precedent not been set that meant only Scottish living in Scotland can only vote.\rWhere I think consideration has to be thought about is in Nursing residential homes where vulnerable adults may qualify for a proxy vote but their vote can be used by another.	After the EU referendum of 2016 that did not allow EU citizens from outside the UK to vote, had a precedent not been set that meant only Scottish living in Scotland can only vote.
4881	379615619	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Need increased security and checks on ballot boxes compared to 2014.	All excellent proposed changes.	Excellent. No additional comments.
4882	725117334	Donald Fraser	Individual	Individual	The arrangements seem satisfactory, although I am concerned that there have been worries in recent elections regarding the possibility that votes may have gone missing, which might seriously effect the outcome.	I feel that it would not be too dificult to ensure that verification statements be checked on all occasions, irrespective of a request from a counting agent. It seems good practice to ensure that votes always tally with theverification statement.	This seems fine
4883	803186871	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am satisfied with the proposed arrangements as I think they worked well in 2014	satisfied	satisfied
4884	224729785	robert anderson	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
4885	361483162	Jaemey Stewart	Individual	Individual	I agree with all the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum, although I would like to have a closer eye, so to speak, on the count. I believe better arrangements could be made for the overseeing of the count itself. I would hope that a more accurate count could be achievable if there more overseers.	I agree mostly. I believe that entitlement to vote should restricted to those that reside in Scotland but to exclude those whose place of work is outside her borders. All other changes are desirable, particularly those changes to postal and proxy voting.	I agree with these changes.
4886	458359538	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think that the proposed arrangements are sound.	I am in agreement with the proposed technical changes.	I am in favour of the proposed changes.
4887	332151713	Helen Blackburn	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum. The only referendum we need is the one to abolish the monarchy. \rPeople don't want another independence referendum. People want the Scottish Government to start governing the country.	No comment	No comment.
4888	893216011	Jacqueline Quigley	Individual	Individual	Have exit polls. Make sure there is no room for doubt on the count. Have totally independent people in charge of the count. Look at postal votes.	Happy with changes.	Fine.
4889	317762499	David Sharp	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Individual	People living overseas longer than 15 years should also be allowed to vote
4890	598651005	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This referendum should not be taking place as the Scottish people have already voted to remain in the United Kingdom in a so called once in a lifetime referendum. The SNP have been waiting for the slightest excuse to go back on their word to the Scottish people . We expect them to honour their word or is that asking too much of them.	As already stated this referendum should not be taking place. The Scottish people have already given their views. Do the decent thing and honour the outcome of the last referendum.	No responsible government should be wasting taxpayers money on another referendum so soon after the last one.
4891	279862132	Canty	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	We should not waste time on the romantic patriotism of a bygone age. We should be working to strengthen the United Kingdom in an increasingly hostile international situation.
4892	625773329	Redacted text	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I do not think another referenduum is needed.The Scottish Government have not provided any answers to the many points raised by the first referenduum\ri.e. Currency,the Economy, entry in to Europe and many more.\rIt is also irresponsible to be considering leaving the UK at present when know one knows what situation the UK as a whole will be in during and after Brexit.\r Therefore a referenduum bill t this time is damaging,seriously confusing and with no point
4893	635707161	Marjory Crighton	Individual	Individual	Wondering why you require to know what my views are on this non issue. I do not want another referendum. I want Scotland to remain in the UK.	Wondering why you require to know what my views are on this non issue. I do not want another referendum. I want Scotland to remain in the UK.	Wondering why you require to know what my views are on this non issue. I do not want another referendum. I want Scotland to remain in the UK.
4894	283416226	Yvonne Johnston	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements. As an SNP member I am happy they are handling the whole brexit fiasco very well. Important to get the timing right.	Seems perfectly okay to me.	As long as the spending is as clear as possible and the responsible person is able to cope with the lying and mischief making of the next "no" campaign it seems fine.
4895	1060945875	Stephen Curran	Individual	Individual	Simply put; NIL Referendum, the Scottish Government is a cross party Government; Not a Scottish Nazi Dictatorship; you would do well to heed the lessons of the past; the last party which held continuous referendums until society was railroaded into giving that party its desired outcome was; the Nationalist Socialist party; yes see what the Third Reich subjected all too.\r Thus why the German Government is averse to referendums.\r Give it up Sturgeon et al; the SNP; one trick ponies borrowing other peoples money and indebting us all into perpetuity.\r You lot will happily sell us all out to Goldman Sachs and flood the country with all the unemployable and undesirables who have either been kicked out of Europe or are on the run.\r Redacted textRedacted text	ITS A LOT OF BOLLOCKS AND NONSENSE; WASTING OUR TAXES ON YET ANOTHER NAZI FANTASY.	Not yet mature enough to identify that the Nazis and the Scottish Nazis are the same thing; NOT intelligent enough to vote.
4896	170543196	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Three things sadly lacking in the previous referendum will be absolutely necessary this time round - 1) International supervision and invigilation of the entire referendum process to absolutely ensure a fair and above-board event, 2) an exit poll, to provide corroberation/confirmation of returns, and 3) Retention of the ballot papers, to enable a recount, if necessary.	These changes seem fair, but don't go far enough to ensure reliability of outcome.	Seems fair. No complaints.
4897	506860250	Rodric Selbie	Individual	Individual	The poll and count should be run by possibly the EU, certainly not the British Electoral Commission.	Sounds fair but I hate the thought that last time born and bred Scots voted YES if we had the same rules as the brexit vote we would be an Independent Nation today..	Fine
4898	206803322	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	we had one in 2014 and it has broken our country. Why on earth do you want another one when there is no support from the public for it. Please concentrate on the real issues of education , health etc that actually matter to us all.	we had one in 2014 and it has broken our country. Why on earth do you want another one when there is no support from the public for it. Please concentrate on the real issues of education , health etc that actually matter to us all.	we had one in 2014 and it has broken our country. Why on earth do you want another one when there is no support from the public for it. Please concentrate on the real issues of education , health etc that actually matter to us all.
4899	919890222	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No new referendum should take place.	No new referendum should take place.	No new referendum should take place.
4900	128861497	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am totally against another referendum therefore totally against proposed arrangements. (and all snp's present wastage)	Waste of time and resources.	Waste of time and resources.
4901	208248708	Arthur McCulloch	Individual	Individual	This is a leading question suggesting a referendum is necessary. There was a clear decision taken by the voting public in 2014. The EU referendum was about UK membership. This government!!!! Is attempting to use the EU referendum to manipulate a political position which is quite frankly devious	I don't agree with the franchise. We live in Scotland but it is part of the Uk. All elegible Scots living in the U.K. should have a vote	All Elegible Scots in the U.K. Should have a vote
4902	600833326	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements are fine	I agree	I agree
4903	826062653	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't want any referendum. 55% voted to reject the Nazi referendum.	If the Nazi party think they can get away with it they would not give the 55% the vote.\r It's only about manipulation to get a yes vote so change to anything.	If it's to stop offense being caused it should automatically ban the party of hate, the SNP.
4904	502248214	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am fundamentally opposed to the Scottish Government attempting to force another divisive referendum onto us.	If there is to be another vote, why not extend this to members of Her Majesties Armed Forces and to Scots who now live in other parts of the United Kingdom? Also, as previously stated, I am fundamentally opposed to the Scottish Government attempting to force another divisive referendum onto us.	I am fundamentally opposed to the Scottish Government attempting to force another divisive referendum onto us.
4905	726401083	Steven of the Family Hughes	Individual	Individual	International advisers should be in place to ensure that there is no possibility that the vote can be rigged.	Those in the House of Lords should be barred from voting and from voicing their oppinions. They are part of the Unionist Elite and as they are unelected, the should shut up and let the people of Scotland decide. The Yes campaign has very few or any Lords as any decent human being would not enter such an establishment.	Gordon Brown should not be allowed brake purdah as he did in the previous referendum with his tainted Vow.
4906	361886812	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am satisfied with the arrangements as highlighted .	Again, I am satisfied with the highlighted arrangement	I am satisfied with the arrangements as described in the explanation.
4907	393842607	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum	I agree with the proposed technical changes	I agree with the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants
4908	106899272	More	Individual	Individual	It must be completed before brexit is forced upon us	Anything to stop cheating like we had across the board in the independence referendum	I agree
4909	318827438	George McKnight	Individual	Individual	I have only one major concern regarding the timing of a second Referendum. I would earnestly suggest that, with a view to reducing the amount of ill-felling/animosity in our nation to a minimum, the Referendum should not be called until, at the very least, 60% of us are shown in a number of polls to be in favour of Independence. When I was a member of the RICS I think the percentage required to change their constitution was either 70% or 75%. After Independence it will need the vast majority of us to give of their best for a sustained period for our country to be a success. Relying on a 'simple majority', I think, would not achieve this level of success.	I agree with the points put forward in the draft bill.	I agree with the points put forward in the draft bill
4910	1015349948	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The process is fine	OK	OK
4911	512097647	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't want another referendum	Not interested	Not interested but all scots abroad and at home should have a vote. \rEu residents should not have a vote
4912	918152269	James Telfer	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
4913	477930532	David Johnstone	Individual	Individual	They are completely unacceptable. The premise that everyone who voted for "Remain" also supports independence is fundamentally flawed. There is no solid basis supporting the position that a majority of Scots now want to leave the UK. On the contrary, I am of the opinion that fewer Scots now want to leave the UK (and the EU) as a result of the Brexit Referendum	I have no strong objection to the proposed changes. I do however have misgivings about 16 year olds voting. I am not convinced that the average 16 (or 17 tearily for that matter) fully comprehends the potential adverse impact a successful Independence outcome would have on their prospects and the prospects of every other individual living in Scotland.	I have no objection to this proposal
4914	782773101	Brenda Herrick	Individual	Individual	There should be no further referendum. The previous one was supposed to be final and the people have decided.	Not necessary as no further referendum should be held.	Not necessary as no further referendum should be held.
4915	719514072	ian terry	Individual	Individual	Not applicable as this process is totally unnecessary costing the Scottish taxpayers more money when all the time your main areas of concern Police, NHS, Education and Energy are in a total mess. Without the subsidies from the rest of the UK we wouldn't have any energy to use.\r Nothing has changed from 2014 you lost and that was to be a vote for a generation!!\r I trust Westminster not a lot but a lot more than Brussels.\rGet on and be a successful with your day job before you worry about joining a failing EU.	As in one above	as in previous response
4916	578989776	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The question presupposes that I would in any way support the need for a further referendum regarding independence, which I certainly do not. The people of Scotland were very recently asked for their views, and have unequivocally given it. There was no appetite for independence amongst a significant majority of this country's people. In my own view, nothing since then has changed that in any way warrants repeating the exercise, which would be a monumental waste of money at the very least. We were also promised that the question would be asked only "once in a generation". To repeat the referendum question well inside what, by any definition of what constitutes a generation, is to hold the electorate in contempt.	The question presupposes that I would in any way support the need for a further referendum regarding independence, which I certainly do not. The people of Scotland were very recently asked for their views, and have unequivocally given it. There was no appetite for independence amongst a significant majority of this country's people. In my own view, nothing since then has changed that in any way warrants repeating the exercise, which would be a monumental waste of money at the very least. We were also promised that the question would be asked only "once in a generation". To repeat the referendum question well inside what, by any definition of what constitutes a generation, is to hold the electorate in contempt.	The question presupposes that I would in any way support the need for a further referendum regarding independence, which I certainly do not. The people of Scotland were very recently asked for their views, and have unequivocally given it. There was no appetite for independence amongst a significant majority of this country's people. In my own view, nothing since then has changed that in any way warrants repeating the exercise, which would be a monumental waste of money at the very least. We were also promised that the question would be asked only "once in a generation". To repeat the referendum question well inside what, by any definition of what constitutes a generation, is to hold the electorate in contempt.
4917	1003580921	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is perfectly okay .	I have always been worried about postal and proxy voting been abused. These measures should at least make it more difficult but not impossible for abuse to happen.	Happy with the changes.
4918	25756650	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with this proposal	I agree with this proposal	I agree with this proposal
4919	614119991	Michael Blackburn	Individual	Individual	I like the way the referendum was conducted in 2014	I firmly believe that everyone living and working in Scotland should have an equal opportunity to vote	Seems fair
4920	890025591	Daniel Gray	Individual	Individual	No objections	No objections	No objections
4921	567842312	Richy Edwards	Individual	Individual	I agree with this, however I think for both sides of the votes peace of mind and general fairness as well as eradicating the possibility of conspiracy theories it might be worthwhile having someone from both sides also present at each counting table, viewing the counter so as to avoid any discrepancies. If that makes sense?	I agree with most of these changes however the only thing that I am torn on is WHO can vote. In some ways I feel like we were let down by allowing all residents to vote in 2014, as reports suggest that many Europeans voted No, obviously in fear of being taken out of the EU which we now have anyway, however I don't think we can rely on this to be a solid Yes vote this time around. I'm also not 100% sold on the idea that British citizens living in Scotland should also vote. I feel like maybe there should be a consideration on how Ireland did it for their vote on legalising gay marriages where even irish people abroad could still vote (but i think they maybe had to come to ireland to make the vote?) I don't know though, like i said, i'm torn. I just don't like the idea of people who are so against Scottish independence and not even being Scottish or being Scottish citezens being able to cast a vote (but I guess this is where the democracy example comes in to play eh?) I just feel like voting should be something that citizens should have a say on and not just residents, because there is no commitment of them to stay. Whereas the argument can also be made that yes its great that people who are 16 and 17 can vote (if they are that age by polling day), however what about the 16 and 17 year olds who are still going to be that age THAT year. Or you could even argue with the ones who will be that age by the time full independence comes into play (like 18 months - 2 years later) -like its their futures. But i guess you need to draw the line somewhere -its just a thought.\r In terms of ID - I think it needs to be stricter. Not once have I ever been asked to show my ID or my postal card. There has to be a rule in place that works because i essentially could have said one of my flatmates names or neighbours and voted on their behalf.	Don't really understand any of this sorry - presumably it's fine if it's been changed?
4922	279652760	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Totally irrelevant questions. Why are we doing this again. The Scottish people quite clearly stated in the last referendum that they did not want to break away from the United Kingdom. Your party quite clearly stated that this vote would be a once in a lifetime vote and yet here we are again drumming on about another referendum! This clearly means the Scottish government are not listening to the country's views. It looks like you have to keep on about it until you get the answer the government wants and totally ignoring what the people want. The last referendum was very devise for Scotland . There is still a lot of I'll will emenating from the YES voters. You just need to walk through any town and it is very visible. \rHaving spoken to relatives and friends south of the border they are totally against Scotland leaving the UK. It will have a major impact on them also.	Will this get you the outcome you want ? I don't think so.	Again a waste of taxpayers money especially when you don't listen to what people are saying.
4923	84331572	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements appear to be fine.	I think that the proposed changes are ok but I don't really know the underlying reasons for them.	These would appear to be common sense.
4924	676485634	Catriona McArdle	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Having read the Draft Referendum Bill, I find no mention of whether the Scottish Government has given any consideration to the third of the voters who did not vote for "Remain". And it is unclear whether there will be a single question (as last time): remain part of the UK or leave; or will there be another part: remain in the EU or leave. The one does not equate the other. Since the Draft does not address what I consider the most important issues, I shall not proceed further.
4925	1032242919	n/a	Individual	Individual	I think that the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum are good and see no reason why they should be changed.	I think that the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements are good.\rThere are several models which may be used on voting eligibility however, ultimately, only those people who will be directly effected by the result should be polled: primarily, this is those people who are resident in Scotland.\rI also think that it is good to allow people in the age range of 16-17 years old to vote.	The proposed changes to rules on permissible participants seem to be in order.
4926	642205540	Neil K Kempsell	Individual	Individual	I think the Scottish Government's proposals are clear and relevant to the situation that Scotland now finds itself in. A clear mandate supported by the Scottish residents to proceed with a second referendum is unequivocal, in light of the economic implications and unmitigated circumstances we find ourselves in relation to the outcome of The European referendum, and the dictatorial attitude of The UK government.	The proposed changes to the polling and count arrangements seem to be fair and appropriate to those resident in Scotland.	I agree completely.
4927	561620263	Robert Purdie	Individual	Individual	The Electoral Commission should report to both the Scottish Parliament and the United Kingdom Parliament to ensure that the same information is concurrently available to both organisations.	The term "resident" should be clearly defined to include the minimum period of continuous residency required to qualify for voting rights.	No comment.
4928	709567612	Stanley Woodhead	Individual	Individual	That there should not be a referendum this generation. The last referendum was supposed to be a once in a generation event.	none.	none.
4929	554783950	Graeme Angus	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There should not be one as the country voted to stay in the UK which the SNP are ignoring however they are quick to tell us at every opportunity to crow on about the UK leaving the EU. Which currency would we use? There was no answer the first time which was meant to be a once in a generation referendum, not let's keep having them until the SNP get the result they want.
4930	88773626	Thomas Duncan McArdle	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	This 'consultation' is nothing of the sort. Having read through the questions, I see nowhere I am asked for my views on: \ri) whether I want a referendum at all\rii) the actual question to be asked; apart from the woolly use of the word 'independence'.\rNon-dependence on whom or what? There are two major issues here, not one: \ra) should Scotland seek 'independence' from the UK? Yes\rb) should Scotland seek 'independence' from the EU? Yes\rPlease re-issue this 'consultation' in a style that suggests you really want our opinions.
4931	892164488	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	We had a referendum. I made my views clear then. I do not want to break from the rest of the U.K. ever! You seem to be determined to keep asking the question in the hope that you will eventually get the result you want. Alec Salmond said that if the answer was no, we would not be asked the same question again for at least a generation. Don't waste even more money (which could be better spent on the many needs of Scotland that your energies should be expended on addressing) on referendum after referendum on this matter.
4932	980965916	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	i am in agreement with this	I am in agreement with this	agree with these changes
4933	972542879	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think people should be identified via a document at the polling station, and postal votes shouldn't be allowed. I think an independent counting body (maybe from the EU) should actually count the votes.\rI think EU people, and other from America / Africa / Asia should only be allowed to vote if they've lived in Scotland at least 5 years - it doesn't make sense to allow, for instance, students who are only here for 6 months to vote in such an important referendum.	No Answered	See comments above - foreigners should vote only if they've lived in Scotland for at least 5 years. I think an independent counting body would be more trusted.
4934	43073620	Phil Manners	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
4935	586095776	Ron Wilson	Individual	Individual	Support the arrangements.	Fully support full checking of postal vote identifiers, excellent move.	Support.
4936	71921825	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No view	No view	No view
4937	330792287	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Good	Change "must not knowingly" to "must not" in Polling and Count Staff.\rWould prefer to see greater restrictions on the availability of Postal and particularly Proxy voting at this referendum and at all other elections.	No donors or participants that are based/resident outside of Scotland should be permitted to take part or to provide funding for those who do take part.
4938	313601548	clifford mccabe	Individual	Individual	Is a new law necessary, is it possible to invoke Scotland's claim of rights. Thereby eliminating any need for Westminster's approval or permission?	There is certainly a case for rigorous scrutiny of postal voting. I would also suggest there is a need for outside rigorous scrutiny of the whole process by a neighbouring nation, perhaps Norway or Ireland.	complete transparency is required of any participants in campaigning.
4939	29377122	Jamie Mclauchlan	Individual	Individual	Proposals are sound, last times arrangements were good and accounted for high voter turnout.	As before, all good.	This seems fair.
4940	529891842	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fair enough	Yes, but more should be done to make sure that people involved in campaigning are not appointed.	Fair enough
4941	301848336	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	there shoud not be one you know that without oil tax revenue or the barnett formula the scottish people would have to endure suffering like greece
4942	999284732	JamesStuart Duffin	Individual	Individual	The referendum should follow Swiss conventions and protocols on conducting referenda. In fact the Federation of Switzerland should be appointed and independent observer for the complete and whole process.	The referendum should follow Swiss conventions and protocols on conducting referenda. In fact the Federation of Switzerland should be appointed and independent observer for the complete and whole process.	There should be an expat organisation which is charged to connect with those born in Scotland but currently living and working abroad. \r Native Scots have an opinion on an independent Scotland and this must be canvassed and respected.
4943	864063953	Ronald Smith	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements for managing the referendum are acceptable but I do not recognise the need for another referendum on independence for Scotland.	The proposed technical changes are acceptable but I do not recognise the need for another referendum on independence for Scotland.	The proposed changes to rules on permissible participants are acceptable but I do not recognise the need for another referendum on independence for Scotland.
4944	497722177	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree, but would like to see tighter control of that ballot. In particular, postal votes should remain in Scotland.	Agreed	Agreed
4945	714721382	Patrick Early	Individual	Individual	I agree with the arrangements laid out by the Scottish government but in any future referendum vote I would like to see exit polls	I agree with these arrangements but I believe that any proxy votes should be counted in Scotland.	I agree with these changes
4946	587145261	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another independence referendum.	Do not want another independence referendum	Do not want another independence referendum
4947	280932982	Lynda Smith	Individual	Individual	Although not proven, I believe that there was an element of 'rigging' at the 2014 Referendum and I am uncomfortable that the count will be treated like every other election where there are counting officers and Chief Counting Officers all of whom are employed by the local authorities. I believe that the Scottish Government should look at alternative ways for the count to ensure impartiality. It might be beneficial to look at what other countries do to see if there is a best practice model which could be adopted. \r I am pleased that the 16/17 year olds and EU citizens will have the right to vote in a second referendum because this is there future and it is only right that they have a say.	Was every postal vote not checked at the 2014 referendum? Can the SG not look at alternative secure ways for absent voting eg, voting by the internet, this might make younger people vote. Also if postal votes have to be used then they must only be counted on the night of the count under the same strict rules for the polling station counts. I always thought that this was the case but from Ruth Davidson's comments on the night of the 2014 count she suggested that the postal votes had been counted. How does the SG then ensure that any count done in advance has been done in a fair and proper manner.\r How will the SG know if the polling and count staff have been involved in campaigning? How do you determine this?	I have no comment on the above, seems reasonable.
4948	943154493	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Hopefully, these will not be required however, if common sense does not prevail, then this would be acceptable.	As above.	acceptable.
4949	534489485	John Cunningham	Individual	Individual	Given the First Minister's stated intention to continue browbeating opponents until her party achieves its aim, I believe my views are irrelevant other than to appeal for a fair Indyref2 question that does not give an inbuilt advantage to the Nats. The question should be: Do you wish Scotland to remain part of the UK? or Do you wish Scotland to leave the UK?\rThis question seemed to serve well enough in the EU referendum; no one suggested it was a biased question, unlike in indyref1 during which the Nats gained mush political advantage by continually labelling their opponents' campaign as 'negative, a criticism difficult to defend against by people campaigning for a 'No' vote.	See above	See above
4950	315872457	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No reason to change the arrangements made in 2014, although I would like to see some regulation of how either side makes use of the press as a 'mouthpiece' to make what appear to be official statements - i.e. the 'Vow' published in the Daily Record. This is not about regulating the press who can support whatever argument they wish, but to ensure that the parties are playing on a level playing field.	These changes make sense and are fair.	Sensible.
4951	306486937	Robert Lambert	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
4952	58642751	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Irrelevant; there should not be a second referendum! The people of Scotland voted by a large majority in 2012 to remain as part of the UK. The UK voted to leave the EU. I didn't vote to leave but I have to respect the majority vote (even a poor turnout and close result), and so should my Scottish government (even if I didn't vote for them).\r The last referendum did a lot of damage to this country and families within it; I do not want to see friends and families go through this again for a generation. If this goes ahead then I will see no choice but to campaign against it; I will not stay part of the silent majority anymore.	Irrelevant; there should not be a second referendum!	Irrelevant; there should not be a second referendum!
4953	213198469	Garry	Individual	Individual	I have no problems with that.	No Answered	I have no problem with that.
4954	806762880	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	All votes should be counted in Scotland. No cross border transportation of ballot boxes and there should be independent observers present at all times from when votes are cast to the counting process.	Very unhappy with the number of postal votes in 2014 referendum. Also the so called 'sampling' of these votes by Ruth Davidson and other parties in better together campaign. Any new referendum must be seen to be absolutely above board. Whilst there will always be cases where a postal or proxy vote is necessary, there appeared to be a disproportionately high number of these votes. They can, perhaps, only allowed within a certain criteria and not just for the asking.	No problem with these changes.
4955	1036817937	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is a fair way of managing the referendum.	I feel the changes are fair and justified.	I feel these changes are for the best
4956	978612436	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Logical and efficient.	Proxy and postal voting, appear to have been addressed. It is good to see the age group that the future affects most, the young, once again included. Giving the vote to all people who have shown a commitment to Scotland, by working and residing here shows Scotland to be mature, inclusive and forward looking.	Good, furthers clarity and responsibility.
4957	763004759	Shaun Fallon	Individual	Individual	I agree with arrangements for the managing of a referendum. But i do think it is the wrong time, and wrong political climate to look at a Scottish referendum. I think it will be financially, economically and politically catastrophic for Scotland.	I do not agree with 16/17yr olds being able to vote. I don't feel that they are mature enough to gauge the magnitude of the referendum implications. I also think it will be a case of my family vote this way so i vote this way.	Seems fine.
4958	436640339	Teri Porter	Individual	Individual	No referendum required. Scotland has already voted no.	No change required. Changes unnecessary,	No change required.
4959	944614548	Ian Cockburn	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
4960	154557814	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not feel there should be another one in the foreseeable future. We have already had the once in a generation one and the continued uncertainty that talk of a further one is causing is having a significant detrimental affect on Scottish business confidence. The best thing the government could do for the country is say that they will not consider holding one for another 10 years at least, give businesses confidence within the UK; and get on with doing the best they can in running the country now. So I do not agree with it. (more time spent discussing independence is not time spent in doing the best for Scottish people and business now)	I do not feel there should be another one in the foreseeable future. We have already had the once in a generation one and the continued uncertainty that talk of a further one is causing is having a significant detrimental affect on Scottish business confidence. The best thing the government could do for the country is say that they will not consider holding one for another 10 years at least, give businesses confidence within the UK; and get on with doing the best they can in running the country now. So I do not agree with it. (more time spent discussing independence is not time spent in doing the best for Scottish people and business now)	I do not feel there should be another one in the foreseeable future. We have already had the once in a generation one and the continued uncertainty that talk of a further one is causing is having a significant detrimental affect on Scottish business confidence. The best thing the government could do for the country is say that they will not consider holding one for another 10 years at least, give businesses confidence within the UK; and get on with doing the best they can in running the country now. So I do not agree with it. (more time spent discussing independence is not time spent in doing the best for Scottish people and business now)
4961	440639465	David Hudson	Individual	Individual	A total waste of time and money.\r The Scottish people have recently voted to remain as part of the U.K. (Thus accepting majority U.K. decisions) and the U.K in turn has by a majority voted to leave the E.U.\r Although these may not be the results that 'you' hoped for please try and understand the principles of democracy and accept the decision/instruction of the people! (Whom you purport to represent (sic))	No Answered	No comment
4962	64107811	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Seems fair and acceptable.	I approve.	Sensible
4963	633988400	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The electorate voted against independence therefore any further referendum bill is a waste of tax payers money.	Those entitled to vote should include all British citizens resident in the UK.	No particular view
4964	146312111	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These are sensible conditions	It has to be fair and transparent. The postal vote in 2014 was questioned by many. Whether they're right or wrong, there are suspicions that the postal vote was not conducted fairly.\rSuggestions for managing absent voting are sensible	Seems straightforward and sensible
4965	806276691	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm satisfied with the proposed arrangements.	I am satisfied with the proposed technical changes.	I am satisfied that this seems fair.
4966	169988132	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposal. It should be held broadly on the same terms as the previous referendum.	Happy with the changes	Happy with the changes
4967	996417021	None	Individual	Individual	Absolutely ludicrous. We gave our answer . No more!	S.n.p. will try anything to get votes!	As above.
4968	374445812	Gary Trench	Individual	Individual	I think it's going to be managed well.	I believe these changes are required and are sufficient.	again sufficient
4969	1068586407	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Broadly acceptable	Non-British EU nationals should be excluded	Acceptable
4970	337366990	david dickson	Individual	Individual	I spoke extensively with the deputy chief counting officer after the last referendum to voice a number of concerns I had regarding the process. I would like these following concerns taken into account.\r Postal voting has been called into question by many including members of the Electoral Commission and QC's. At the last referendum the printing company used to print ballot papers, Idox, had a former Tory Cabinet minister Peter Lilley, as a senior non-executive director. Idox has had a hand in providing count software, including postal vote management support, among other services, for elections since at least 2012. When I voiced this concern to Redacted textI was met with the withering response of, "well that's a new one".\r I also have major concerns regarding the sealing and transportation of ballot boxes between the polling stations and the counting stations. I emailed every authority in Scotland after the last referendum and none of the vehicles used were routinely followed by police. Furthermore there seems to be no legislation regarding who is deemed fit to deliver to transport the ballot boxes other than it being the decision of the presiding officer.\r Regarding polling agents, from my questions and replies from all regions in Scotland there were absolutely no recorded instances of seals being added to ballot boxes prior to their transport onwards to counting stations even though it is the right of any polling agent to do so. This should be of utmost concern for any future referenda.\r The purdah period was completely ignored by the press and our state broadcaster in particular regarding The Vow published by the Daily Record 2 days before the vote promising Devo Max in all but name. This can't be allowed to happen again, there should be a legal agreement drawn up to counter this eventuality.\r The lack of an exit poll was troubling and one can question the rationale for it and whether it was a precondition to the referendum in the first place? The difference between the polling prior to the vote and the result would have been easier to stomach had there been extensive exit polls similar to those used in every general election.	As above I would urge that all polling agents are made aware that they have a responsibility to attach a seal to every ballot box prior to its transportation to the counting stations.	I approve
4971	870128814	Jonathan Arnot	Individual	Individual	No change	In my area (Argyll & Bute) I am aware of a significant number of holiday / second homes where in order to gain grant aid for efficient heating etc... a named individual has used to show for the application process that the property is fully occupied at all times.\rIt is my concern that these holiday home owners will effectively be able to vote as a Scottish resident when in truth they are only resident for a few weeks of the year.\rI am aware of the local authority's attempts to verify the occupancy of the property, however I feel that it is easily circumnavigated and therefore the true number of eligible residents may not be visible.	No change
4972	564778629	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree that eligible voters in referendum should be same as those eligible to vote in Scottish parliament and local Govt elections. Quite fair and right that Scottish ex pats who choose to live outwith Scotland should NOT have the right to vote. \rOverall majority system should be used.\rQuestion should be same as in 2014.	Agree with all of above. Crown/military personnel on deployment should quite rightly have a vote.\rPeople need to be more organised and make sure they are registered and eligible to vote in plenty time...NO extensions like there was -re Brexit vote. If you don't register in time-tough. Ample time given to register.\rOverall majority system should be used.\rQuestion should be same as in 2014.	No views
4973	558596705	Peter McNee	Individual	Individual	Not required and will use up funds that could be better spent elsewhere.\r There is no need for a further referendum on independence and to say one is required because of the EU vote is nonsense. One country has already intimated that they will veto any application from Scotland - either as part of the UK or as an independent country.\rThe EU vote result is merely being used as an excuse to force another independence vote.	Again unnecessary. A clear answer was given at the last referendum and to change the procedures this time appears to be "stacking the rules in favour of one side as much as is possible without to many complaints".	See last answer
4974	675221066	David Anthony Leitch	Individual	Individual	is sencible change for all elections and referendums.	Is aceptable as brings referendum in line with other elections.	sensible change.
4975	890268759	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree. Important to keep eligibility to vote the same as for Scottish Parliament and local government elections, allowing everybody living and working in Scotland to have their say.	Agree with all points. Again eligibility to vote is most important.	Very sensible changes.
4976	796515745	Kevin Meikle	Individual	Individual	I am a nationalist I vote yes in the first referendum . I voted for my freedom from the west Minster governments . I remember during the last referendum that the prime ministers of spain and france would not even recognise scotland as a sovereign state and would not admit scotland into the European union . I perfer my independence from England and Europe . I will not vote for my independence of England in this forthcoming referendum as a mater of pride and do tell the nationalists MEP who stood in the European parliament and begged them to keep us in not to grovel on my behalf this man is a disgrace to scotland . If we are to have our independence lets do it our way get scotland re industrialised give people good jobs and a better future .If this is done we will vote for our independence in good time . If you are haste and defeated you will make Scotland look rather stupid . Redacted text	No this is how we were defeated in the first place . You allowed to many peole of all spectrums to vote .Scottish independence is a mater that concerns scotish people . I am not allowed to vote on the future of any other European countries.	Stop paying election officers so much they are not worth it
4977	400707004	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
4978	549927198	Martin Woelfel	Individual	Individual	sounds reasonable to me but why have another one? why cling to a group of countries who Scotland trade with but is one quarter of that with the rest of the uk. 10 billion to 40 billion? does it make any sense at all or is the snp government taking its eye off governing the country? is tariff free with the eu better than tariff free with the rest of the uk? answer that question if you dare.	sounds reasonable to me but why have another one?.	sounds reasonable to me but why have another one?
4979	955282653	Lorne	Individual	Individual	The sooner the better	Sounds good	Don't have any views
4980	601493627	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not support a second referendum	I do not support a second referendum	I do not support a second referendum
4981	480194951	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	fine, but there currently is no referendum. I disagree with your wording of this question. It should read "...managing any potential future referendum"	fine	fine
4982	875147575	Dr Mary Stewart	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Voting should be restricted to persons born in Scotland holding or eligible for a uk passport irrespective of where they are currently residing/working.
4983	508232245	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't think there should be another referendum. \r However, if there was to be one then similarly to the view that "Scotland didn't vote to leave the EU so should be allowed to remain" then I would suggest that the results of each independent council area should be taken separately and those that wish to remain in the U.K. should be able to do so. Likewise the individual towns, streets and houses. Yes, we should all be able to choose our own citizenship even if it belongs to a country we don't live in. The whole thing is ridiculous if you ask me, we can't go back on the EU vote so why ask us to go back on the Independence one?	No Answered	Scottish citizens currently living abroad for study or work (up to two-three years) should also be eligible to vote. Why should gap year students for example be made to come back to the consequences of a vote they had no say in? This is their future as much as it is anyone else's and they'll be back by the time it's implemented anyway.
4984	268971999	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Satisfactory.	Satisfactory, although I do not believe that 16 and 17 year olds have sufficient experience of working life (reality) to vote. They are still technically children, and are not yet fully mentally developed. They also tend to have a romantic notion of life.	No opinion.
4985	33679706	Johnny McNeill	Individual	Individual	The opportunity for postal vote abuse has to be minimised. \r I also believe the Electoral Commission was compromised in 2014. I can't trust them to be impartial given what's at stake.	No Answered	Applications for postal and proxy votes should have to be justified by valid reasons such as being elderly infirm or serving HM Forces overseas. Not going on holiday etc.\r Regarding the infirm, measures should be taken to prevent elderly care home staff and owners abusing the process and voting postal ballots in accordance with their own personal leanings, rather than that of their clients.
4986	771980611	Malcolm Gray	Individual	Individual	I completely disagree with the whole concept of another divisive referendum.\r You are asking questions on the technicalities when I am against the proposal surely the question is should we be having a referendum and if there is the mood for one that would be the next question not the first one.\rThe logic to the questions are based on the concept of a done deal.	I have no views a the whole concept of another referendum which in my view should not be pursued.	None. As per my previous statement I disagree with the concept of another referendum
4987	878565354	Jordan Maccalman	Individual	Individual	I completely agree with the proposed arrangements and strongly support them	I completely agree with the proposed arrangements and strongly support them	I completely agree with the proposed arrangements and strongly support them
4988	924295452	Margaret Henderson	Individual	Individual	This is a waste of time,effort and money which should be spent on cleaning up Scotland and delivering better healthcare services locally.	No Answered	Why are you allowing persons to vote who only live in Scotland but are not British citizens? I do not agree with that, they vote then leave to return to their country of domicile. I lived in Hongkong but was not allowed to vote there. No I do not agree.
4989	657565056	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree with the proposal to make EU citizens who have made their home in Scotland, eligible to vote in this (misconceived) referendum. There is no satisfactory defining criteria proposed. Those residing in Scotland, and in order to be eligible to vote, should pass the test for holding a UK and NI European Union Passport.	These appear to be sensible proposals.	These appear to be sensible proposals.
4990	738484841	Sarah	Individual	Individual	Agree. Suggestions as below.	I agree that 16 and 17 year olds should be eligible for voting once again. It is them who have Scotlands future to look forward to, not the 50 plus bracket.\r I also agree with the increased security on postal voting especially as I am not entirely convinced that the outcome was fair in our previous referendum. That said, I think the security of all votes should be increased this time by as much as possible. I wonder if there are any means of surveillance that could be used at counts to prohibit foul play. I do not believe that anyone (electoral commission or not) is impartial so this sort of thing must be in place.	Agreed.
4991	635890834	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not wish a further referendum, once in a generation! \r The proposals outlined are agreeable however stated above stands.	I do not wish a further referendum, once in a generation!\r If it was to go ahead, things should be kept the same as they were in 2014.	I do not wish a further referendum, once in a generation!\r not sure.
4992	350165677	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Waste of money , we have already said No to independence	Waste of money , we have already said No to independence	Waste of money , we have already said No to independence
4993	880687466	Helen Taylor	Individual	Individual	The Scottish people have their answer to the independence question. To run another referendum is a waste of time and money. Get on with the real job of running the country.	The Scottish people have their answer to the independence question. To run another referendum is a waste of time and money. Get on with the real job of running the country.	The Scottish people have their answer to the independence question. To run another referendum is a waste of time and money. Get on with the real job of running the country.
4994	889915530	Steve Pryor	Individual	Individual	I believe the arrangements for handling the referendum are adequate. Hardly gold standard, but much the same as for any election.	I believe all residents in Scotland should be allowed to vote. This would include permanent residents who are not from the EU.	I believe this is adequate
4995	668804246	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I can see no reason for any proposed arrangements as I feel we do not need another referendum.	I do not see any reason for technical changes to polling and count arrangements.	I can see no reason any proposed changes to the rules.
4996	355978552	Alan Hill	Individual	Individual	I see no need whatsoever for another referendum at this stage. Last one was only two years ago and the result was resounding. Whilst the Brexit result changes the future direction of politics in the UK (as well as Scotland) there could be many positives from the exit from Europe that could be advantageous to Scotland. These need to "come out in the wash" and the implications fully realised before launching another Independence referendum.	As above. There is no current need for a second Independence referendum.	As above. I'm disappointed that all these questions are focused on the technical and procedural elements of the referendum.
4997	632884136	David McGill	Individual	Individual	I am highly suspicious that the Westminster government and their clandestine agencies,will tamper with postal votes - which last time round was evidenced by the never before seen statistical anomalies in the Argyll area for example. I was perplexed at the time and remain so,about the SNP leaderships lack of action on this matter!? Unless we address this we will lose again!	No Answered	How will this stop ballot box tampering and substitute invalid ballot papers getting through. Should we not have an international independent oversight of the election - giving them the power to,declare the vote void if evidence of unionist ( or indeed SNP) corruption is uncovered!?
4998	909186170	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	We do not need
4999	1026811162	Mary Anne Doran	Individual	Individual	That the arrangements are fair and transparent.	I believe that the right to vote lies with the people that live and work in Scotland and therefore have a vested interest in its future governance. I believe that a 16 year old has the right to vote more so that a pensioner,a 16 year old has to live with the decisions we make for longer than the pensioner for example.	I think that the changes will lead to greater transparency and therefore trust ,something I don't have in Westminster politicians.
5000	562088739	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is a pointless question as there are no significant overall changes. What sort of response is expected? \r Why is there no question asking if another referendum should take place in the first? This is typical of this current useless Scottish Government. Ask a load of meaningless questions and then claim there has been a great response when the fundamental question is omitted altogether.\r This is more money and time wasting rather getting on the basic job at hand.	Fine, as long as postal ballot papers are sent out in good time for those working offshore.	No particular views on this part.
5001	722497362	Redacted text	Individual	Individual	I have no issues with these arrangements.	I have no issues with these arrangements.	I have no issues with these arrangements.
5002	643519562	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I disagree that the Government should be even considering a second referendum. The Government has made a mess of the responsibilities it has for Education, Health, Local Govt funding and has spent much time centralising services and removing proper democratic control from them.	Technical changes are irrelevant in an activity which should not be taking place.	Rules on permissible participants are not required for an activity which should not be taking place.
5003	992575882	Alastair Ritchie	Individual	Individual	Just give the whole idea up for Goodness sake, & concentrate on running our nation more effectively & efficiently. There has been SNP failure after failure over the past few years (Police Scotland, NHS Scotland, Transport) and most of this is because of this ridiculous obsession around Independence seems to be the only thing the SNP are bothered about. ... The Scottish people overwhelmingly voted to remain part of the UK in 2014, so please just accept this decision and get on with running our nation effectively!! \r Britain deciding to leave the EU makes no material difference to the 2014 Referendum result. One question for SNP. If you so crave Independence so much, why on earth is being part of the EU so important to you!? I thought you wanted 'Independence'!?!?	Save the nation hundreds & thousands of pounds by NOT holding polling & count arrangements!!!	DON'T waste money on a 2nd Referendum ... Concentrate on governing our nation instead, like you were elected to do so!!
5004	432069403	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It should be re-named the" Daft Referendum Bill". The whole SNP project has been a disaster. I speak as an early one-time SNP member. Now they want to abandon the rather benevolent partnership with the rest of the UK to give up every last bit of control to the unelected pen-pushers in Brussels. They will see wee Scotland as no more than a tiny province, gifted to them by delusional, inept so-called "politicians". I've experienced the Brussels scene at first hand. Madness!! If she wants a view from Europe, I can only refer Sturgeon to that great hero of the French Resistance, M. Rene Artois and the apt three-word phrase with which he chastises his wife, Edith, when caught in a clinch with one of his barmaids. It certainly applies to her.	This poll should not be happening.	No one should participate in it.
5005	898938025	John Kelly	Individual	Individual	I do not believe we need a referendum as a united kingdom we voted to leave the EU .	I have no problem with this	No problem with this
5006	783618054	Richard Lindsay	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	I think a voter should be required to have lived in Scotland for let's say a minimum of 3 years or be able to demonstrate that they have a Scottish mother/father/Grandfather/Grandmother if lived here less than the defined time.
5007	170857494	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	All arrangements proposed are unnecessary and a complete waste of public time and money.	No comment	no comment
5008	639371872	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Absolute waste of time and tax payers money. We have already voted in what was supposed to be a once in a generation referendum. We voted to stay part of the UK and we therefore should remain part of the UK with any legislation that follows. I am sure if the vote was given to England you would most probably get your independence as most people I know are sick to death of hearing Scots moan when they get so much more than the English do now. Consider all the freebies that the English don't get and then consider how they are paying for most of it. No wonder they are fed up. It's about time Scottish MP's and those in favour of independence got in the real world. So many Scots are moving out and into England because they are fed up too. Start addressing what is wrong with the NHS, education and the police force and remember that if it weren't for the rest of the UK paying subsidies for your useless wind turbines, there wouldn't be any. God help us if you get independence because I really don't know how Scots will pay to put the cooker on let alone the heating when it is only Scotland paying for this rubbish. Why don't you try working with Westminster instead of constantly fighting them to make the whole of the UK a better place? Why don't you wait and see what Brexit does for us instead of clambering to belong to a failing institution? Being ruled by Brussels will be far worse for you.	If you must hold this referendum (which we know you will with any excuse) give up on postal voting which can be rigged. Make the people go to the polls wherever possible. If they want it that much then get to the polling station.	Not applicable as a referendum is not applicable
5009	328842186	Derek Cowie	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Postal votes do not leave scotland and should be checked before and afterr\rExit polls must be taken (last time all the people i talked to voted Yes so i am suspicious of westminster involvement)
5010	312912614	Alasdair MacKenzie	Individual	Individual	I am happy with these arrangements and hope that 16 year olds will be able to vote again.	I am satisfied.	Happy. no comment.
5011	101155873	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The previous result should be respected.	There should not be a further referendum the people spoke clearly last time.	There should not be a further referendum the people spoke clearly last time.
5012	66398728	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel that there should be a limit put on to the timescales for holding referenda.\r I voted for independence in 2014 but the majority of Scottish people did not want independence. I feel this decision should be respected. I also feel that we are better off, in terms of business; finances; shipbuilding; security; and the armed forces etc.; as a part of the UK than as an independent Scotland being part of the EU. We would have to join the Eurozone if we were allowed to rejoin the EU, which is doubtful; given how other EU members have stated their opposition, e.g. Spain. We would also lose a substantial amount of business from the rest of the U.K.	I do not agree with the following people being able to vote in referendum:\r - citizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland\r - members of the House of Lords resident in Scotland\r Unless the are permanent residents.	I agree with the above.
5013	1018975697	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	Verification of postal ballots must be paramount, robust and as failsafe as possible. No-one should be able to guesstimate the outcome of the postal ballot prior to the actual election as happened in 2014.\r The electoral register must be as complete as possible with names of deceased persons verified and removed. Greater efforts must be made to ensure that everyone who is eligible to vote has completed the required registration documentation with follow up on those who fail to register.	Agree
5014	828625726	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The question should be: should Scotland remain in or leave the United Kingdom?\rThe Civil Service and Local Authority costs of a referendum should be published in advance
5015	841178265	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Accept that the arrangements as per 2014 are reasonable.	Acceptable	Acceptable
5016	590419023	Maurice Frank	Individual	Individual	* on policing and supervision -\r Commissions generally speaking are undemocratic, because they define their own remits and in such a way as to exclude accountability to enquiries from the public. Typically whenever we contact a commission we get back a reason why our enquiry is not in their remit. That is not a structure to earn confidence "beyond reproach" (1.5) internationally. \r Just if the Electoral Commission has that power, no matter how it acts in practice, to deem its judgment as the entire arbiter of the referendum's fairness of conduct would usurp that place from the people. There points against doing that, a concern of fair campaign policing, which needs raising and preventing from recurring in this campaign, following an experience in the EU referendum.\r The commission then chose not to consider it its business to take up the issue of how policing affected campaign fairness on the ground. Hence it chose not to take up the inconsistent treatment of Remain campaigners at Edinburgh Haymarket station on polling day itself as well as the days before it. \r After railway staff had first indicated an objection to campaigning on the paved space in front of the station and had claimed a land boundary which our organisers were sceptical of, I emailed to British Transport Police asking for They never replied, and on polling day itself they allowed campaigning to take place for some 2 hours of the morning travel peak until our numbers were tailing off and only then intervened against those of us who remained, and refused to tell me the land boundary they claimed jurisdiction up to. This was after our organisers had promised me from their information on the land that this could not happen, and when it did happen no land information was forthcoming from them or from the Lib Dem office at Haymarket which some of the campaigners (not all of that party) were operating from. After which, in the evening travel peak I observed campaigning taking place unstopped on exactly the same land at a time when 2 publicly prominent Lib Dems were also campaigning near the same spot.\r It will be an irregularity upon your referendum, as it also was upon the EU one, if the campaigns are subject to inconsistent policing, and policing carried out with refusals to evidence its jurisdictional boundaries. Even more so if carried out after campaigners anticipating a possible problem have fairly requested in advance from the police force concerned a clarification of boundaries and assurance that police will keep to them. The campaign will not then be "beyond reproach"(1.5) It is an intimidatory experience, affecting campaigns selectively and without parity. \r This evidences a need to organise availability on demand of exact boundary information, to all persons desirous to campaign as well as to the 2 national campaigns. For the national campaigns it evidences a duty to the care of their participants, to obtain this land information and not to fail to back up their campaigners with it when any challenge arises. It is not acceptable to civil liberties or electoral fairness to be expected to take police officers' word on a contested jurisdictional boundary, as at a rail station, without them having to evidence it. For railway staff and authorities too, the campaign will be irregular intimidated and interfered with unless they always have to show evidence of land jurisdiction boundaries and they are absolutely never backed up in saying "You don't need evidence" and just making police threats instead. The referendum will in fact be irregular unless this possibility automatically has been excluded preemptively from happening, police pinned down to a committal line of consistency on it, an automatic right enacted for every campaigner with such an experience to have a place to put it on parliamentary record, have the action on it formally obliged to be committal not noncommittal, and this be mentioned in media and scrutinised by any visiting observers of the electoral process.\r There is a duty to factuality that their campaign references to the EU referendum result include reflecting on how legitimate it is in light of the unresolved experience of inconsistency in policing of campaigners. Your referendum will automatically have no uncorrupt status if this is quietly not acted on, and will only have any uncorrupt status if this automatically is acted on.\r * On section 30 and status - \r Sanguine expectation to obtain a Section 30 order (1.4) is startling. At time of writing, UK government appears to disagree that this referendum is justifiable or defensible to hold at this short interval after its predecessor, and to hold to the principle of "once in a generation" without circumstantial conditions. You need to prevail by the force of your contrary argument's content, instead of by any formal powers, in order to obtain a Section 30. It can only be supposed that you are asking for it in order to have followed the proper course until you encounter a refusal, to bolster your challenge then on international grounds for entitlement to call your referendum, at worst getting into a Catalonia position over it. The context of your claim of changed circumstance, relations with the EU, by definition has to be a context of anti-racism and progressive open attitude to borders, not faulted in any way as conflicting with this. I created an item that affects whether it will be so faulted, or successfully establish legitimacy at all, as well as affects the case for a Section 30. \r During the campaign of 2014 I lodged European parliament petition 1448/2014, of course benefitting from British EU membership enabling it. It was not the naive type of petition asking a favour that can be refused, it was a citation of the EU's duty to ECHR article 8, family life, and it always exists on record for anyone to cite and make use of at any time. It cited: that the EU will have an international duty to treat Scotland as a pariah state and not embrace deals with it or accept its legitimacy, if citizenship by parental descent is refusable. \r Can I yet hope that this situation, which made me a No voter last time, will not be repeated, since the National's columnist Redacted texton Jul 9 included parental descent in a list of European norms for citizenship? That admission will conflict with the closed community racism of making it refusable. But sadly, your campaign during 2013 conflicted with it too but for all the 9 months from White Paper to poll I could not commit any Yes source to pledge unrefusability for this citizenship, and several answers heard at Yes meetings confirmed refusability. Resulting division of families is only part of its injustice: it meant Scots being rejected from their own country. An answer I received right at the campaign's end seemed to shift sentiment but kept noncommittal by deferring all actual decision of citizenship rules until after a Yes vote. \r The UK never had any duty to host a Scottish referendum offering that moral wrong akin to the Clearances, I raised that point in post-poll submission to the Constitutional Affairs Committee's review. Last time the UK continued to hold itself bound by the Edinburgh Agreement which it had made before the White Paper, but it can have no duty either morally or internationally to grant a Section 30 for a repeat offering of the same. Most simply, and it should have acted on this thought last time too: national self-determination is for the whole community of a people, it is never for part of it to reject another part, and that whole community includes family next of kin, and that always includes first generations of diaspora. In a mobile world it is commonplace to be caused by parental movements to be born in diaspora from the country where all your belonging and practical roots are: from your country.\r This is directly against the horrible school bully bigotry of birthplace racism: the idea that country is dictated by place of birth. Birthplace racism has been visibly factually wrong ever since the Babylonian exile of the ancient Jews 6 centuries BC, it would do catastrophic offence for anyone to apply it to the modern Palestine/Israel situation. It divides and allocates to different countries siblings who have identical backgrounds. Irish and Welsh nationalisms both had diaspora born leaders prominently in their twentieth century histories. Experience from the previous referendum bill indicates that if I give any named examples of diaspora born people you will refuse to publish the submission. So I refer you to the list of 55 famous examples I submitted to Common Weal on Sep 26. But this is not against having birthplace as one of the routes to citizenship. That practice rightly caters for a status quo population's continuity and that everyone has the possibility of needing a practical connection with the place where practical circumstances placed their birth even if it is not their country. To refuse this also divides families. It just needs to be clear that no state can claim anyone as a citizen against their own will by any route including this one - so for example, English Welsh Manx or Irish people who were born in Scotland and do not personally wish to become its citizens upon independence, no party can impose that they do. That would need clarifying for any set of birth citizenship rules, for because birth does not dictate country there will always be false positives - and with that clarifier, the false positives do no harm. \r Instead, to illustrate by imagining our relations with an independent Wales: presumably expected to be friendly. To have Welsh born in Scotland be trapped here unwillingly and Scots born in Wales be trapped there unwillingly, would harm both countries, and blight their lives with tensions around unnecessary ethnic oppression and state responsibilities to unwilling citizens made more practically needy by cruel division from their families. Hence, both states will owe to each other as well as to their own nations, to have human rights compliant unrefusable citizenship by descent. As many members of those 2 diaspora-born groups as take this up, opt to reside in their own country unrefusably, and do not opt for residence in the other country and maybe not to keep birth citizenship of it either, the other country suffers no harm from the false positive that they could have opted to keep it. \r So it was also shocking last time to see birth based citizenship tied to preexisting British citizenship, contrary to an older SNP pledge of citizenship for everyone born in Scotland. I took up the case of a person I had met in the internet comment system Disqus, resident in the US, who was born here just after a rule change in 1983 to parents who were only here on temporary student permissions: he was in the heartbreaking outrageous ethnic injustice of being excluded from British residence when his felt affinity is here. He had hoped that independence would be his opportunity, until I could get no commitment for him following the White Paper. I am still racked with anger on his behalf.\r If you hold that decision of the proposed Scottish state's citizenship rules should be left until after a Yes vote has happened, it will be fatal to this referendum's legitimacy to mandate for the Scottish people, and legitimacy of claim to be held and making the case to hold it prevail. Instead, the bottom lines of compatibility of those rules with human rights must be already set and constitutionally binding before the poll, where we know for certain that that is what we are voting on, not after. This needs to be built in to your case for having grounds and entitlement to hold this referendum at all, and thence into the Scottish state's entitlement to be created at all. When your case for holding it, your case for claiming "material change" has happened, is a crisis to the survival of our open border relations in Europe, your case innately has to be an anti-racist outward looking welcoming open border stance. Hence you would blow that stance, and your claim to legitimacy of action, by having any closed border stance to elements of our own community as the Scottish people. Hence the organisability of this referendum requires this standard written in as a constitutional fundamental, a condition of the future state's status, which a post-independence parliament will not have power to undo. My Euro petition helps to bind this further.\r Meeting this standard means, writing into the case and claim to hold the referendum, that the ECHR compatibility and the European citizenship norms that Mr Kavanagh listed are constitutionally binding on a Scottish state for its legitimate existence, and re fixed before the poll not after: including the following 2 specifics, committal not noncommittal:\r~ citizenship by descent shall be unrefusable: every person with the descent concerned, at minimum as last time's White Paper detailed it, who applies for this citizenship automatically gets it. They are Scots of this people equally as much as the resident Scots are. There shall be no discretion to refuse it.\r~ citizenship also shall be unrefusable for everyone born in Scotland, without being subject to any other condition such as preexisting British citizenship.\r While 2014 was a taint on our history, a referendum held on the above basis would be a proud achievement: helping to entrench red lines of citizenship justice internationally, as standard to bind all countries, in a racism blighted era desperately needing red lines. These red lines would become a stronger leverage upon the UK too, and all that is wrong and distressing in its border practices at present, even if No wins again. Last time, despite your favouring of skilled migrants, your proposed citizenship rules appeared to me to be aimed at a certain quantity of nationalist voter with inward looking insular feelings of the nation as a clammed up community, and a perception of even diaspora Scots as disdained outsiders. An MSP disgracefully denied that anyone is Scottish who has never lived here. I found it ethnically vicious experiences, exactly what civic nationalism claimed to avoid, to encounter both a Radical Independence stall and a Green who were convinced that it was progressive to be harshly against any descent citizenship at all. Some definitions of civic nationalism I encountered seemed to make a virtue of only caring about the resident population and of labelling as ethnic any feeling for anyone else. Thus both sides chasing the anti-outsider vote. \r The entire situation now claimed for entitlement to hold another referendum conflicts with and does not legitimise any repeat of that, and points against a mandate for it. Cleaning up the Yes offer into compatibility with standing for a welcoming Europe of open borders, will take renouncing all past errors of insularity and disowning the attitudes I have just itemised: not denying they exist but actively breaking with and repudiating them. As well as a great moral move, this is part of your organising to have any justification to act at all.\r * on media coverage of the status question -\r With a background now explicitly in issues of anti-racism and citizenship rules, unlike last time, it is obvious but should be stated explicitly to avoid doubt, that the media's job in fairly covering such a campaign includes covering every citizenship issue raised. This to be a standard of whether the campaign is being fairly covered. Another issue which this includes is something which the protagonists can not make happen by themselves, can not offer to deliver as their own policy, but can support the claim for, or can say how it potentially affects them. This is the claim that the interventions in the 2014 campaign by the US, Canada, and Australia oblige them to form a pan-Western citizenship union with us. The National Jul 11 is the only instance yet of this being recorded in traditional media. These 3 countries urged a No vote on grounds that it was bad to create a border and a citizenship division within present Britain, yet this was a double standard because they all became independent from the British Empire and subsequently created hard border divisions with us. These run through many extended families thanks to the historical pattern of emigration.\r The logic of their campaign intervention was that they should remove those barriers again, forming a citizenship union with us. Because they argued against us losing united British citizenship, this union would equivalently be a total joint citizenship abolishing the distinction of its holders as any particular one member country's citizen at all: that more total than the EU has ever done, and nicely harder ever to dissolve. They intervened in our constitutional future, made themselves parties in it deploying a concern against citizenship division, hence they owe us consistency with their intervention, and it means taking this seminally progressive step which is wonderfully opposite to the present momentum for increasing barriers. This scenario, if it happened, would totally alter citizenship issues' place and impact in the campaign. So the existence of a claim that it should happen is of public campaign interest.\r It makes necessary also to cover proposed diplomatic policies toward the US if this great advance does not happen and present divisions continue. This includes an issue which is at the core of our state's morality to its own people in how it chooses to engage with the US, which the news media injustice of our time has included never discussing or mentioning, and which the posited citizenship union would end for us. US border control's long standing practice, in breach of the oldest human right of all, innocent until proved guilty, of judging foreign visitors who have no criminal convictions from arrest histories, and asking "Have you ever been arrested or convicted... " as one question. So much for the special relationship: close allies of the US do not get their citizens The absence of this last time from media scrutiny of the ethicality of both campaigns' intentions for our international relations, including the ethicality of police cooperation with any state willing to do this to our citizens, was another of last time's media deficiencies. It also has core relevance to the morality of supporting US wars in Asia argued as being for human rights, opposition to which we know always features in Yes campaigns.\r * on balance of the campaign's scrutiny of Scottish v British political standards -\r An item which featured in Yes campaigning last time, which could not be forseen, can be forseen now from that memory. This was the implication from all the child safety scandals following Savile, that British media institutions found involved in those scandals were less to be trusted as a result in their campaign analysis and portrayal of reality. At grassroots level this continued into an argument against the UK political institutions, from these scandals having a reach into the political culture. But because this was left to grassroots voters' perception, no balance was ensured. It was only applied against a No vote's merits. The balancer needed for equity between the campaigns, was for the Scottish devolved body politic to be scrutinised for for its standards historically towards the same issues. \r This equity needs to be seen to happen this time, to get you an international status of fairly conducted campaign, "beyond reproach". It needs to include a scrutiny of both bodies politic for whether they function uncorruptly towards child protection. Such a scrutiny itself is only uncorrupt if the bodies politic have no veto or selective power over the content contributed for scrutiny. By definition and unavoidably, this gives an automatic right, for any person who claims to have evidence on any child safety issue of failures to prevent specific dangers to children, to have it published. Their evidence need not come from Scotland as clearly the issue is about the impact of standards shared across Britain which can have impact on society here.\r Because child maltreatment can destroy life prospects unjustly, it can affect life achievements and skill levels. This gives it a link to the citizenship issues, because skill levels feature in selective immigration policies. So the racist wrong done to any section of the Scottish people rejected from citizenship entitlement includes that child maltreatment, which they may have suffered in another country in an already unhappily exiled childhood, could then unfairly cost them the skilled migrant route home.In the past campaign I heard a prominent Yes voice with anti-diaspora views suggest the skilled migrant route, to a large Yes meeting and in answer to my question. Hence, it is submitted here another consequence, of his referendum's entire legitimate basis having to be an unfaultably inclusive welcoming stance on all migration issues, bolstered by my Euro petition on that, that it has to include this entitlement to publishing of evidence on child safety issues.	* on eligibility -\r Agree that it is historically well established that votes on territorial status and self-determination are done by the resident population. Unavoidably the referendum's primary result should be counted from them. But there is a lot of excluded feeling around, often being expressed, by Scots who find themselves living away temporarily, e.g, for work reasons, at the time of a poll, this one or the previous. Its expression needs providing for, and there is a way.\r Separately from the official ballot of the resident population, you could conduct postal ballots for the expat community to express their view: 2 separate such ballots, for those residing in the rest of Britain and the rest of the world, because these have different significances. These ballots would not be part of the official result, they would simply be counted as a point of fullness of information, so that all observers can analyse what extra meaning this casts upon the result. It might add to the decisiveness of the official ballot's result. Or, if the official ballot has a controversially close result, these extra ballots will add to the picture of the nation's opinion in debating what to do with the result. \r There is no fair way to define exactly who the expat community are, and most importantly it can not be by birthplace racism as some have proposed, which wrongs the expats who are diaspora-born Scots: and no practical way to organise a register where they can all prove themselves. This is another reason why they can only be given a side ballot of opinion not part of the official ballot. The participants would have to each define and show their own connection to Scotland of any nature within the human rights basics for citizenship that ECHR article 8 establishes, and their ballots counted along with statistics as to the connections asserted.\r Berwick on Tweed, of course is outside your enacted authority: but you could still give it its own extra referendum, again counted separately, with 2 questions: on its feeling on inclusion in a Scottish state as well as whether there should be one. How to do this when you have no power to organise polling stations there? You can provide postal voting perfectly easily, and provide polling stations at points just on our side of the border, on the bus routes out of Berwick: at Clappers and Foulden and Paxton.\r * on transparency -\r Keep a tally of how many observers from each side attend counts: not just who are registered to attend, but who actually do. For precautionary purposes of evidence and showing you had that care, in case there are any conspiracy theories about the count.\r Again thank you for not choosing the corruptibility of an all postal ballot. Personal voting is more transparent. Quite right for uncorruptibility's sake, and for precaution against conspiracy theories, that you change to checking 100% of postal vote identifiers.\r However what of the weakness that our polling in person system is vulnerable to personation of voters? Any voter who can demonstrate their identity with a reasonable sureness and whose vote has been stolen is entitled to still be given their vote, and the stolen vote annulled by ballot number in the course of the count. A stronger approach of care for the voter's rights than has been UK practice to date.	* on para 3.7: national campaigns' entitlement to an all-voters mailshot -\r This should not be just an entitlement, it should be compulsory for them to use it and do a mailshot. This is because each national campaign is a coalition, and has been subject to an official body's decision in getting recognised as a national campaign. Hence, if chooses not to do a mailshot, there can be recriminations where some parts of the coalition feel wronged by that choice and consequently by the campaign's selection and approval by the Electoral Commission to be the campaign. Perception of a fully conducted and fair campaign then suffers. This is a lesson from history: this actually happened to the Yes campaign for voting reform in 2011, which chose not to use its mailshot entitlement. Local Yes campaigns, including the one I belonged to, were very discontented with this decision and felt wronged that we had had no say in it, and that our consent had not been required to put that remotely led top-down national campaign at our head. That was experienced as a bad campaign practice.
5017	387778053	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	ok.No More independance referendums.	No Answered	ok
5018	746981829	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No view. Please No more referendums	Not required	All ok
5019	303450523	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Good	Fine	Ok
5020	669204838	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe that there should be another referendum on Independence at this time. There is clearly no public appetite for one and the SNP government must not be allowed to disregard public opinion on this vitally important issue as they have disregarded public opinion on some of their other policies eg the creation of Police Scotland and the emasculation of the FE sector in Scotland.\r If, however, they do proceed in the face of all the opposition, for any Referendum to be fair there must be agreement on the wording and the timing between all relevant parties including the UK Government.	No Answered	Scots living outside Scotland should be eligible to vote.
5021	993170512	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the management as outlined appears fair, I do not think there should be another referendum however.	All appears fair and sensible	No issues with any of the above
5022	458564216	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think a referendum is needed or desirable.\rIt would need to be properly managed but subject to the views expressed on the points below.	Why restrict the eligibility to vote on a referendum which could potentially affect nationality. By all means have all residents vote but those working or living abroad who were born in Scotland should also have a vote.	The output from local campaigners in 2014 was largely misinformed, more so on the Yes campaign. The responsible person was not in any way responsible , during or after.\rThere should be clear written statements from opposing views but outward campaigning should be strictly curbed as this became uncontrolled and violent at times.
5023	356122163	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is my view that no further referendum should take place . In 2014 the SNP indicated that the referendum that took place was a once in a lifetime decision on our future and as such the continual striving of our current government to revisit this issue shows no regard for the opinions and rights of the majority of the population who voted to remain in the U.K.	I believe that individuals born or raised in Scotland but who now live in other parts of the UK due to employment should be entitled to vote	No opinion as I do not believe a further referendum is required
5024	642304167	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am fine with these arrangements	The arrangements should be the same as they were for the 2014 referendum	I am fine with these changes
5025	1037379016	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Firstly, why is the Scottish Government wasting scarce resources on this as only the UK Government can legally call a referendum, the Electoral Commission should report to the Secretary of State for Scotland, not the Scottish Government?\r Secondly, the now First Minister during the independence referendum repeatedly stated to the Scottish people that the 2014 referendum was a “once-in-a-generation” / “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity. Unfortunately it is now obvious to all that the First Minister had no intention of keeping her word as she has consistently chosen to ignore the settled will of the Scottish people who voted decisively to remain within the United Kingdom. The current gripe of the (minority) Scottish Government of Scotland being taken out of EU against its will is laughable as a consequence of a Yes vote would have taken an independent Scotland out of the EU in March of last year. \rCan the Scottish Government please concentrate on the day job rather than attempting to divide the Scottish people even further?	No Answered	It is not an internationally accepted principle that residency determines electoral eligibity; most countries base it on citizenship and expats need to vote at their embassies even when they live abroad.
5026	1069068184	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In my view, there is no necessity for another Referendum at all.\r The Scottish People voted in 2014 by a clear margin to remain in the UK. The current First Minister is on record as saying that the result would settle the matter "for a generation". The Referendum, turned out to be one of the most divisive votes in recent history, setting folk against each other, dividing communties and even members of the same families.\r The First Minister is now trying to use the Brexit vote to stir up these divisions again, trying to appeal to her hard core support who want Scottish Independence at any cost and regardless of the facts. She is determined to use it as a smoke screen to disguise the facts - and they are facts - the on many of the objective measures available, this SNP Government, and the one before it, have failed the Scottish People.\r She wats to keep banging the Independance drum to distract peoples attention away from the many failures of her Government and her predecessor's - on the NHS, on Education, on Poverty, on unemployment - you name it. Scotland simply is in no fit state to stand alone, however much the First Minister might like to think so. She knows this to be a fact, she isn't stupid, but she won't own up to it.\r Moreover she should listen to the number of prominent SNP supporters who have publicly stated recently that the subject of Independance needs to be put on the back burner, taken off the current agenda - for now. They are urging her to ensure that, instead, the Scottish Goverment focusses on getting Scotland fit for purpose again, making clear, unquestionable inroads into resolving the many, many problems that Scotland has.\r When the country is fit again and her Government has a proven track record in having achieved that, then - and only then, would she have the right to ask about Independence again. In my view.	No adjustments are necessary. It worked last time, it ain't broke, so why waste time and money trying to fix it.	The First Minister seeks to "Fiddle" while "Rome Burns".
5027	382851156	Gordon Henderson	Individual	Individual	I am more than concerned with the integrity of the postal vote arrangements for the last Scottish referendum and any future rules. I am most concerned that there is much room for manipulation at all stages with the systems as was. I believe many would prefer that PV was restricted to the most stringent rules of all and to such a scrutiny as to avoid any illegal manipulation.\rIE - only used for real / severe and justified cases of ambulant disability or infirm situations. Outwith this then as strict rules as passport renewal controls.\r I am also most concerned as to the validity / probity at the council controlled recording & counting stage of such Postal votes by outside of Scotland agencies / parties (web hacking or otherwise, of council records). This aspect must have enhanced impatial overseas scrutiny, (UN / EU would be best) security at all stages with transparent monitoring by the participants (all sides) .\r The postal votes system left a very bad taste with significant numbers of voters last time round.	I believe postal voting should only be an option as above for disabled / infirm and overseas etc. All others should be coerced to physically vote at a polling station as a duty to civil society.	Satisfied
5028	561479812	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I strongly feel good money would again be wasted setting up arrangements for a referendum that is clearly not wanted or needed.\rMy choice is for the elected Government to get on with the job of improving our lives and stop unsettling businesses and communities by going back on SNP's promise to accept the 2014 result.	I strongly feel good money would again be wasted setting up arrangements for a referendum that is clearly not wanted or needed.	I have no view as my view is very simple WE DO NOT NEED OR WANT ANOTHER REFERENDUM.
5029	302930325	Dermot Patterson	Individual	Individual	My views on this are neutral. It is quite wrong that the first question to be asked is about the management of a possible referendum when what should be asked is whether there should be another referendum at all. When dealing with a complex issues it is helpful to start with general principles and move on to detail.	I am in agreement with the above eligibility criteria. However, as per my answer to question 1, it is worrying this consultation starts with matters of detail instead of general principle.	I generally agree with these amendments.
5030	822304929	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We don't need another referendum	We don't need to alter polling or count arrangements just to satisfy the powers at be alter egos	No change is required the status quo should remain
5031	753750051	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the Scottish Government should ( a ) listen to the will of the electorate expressed in the first referendum (b) get on with the task of governing rather than creating divisiveness and uncertainty(c ) stop wasting civil servant time and money on blatant party policy engineering.	No Answered	I have no comments on any of this other than first comment other than the restrictions proposed on proxy votes seem a blatant attempt to cut out voters who presumably voted the "wrong " way last time.
5032	319320106	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Satisfactory	Satisfactory	Satisfactory
5033	566867810	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the management of the Referendum in 2014 was a success and there is no need to change the format if a second referendum is held.	I think these changes are sensible and should alleviate most concerns voters have, particularly where postal votes and proxy votes are concerned. There must be no ambiguity as to the authenticity of these votes and the public need to be reassured that postal vote fraud is no longer an issue for concern.	As long as the participants are open and honest about all their interests and party affiliations then I have no major concerns about these changes. I might have slight reservations about a political party's campaign manager taking on the role of Treasurer - would it not be better to have a completely neutral person in charge of the purse strings so there can be no mud slinging about missing or overspent campaign funds after the event?
5034	364625582	Margaret Farrow	Individual	Individual	I think university/college students should only be allowed to vote from their home addresses. I don't see why people who have no commitment or knowledge of Scotland and are here on a temporary basis should be voting.\r Ditto 2ND home owners or estate owners whose main residence is outwith Scotland. Time qualifications should be implemented to stop switching.	Agree with these. \rReports of people on social media boasting that they were able to vote were disgusting. \r Plus there should be penalties for those who vote knowing they were not entitled.	Those people should have to declare their area of normal domicile. Eg. If they live in East Anglia, London or Bath they should have to declare this for public consumption.
5035	139850582	John Davidson	Individual	Individual	All of this element of the proposal appears to be sensible.	Excellent. Good to see that the controls and checks to be applied are more rigorous than in 2014.	Fine.
5036	809085050	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I WAS ALMOST DENIED A VOTE AND THE REGISTRATION OFFICER HAD NO CONCERN THAT MY POSTAL VOTE APPLICATION WENT MISSING.\rFrom: Redacted textSent: Tuesday 2 September 2014 22:03\rTo: registration\rSubject: Re: forms were dispatched\r windows can't open this file.\r The fact you have not received the forms could amount to election rigging so I hope you are taking it seriously. Intercepted mail used to go to Royal Mail in Belfast but that may have changed.\r On 2 September 2014 21:32, registration <registration@centralscotland-vjb.gov.uk> wrote:\r Good evening,\r I have no record of having received these forms from you.\r Could I ask that you complete a form for each of you (attached), and return them, signed, to me by 5pm tomorrow (03/09/2014). \r You can submit the forms :\r In person at my office (Hillside House, Laurelhill Business Park, Stirling, FK7 9JQ)\r By email (to registration@centralscotland-vjb.gov.uk)\r Or by Fax (to 01786 892 255)\r Kind regards,\r Redacted text	No Answered	Postal voting must be discouraged, my experience demonstrates potential fraud by application forms going missing despite sent in white envelope with typed address and first class stamp and neither the registration officer or Electoral Commission had any concern. Shameful.
5037	756169820	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the Electoral Commission should receive more powers to manage any future referendums to include much more stringent fact-checking of the campaigns to avoid the farcical claims each side will spout. If this includes fines or any other such punishment to the group this would be welcomed. Since the Scottish Independence referendum 2 and a half years ago, and the EU one half a year ago, it's ridiculous that they can blatantly lie with no repercussions.	I think overall it's right for younger people to get involved in politics.	No problem.
5038	367596281	Roger Dean	Individual	Individual	I am totally disgusted with the Scottish Government over this issue. We had a referendum within the past few years and the result of this was a clear majority, of those who voted, that the retention of the current position of Scotland as a country within the framework of the United Kingdom was to continue. What part of "NO" to their proposal does the Scottish Government not understand. having spent the most part of my life in Scotland, though not of Scottish birth, I am deeply concerned regarding the current continuing talk of a second referendum regarding the same matter which was decisively won by the "Yes" vote to remain in the United Kingdom. If this current proposed referendum comes to pass I and my partner, intend departing Scotland for good and moving to another part of the United Kingdom which the Scottish Government seem to continually want to destroy. Get back to running this part of the United Kingdom as you should be doing and not wasting time and money in these scurrilous tasks involving trying to set up yet another referendum to break up the United Kingdom of which I am a citizen.	Why waste time on these things?	Again a complete waste of time and effort
5039	159549768	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	During the last Referendum there were allegations of postal votes going missing and other anomalies which should have been investigated. I only hope that there will be no reoccurrence of this in another Referendum.	I am pleased that there will be cross referencing of the votes so that an accurate count will result.	This is a good idea.
5040	376620841	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not another referendum. The Edinburgh Agreement was clear. The result of the 2014 referendum was clear. The Scottish Governments management of the NHS, Education, police, fire service, local authority budgets etc show it to be incompetent and dishonest.	As the UK is a unitary state under law and it's citizens move throughout that state for many varied reasons including employment, family, health and economics all those born and educated in Scotland resident in the uk must be included.\r If you are not old enough to drink and to drive and you are still eligible for a proposed state guardian you are not old enough to vote.	No participants who are domiciled abroad or whose companies are domiciled outside the UK or who use offshore banks and tax avoidance schemes should be permitted to participate.\r No company or individual with shareholdings in companies that contribute to political parties or who do business with the Scottish Government should be eligible.\r All meetings of lobbyist must be published and transparent free of redaction.
5041	66898385	Nicole McKay	Individual	Individual	More diligence next time, I voted in Aberdeen & noticed the absence of yes campaigners outside polling stations who were meant to be keeping a record of exit polls and the actual count, collection & travelling of the ballot papers left many claims of skullduggery wide open. \rHave to overcome the aggressive negativity & scaremongering by the unionists, look how they behaved on the day the no vote won, they took to the streets of Glasgow & set about anyone who didn't look like them. You have to use their bad attitudes against them. Please pull it off this time as living under the long term control policies of tory & labour elitists is killing us.	Good to see 16/17 year old getting a vote, you should feel your roots and lead by example to be truly inclusive by offering prisoners the right to vote. They live under the rules of the government so should be entitled to a say plus they will return to civilian society after their sentence. Prison reform should be high on any government agenda.\rPlease though, this time, watch what's going on closer, good to see you will be verifying everything and everyone, always nervous about postal votes. Pay close attention.	New recommendations seem to strengthen the importance of indiscriminate vetting of the staff responsible for the voting day & safe passage of the ballot papers. It felt like we were cheated the last time with irregularities in Glasgow, votes in vans going missing on A90, Police taking over the office in Dundee for fake fires. See where I'm going with this?
5042	772784118	John Pupkis	Individual	Individual	I am in agreement with the proposals, except that the EU citizens should have resided here for more than 3 years	I am in agreement with the proposals in full	I am in agreement with the proposals in full
5043	394339408	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think it is stupid that you think you can plan "referendums" until you get the result from the public that you want. as you are ignoring the first result what is to stop people ignoring the second, third and forth result.	I think that by opening up the vote to 16 year olds is a daft idea unless you factor in that 16 year olds are a lot easier to trick into voting based on emotion, rather than logic, than those over the age of 16.\r I also don't think it goes far enough, I think the vote should be open to every registered voter in the United Kingdom, as it is discriminatory that only Scottish people can vote on something that effects the whole of the United Kingdom.	I think the vote should be open to every registered voter in the United Kingdom, as it is discriminatory that only Scottish people can vote on something that effects the whole of the United Kingdom.
5044	604642606	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another bitter, divisive, toxic independence referendum in Scotland. I voted to remain in the EU, and I voted to stay in the UK. But the SNP are trying to spin that into voting to stay in the EU means leaving the UK, and that is just not true.	I do not want another bitter, divisive, toxic independence referendum in Scotland. I voted to remain in the EU, and I voted to stay in the UK. But the SNP are trying to spin that into voting to stay in the EU means leaving the UK, and that is just not true.	I do not want another bitter, divisive, toxic independence referendum in Scotland. I voted to remain in the EU, and I voted to stay in the UK. But the SNP are trying to spin that into voting to stay in the EU means leaving the UK, and that is just not true.
5045	164601137	Douglas Marr	Individual	Individual	OK	Comfortable with	OK
5046	698063213	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	I feel another referendum is not necessary as the population made their views clearly in 2014 I am sure Scotland would value being part of UK as opposed to EU	I do not believe other EU citizens should have right to vote
5047	38633668	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No issues with the management plan.	Since such a referendum is about Scotland and Scotland's place within Great Britain, only those British-born citizens, living and working in Scotland should be entitled to vote. This would include member so the British Armed Forces who would normally be domiciled in Scotland. I was also against 16-17 year-olds being given the vote 2 years ago and I am still against it. I appreciate that the those young people may well be working, paying tax and have the right to marry but they do not have the "life experience" to appreciate the enormity of such a decision.	No issues.
5048	545557140	Brian Munro	Individual	Individual	They are not clear	Not necessary	Not clear.
5049	798090315	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Wait until after Brexit and when the Oil Price has returned to $100 plus per barrel.
5050	648091121	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As a person who voted yes in 2014 , l would vote against voting yes next time as l feel the referendum in 2014 has split the Scottish people and the brexit referendum has split the rest of the UK. , The Scottish referendum was only two years ago for gods sake so we must respect the result of it , l voted to leave the EU and would vote to stay in the U.K. rather than giving more of our powers to the EU , The Brexit vote was a UK Referendum not just Scotland so respect the democratic vote of the people and forget all this talk about another Scottish referendum , there is enough division in Scotland without adding to it , \r Thank you	No one that is not a British citizen and living in Scotland should be allowed to vote ,	There should not be a referendum in the near future so l disagree with the changes
5051	350699875	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The wording of this and the following four questions attempts to establish that there is no doubt another Referendum will be held in attempt to break up the United Kingdom. There is no reasonable explanation why so much of our resources should be wasted in carrying out the consultation other than to further the SNP's flawed policy.	As in 1 above.	As in 1 above.
5052	996737796	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum	There should not be another referendum	There should not be another referendum
5053	174348505	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The Electoral Commission should report to Westminster not Holyrood, as this would be a constitutional referendum not a matter of devolved local politics.\rEligibility of the Scottish community throughout the UK must be considered, another vote would negatively impact those living down South as much as those living here. People must not be disenfranchised by their current address like they were in the EU referendum and the last Scottish referendum.	A basic residency test on the terms outlined above disenfranchises a number of people who are Scottish, regardless of the Nationalists narrow view of nationhood and Scots. This is a constitutional question and as such as wide an electorate as possible must be consulted. Working in another part of the UK does not make you any less Scottish, nor does working anywhere in the EU. Freedom of movement is a fundamental right granted to Scottish/British citizens and taking advantage of it should not restrict your right to vote nor should it make you any less Scottish.\rProxy votes, emergency or otherwise, must not be restricted simply because of "administrative burdens".	"Obscene or offensive" are subjective terms, who is the arbiter of taste in this scenario? Is there a definition of these terms in the act? You should define these, otherwise you could have participants banned on the basis of an arbitrary decision.\rNon-Party campaign groups should be subject to the same financial rules as Party campaign groups
5054	564752150	Kenneth Moir	Individual	Individual	I have no concerns or issues with the management arrangements associated with any future referendums.\rI note that eligibility will be the same as for Scottish/local government elections which I believe is different to the first independence referendum, i.e. overseas voters could vote in local/UK government elections but were not allowed to vote in the independence referendum. Overseas voters were classed still as Scottish/British citizens but if work or other reasons meant that they spent more time out of the Scotland/UK than in, they were classed as an overseas voter - even though they still had a residential home in Scotland and still paid Council Tax for that residential home.\r NOTE: My preference is that there is no second referendum to manage - I am sure that the elected government of the day could allocate funding, time and effort on more deserving public projects.	No issues/comments re referendum procedures. Refer to comments in Q1 re eligibility.	No Comments
5055	81676799	Ann McMeechan	Individual	Individual	Independent country to scrutinise count of votes i.e, Norway, Swiss, German representatives.	No Answered	No votes should be sent out of Scotland prior to count i.e postal votes
5056	857062852	Iain	Individual	No Answered	Individual	The last time there were fire alarm faults,blocked roads and dodgy counts as seen on you tube etc,should there not be international observers at all counts and what about electronic voting and pens should be acepted at all polling stations,labour and tory councils cannot be trusted to run counts by themselves.	Agree
5057	474562254	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements for managing the referendum are acceptable but we have already voted on this and I think the will of the Scottish people from the last vote should remain. To ignore the result of the 2014 referendum disregards the democratic will of the people and we can not continue to hold referendum until the government gets the result it wants.	The technical changes are also acceptable but it should be taken on board that the vote on "Brexit" was a UK vote and the fact that certain areas voted to remain in Europe are of no consequence, since it was a majority of the country i.e. Britain that voted to leave. Everyone in the whole country accepted before the vote, that it was a national vote and it would be how the U.K. voted that counted.	The changes to rules on permissible participants are acceptable but there should be no further vote on a topic that was democratically decided 2/3 years ago.
5058	352437283	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I am opposed to having a second referendum. However, if there is to be one then the question should require a more neutral answer than yes/no, such as remain/leave as in the case of the EU referendum
5059	867639445	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum. The sovereign will of the people was to remain in the U.K.	There should be no referendum. What part of NO does the Scottish Executive not understand?	No referendum required. Stop this divisive nonsense
5060	53510523	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I voted NO in the 'one and only' referendum. I do not want Scotland to to split from UK. Do not waste any further public money on this.	I voted NO in the 'one and only' referendum. I do not want Scotland to to split from UK. Do not waste any further public money on this.	I voted NO in the 'one and only' referendum. I do not want Scotland to to split from UK. Do not waste any further public money on this.
5061	190784781	Susan Hamilton	Individual	Individual	I do not support another referendum. I wish Scotland to remain in the UK, outside the EU.	I do not support another referendum. I wish Scotland to remain in the UK, outside the EU.	I do not support another referendum. I wish Scotland to remain in the UK, outside the EU.
5062	369165960	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I see no reason for another referendum as the people of Scotland have already given a strong response.	I do not want any change to the age of voters but agree to the other proposals.\r I also consider it should be required that all voters are asked to provide proof of identity before voting and that harvesting of votes is abolished.	I would agree with the proposals.
5063	511279748	William Gorrie	Individual	Individual	It is a tried and trusted system that has worked efficiently for years so it makes sense to stay with it.	As is said the "changes reflect current best practice" therfore it makes sense to stay with that.	To follow the guidance of the Electoral Commission is a sensible way to go as it prevents others from claiming it is a rigged ballot.
5064	504652991	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Given the recent nature of the previous referendum I cannot see the purpose in a further consultation regarding this when the previous result remains entirely relevant. This is in no way reflective of the "Spirit" of the previous result and merely reflects a divisive and aggressive agenda being carried out in the face of continuing overwhelming support for the status quo.	No Answered	I cannot fathom why, if another referendum was to go ahead, Scots who lived outside of this country should be excluded and denied there say in a matter pertaining to the country the were born and brought up. It is in fact nonsensical that someone who has moved to work or live in England or elsewhere in the EU should be denied their rightful say in such an event when someone can simply live in Scotland with no claim to be Scottish in any way shape or form will have a say in the future of the nation.
5065	386731566	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	irrelevant and costly	as i did not know what the previous arrangements were it is irrelevant	biased
5066	831628402	Ivor William Clark	Individual	Individual	I feel satisfied that the procedure in place,is honest and fair.i would go as far as to invite international observers	I am glad to see that 16year old and above will be allowed a vote.also the above mentioned groups entitled to vote is also fair,.(as the people that live and work in Scotland have the most vested interest in its future.im sorry to say, that regardless of what I have read in the dealing of postal vote while I welcome the changes mentioned,I still believe it is vulnerable .again I would invite international observers	Fair,international observers?
5067	23795762	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Unnecessary - Scotland has already voted on this so why waste more money and time doing it all again. Budgets are being cut everywhere and services are suffering. Perhaps concentrating on other matters would be a better use of time and money. Transport and Council funding for one!	Unnecessary - Scotland has already voted on this so why waste more money and time doing it all again. Budgets are being cut everywhere and services are suffering. Perhaps concentrating on other matters would be a better use of time and money. Transport and Council funding for one!	Unnecessary - Scotland has already voted on this so why waste more money and time doing it all again. Budgets are being cut everywhere and services are suffering. Perhaps concentrating on other matters would be a better use of time and money. Transport and Council funding for one!
5068	1016532541	William Brash	Individual	Individual	On the 18 September 2014 Scotland rejected independence. This must be respected. The EU referendum has no bearing on that decision, despite the SNP going on ad infinitum that it is detrimental to Scotland. The contrived political blackmail that has been engineered leaves the SNP to conclude it has no other option but to call another independence referendum. I can't speak for other "NO" voters, but I would think they would be less than impressed with the momentous 2014 referendum simply being binned. I repeat, this decision must be respected and the subterfuge surrounding the EU referendum be dropped.\rThank you for providing the opportunity to comment.	See above	See above
5069	392544288	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This section is specific to the voting process itself and not the vicious, devisive and nasty campaigning that preceeded the 2014 "once in a generation" referendum. My views on the formalities of the voting day or referendum vote itself should not be confused as supportive of such a vote - which they are not.\r Having read all the questions within this consultation I must point out that they are bias in the positive and do not make clear the nature of the changes proposed. The consultation is merely on the technicalities on who can vote and how the vote will be counted not on the more pressing questions about the fact that Scotland does not want another referendum and made clear in 2014 that it wanted unequivically to remain part of the UK, at least for a generation.	No comment	No comment
5070	513285753	William Raymond Walker	Individual	Individual	Managing the referendum needs to be scrutinised by a third party. Not by a Tory.	Hopefully these changes will be for the best.	Not so sure that members of the House of Lords should have a vote in favour of Scottish independence.
5071	684939387	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with same arrangements as before.	Happy again with current practice.	Changes are acceptable.
5072	467228439	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I would like to see monitoring from outside of the UK. The UK Electoral Commission has a vested interest in the outcome and there is precedent for monitoring missions in relation to referendums that could be drawn upon.
5073	969821596	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum.	No Answered	There should be no referendum but, if there is to be one, it does not seem appropriate to let non-British citizens vote who happen to live in Scotland vote but not allow Scots elsewhere in the UK to not vote.
5074	1066824077	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	For such an huge constitutional change, a significant majority of voters should be in favour. A what proportion constitutes a 'significant' majority needs to be decided. 51% vs 49% is not a significant majority.\r A minimum turnout should also be required to make the result valid.\r There should be an obligation for the referendum question to have objectively unbiased wording. Remove the positive framing that was allowed in the last referendum question.
5075	270689053	Pete and Ingrid Okell	Individual	Individual	We don't want another referendum at this point.	ok	no change
5076	711541159	Janice Stevenson	Individual	Individual	I agree with the points set out, however, I would like to see an additional independent body to oversee the count to ensure transparency.\r The 2014 independence referendum created controversy due to allegations of vote rigging, tampering and illegal activity. I would not want to see this repeated, so feel that an independent body should be present at every count. Alternatively, security camera footage from every count should be broadcast online to allow the Scottish electorate to monitor the count.	I am delighted to see that 16 and 17 year old people can vote in the referendum in line with current legislation.\r I agree that 100% of personal identifiers for postal votes should be checked.\r I am fully in support of new rules that prevent the counting officer from knowingly employing active campaigners. I am however, concerned as to how this will be policed/ monitored and feel that there should also be a penalty for anyone who is involved in the campaigns who attempts to be involved in the counting process. This would shift responsibility to communities, the electorate and local campaign branches as well as the counting officer.\r I agree that verification statements should be made available to any counting officer upon request. I also feel that this should be made available to an independent body who should oversee the counts in each area.	Agreed
5077	1003256045	Stuart Bowler	Individual	Individual	I do not wish there to be another referendum. I voted to remain part of the UK and would do so again in any future referendum.	I do not wish there to be another referendum. I voted to remain part of the UK and would do so again in any future referendum.	I do not wish there to be another referendum. I voted to remain part of the UK and would do so again in any future referendum.
5078	405270744	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	All Scottish people working and living abroad should also be given the vote	Agree
5079	281636716	Michael John Duffy	Individual	Individual	The mister speaker from the scottish goverment should be the chairman off the Electoral Commission. This will give a better feeling of a no party intrusion too the outcome of the vote	No Answered	okey
5080	266066795	Iain Currie	Individual	Individual	I fully agree with the proposed arrangements for a referendum	Fully agree with the voting system as long as postal votes are secure from tampering	Totally agree with terms laid out in consultation
5081	254904034	James douglas	Individual	Individual	Fine by me.	Again fine by me.	Seems good.
5082	640853365	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe there should be another referendum as the will of the people was shown last time.	I do not believe there should be another referendum as the will of the people was shown last time.	I do not believe there should be another referendum as the will of the people was shown last time.
5083	120373015	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As this is a referendum on Scotland's place in the UK the Electoral Commission should report to the UK Parliament.	The idea that a person ceases to be Scottish because they are temporarily living outside Scotland is clearly wrong. People do not cease to be Scottish just because they are not living in Scotland at the time of the vote. This is recognized by the provision made for service people. THe provision should be on a similar basis to that used for the EU referendum i.e UK citizens resident outside Scotland who have been registered to vote at a Scottish address in the last 15 years.	Being an ordinary person I do not have time to read through all the Acts and schedules but urge that, if it is not already covered, persons or organisations whoare not UK residents should not be allowed to participate or contribute financially.
5084	1017704572	John George Jackson	Individual	Individual	The counting of postal votes needs to be closely monitored, and in particular, those who are privy to this voting data. Leaked information ahead of the referendum could influence campaign strategies resulting in an unfair contest. To avoid this eventuality, I would like to see postal votes checked for authenticity on receipt but no recording of how the votes have been cast until the official count. \r2.9 I would like to see the Electoral Commission also "observing the conduct of public bodies during the 28 day referendum restricted period". This would hopefully prevent or minimise last minute attempts to alter the vote and postal voters will not fear voting early.	2.15 Postal voting data (regarding voting preferences) not to be recorded until the official count begins following the referendum. There should be severe penalties for any officials leaking this information to campaigning organisations or political parties ahead of the referendum.	No comment.
5085	273110713	Jim Scott	Individual	Individual	I am concerned about the overuse of postal ballets where not needed	I am concerned about second home usage	No issues
5086	930134593	Charles McLaughlin	Individual	Individual	The proposals laid out seem fair but the 28 day period most be more rigorously policed as it was abused at the last referendum	They are satisfactory	I would advocate that members of the House of Lords be ineligible as they have their own forum
5087	724037127	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am concerned about how the vote was managed at the last referendum as there were many allegations of impropriety and also the postal vote results were announced prior to the polling day. More needs to be done to reassure the electorate that the voting is not tampered with in any way.	These seem appropriate to me.	I have nothing to add.
5088	186584852	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is a pointless, and dangerous, exercise in political posturing. Any successful attempt to separate Scotland from the rest of the UK would, before too long, lead to economic disaster for the country. Scotland never has been strong enough to stand alone economically, while ensuring an adequate standard of living for its citizens. This was true when the Act of Union was signed in 1707 (at that time Scotland was a famine-ridden, bankrupt, economic wasteland) and it is still true. Unless it is to sink to third word levels of economic life, the country will always need to be subsidised. Currently, England is prepared to do the subsidising, but the EU will never be prepared to take up the burden - the Germans electorate has no appetite for supporting another economic basket case, and the poorer countries in the union will violently oppose any new members who would only dilute the existing funds. I have no doubt that the senior echelons of the SNP know this, but will never allow their supporters to know the truth, as it would remove any justification for the SNP's existence.	Putting aside the fact that I think there should not be another referendum, I have no problem with the arrangements apart from the ludicrous idea that 16 and 17 year olds should be allowed to vote. I also strongly believe that ID should be required when voters cast their votes.	As above. No issue.
5089	526561749	Scott Anderson	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the arrangements set out by the Scottish Government. However I still believe that the "VOW" was a clear breach of purdah. Has anything been put in place to prevent this happening again	I am happy with these changes	I am happy with these changes
5090	373056730	Robert Watson	Individual	Individual	I do not support a 2nd referendum	None as I do not support a 2nd referendum	None as I do not support a 2nd referendum
5091	377659239	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Waste of public money when it is only 2 1/2 years since we had the last had a once in a life time referendum.	As above	N/A
5092	961218772	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No to another referendum. Please get on with running schools and the NHS instead.	No. This is not necessary.	No. You cannot change the mandate just to suit you better.
5093	990433075	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum.\rWe had a referendum in 2014 and the majority of Scots voted NO on the basis that this was a once in a lifetime excercise and that the result would be respected by everyone.	There should be no referendum.	There should be no referendum.
5094	832746343	James Macintyrfe	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
5095	224617334	Jim Murphy	Individual	Individual	Arrangements are fine as proposed.	Seem fair, to all residents of Scotland.	Seem fair.
5096	417510020	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't think that we should be considering another referendum.	This is not relevant as we should not even be considering having another referendum, we have already voted NO.	The rules for voting in any referendum should be that same as they are for voting in the UK elections.
5097	312703518	BRYAN MCILWRAITH	Individual	Individual	The proposals are fair.	Checking of postal votes is vital, as there is growing evidence of electoral fraud by use of postal votes.	The rule changes are appropriate.
5098	642567336	Nicola Black	Individual	Individual	Positive, I think 16 and 17 year olds should be included.	It sounds fine.	It sounds sensible.
5099	75854940	dave smart	Individual	Individual	I have been to my local polling station more times in the last couple of years than ever before. There is no need for any more referendums, the recent ones have given clear answers. Scottish people voted in 2014 to stay within the United Kingdom, and in 2016 the people of the UK voted to leave the European Union (EU). What part of NO and LEAVE do the SNP not understand?\r Moreover, as a supporter of Scottish independence for most of my life I do not want to have Scotland in the EU, as there are no independent nation states in that organisation, apart from Deutschland (uber alles). This has been demonstrated in the last couple of years the way the EU has run the economy of mainly Southern European countries; Greece, Spain and Portugal among others. That is why myself and my wife (and I have her permission to say this) will change our Yes vote to No if there is another independence referendum.\r There are other reasons for that decision, including surrounding our village with useless wind turbines, some of which are less than 1/2 a mile away from the edge of the village. No thought to people here and the MSP who was our representative at the time they were erected Marwick should be ashamed of herself. It is strange that in NE Fife, you can count these monstrosities on 1 hand. No wind in that area!!\r Stop wasting time and taxpayers £s on asking the same question time and again; get on with running the country. There is plenty to do, and please do not get me started on the council tax surcharge on the top four bands. It reminds me of the old labour COSLA member who said a few years ago, surely the people in these big hooses can afford a bit more. How ignorant but not surprising when the SNP finance secretary does not know anything about Laffer economics!\r No referendum on anything for the next 10 years.	None	None
5100	1023070801	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There needs to be a body of people to oversee any referendum for Scotlands independence , to ensure that the same highly dubious vote counting / rigging isn't repeated.	Minimum of two people should have all ballot boxes sealed before witnesses and the boxes to be delivered untampered with and verified as such.	OK.
5101	959736990	Gareth S.	Individual	Individual	I would like to see more transparency in each campaign side. \rSomething I should be definitely be implemented is the Electoral Commission holding both sides to account for there statement of "facts", the point of them is to makes sure this is a fair and informed vote. They must be more proactive in making sure that neither side can publish ridiculous fantasies labelled as facts. I understand this will be hard to do, but, we must learn from the EU ref which is a prime example this. People can't make an informed decision if both sides are reporting facts that clearly contradict each other, one or both must be wrong!! If you allow this to happen it becomes a guessing game... and voting on anything let alone this, is certainly not a game!\rAll other arrangements like last time were well executed.	I agree with the above fully.	Agree
5102	337896717	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't want a referendum	No Answered	If you live in the country you should have the vote
5103	116330162	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not feel there is a requirement for a second referendum. The Scottish people have voted and a result obtained. The result was to stay in the UK. The Scottish people were aware that when they voted a UK wide referendum on membership of the EU was pending. The Scottish people still chose to stay in the UK. The majority of the Scottish people voted to stay in the UK and opinion polls have not shown this opinion has changed. \r From the first referendum and as highlighted by the farce that was Brexit I feel a first past the post option with no minimum turnout is not prudent nor is the lack of a set majority; for example of two thirds majority with a 70% turnout required to win. \r Also allowing non-tax paying 16-17 year olds to vote is tantamount to voter fraud.	I do not feel there is a requirement for a second referendum. The Scottish people have voted and a result obtained. The result was to stay in the UK. The Scottish people were aware that when they voted a UK wide referendum on membership of the EU was pending. The Scottish people still chose to stay in the UK. The majority of the Scottish people voted to stay in the UK and opinion polls have not shown this opinion has changed. \r From the first referendum and as highlighted by the farce that was Brexit I feel a first past the post option with no minimum turnout is not prudent nor is the lack of a set majority; for example of two thirds majority with a 70% turnout required to win.	I do not feel there is a requirement for a second referendum. The Scottish people have voted and a result obtained. The result was to stay in the UK. The Scottish people were aware that when they voted a UK wide referendum on membership of the EU was pending. The Scottish people still chose to stay in the UK. The majority of the Scottish people voted to stay in the UK and opinion polls have not shown this opinion has changed. \r From the first referendum and as highlighted by the farce that was Brexit I feel a first past the post option with no minimum turnout is not prudent nor is the lack of a set majority; for example of two thirds majority with a 70% turnout required to win.
5104	807340754	Marilyn Work	Individual	Individual	I have no problems with this.	I would suggest that whilst every political party is entitled to be present at the opening of the postal votes. The leaking of said votes should be made a criminal offence.	I have no problem with this.
5105	512610927	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have read proposed arrangements but I don't agree with wasting money on another referendum when the country needs money spent on caring for the population.	OK but I disagree with another referendum so soon after the last one. There are costs involved in any referendum no matter how it is 'dressed'. This money could be spent on many other things needed in the country.	No donors should be allowed. sNP are only party asking for a referendum so they should pay for expenses equally ( not by number of seats)for all parties with seats in Scottish Parliament.\r Only correct statistics should be allowed in any advertising or debate.\rA time limit should be set between referendums on same subject. There should not be a referendum so soon after the last one.
5106	435393085	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No problem with this.	I think it should be Scottish born people only.	No views .
5107	695458176	william blackhurst	Individual	Individual	wate of public money	none	waste of money
5108	304823834	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'd like to referendum to be overseen by a body that the Scottish Government has full confidence in and that is answerable to the Scottish Govenrment and not the Westminster Governement.	The count must be reliable with there beig no chance of electrol fraud. I lost a huge amount of trust in the system when I saw the carry on on facebook with dogey counting and Ruth Davidson admitting to have counted to postal votes etc. I need to be reassured that the count is robust and trustworthy.	Fine
5109	1038191049	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These arrangements seem to be in order.	The names of everybody applying for postal or proxy voting should be checked against the UK wide electoral roll. If they are already registered to vote at a different address elsewhere in the UK (outwith Scotland), they must not be allowed to vote in any referendum on Scottish independence and attempted fraud should be investigated.	These seem fine.
5110	901281870	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe there should be a new referendum so soon after the previous one	No opinion - I am happy that enough knowledgable professionals will have debated and agreed the technicalities	No opinion
5111	424673441	John Logan	Individual	Individual	The paper seems to me to have been constructed on the two most vital aspects that should lead to the Scottish people being given the chance to determine the future of the country by referendum, that being, popularity for a vote and a significant change in political and social circumstance, both of which it would appear, have occurred.	The proposed technical changes seem to be in keeping with the fairness of the electoral procedure and may go some way to preventing the type of problems which were apparent in the 2014 referendum (opening and checking of postal votes without sufficient safeguards)	In my view, any person who is domiciled in Scotland, whether born here or not and who may be affected by the outcome of the referendum, should have the authority to vote.
5112	780642100	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	totally against another referendum	totally against another referendum	totally against another referendum
5113	820938893	Gordonh Grant BENTON	Individual	Individual	my main concern is that there are very powerful forces, clever even, which have nothing much else to do but keep the Union together. I would like to see an extra-territorial agency responsible for both checking the voting register, numbering the voting slips, numbering the voting lists, and using indelible pens to mark the votes. all voting boxes should be escorted (by representatives of political parties as they wish. bit too much - probably: but to have an election guaranteed free of interference is paramount.	Happy with as all that but subject to comments in para 2 where deemed possible. i.e UN and or Irish invigilators.	I do not understand these paragraphs>
5114	301552622	Scot Finlayson	Individual	Individual	Do we need the Electoral Commission involved ?\r have to say I was not impressed with them at Indy1,\r they seemed to let some powerful political figures get away with breaking the law,Ruth Davidson and John McTernan for instance,\r and counting postal votes before the official count should start,\r and what happened to `purdah` when the NO side brought in the third option of the `Vow` three days before voting.\r and what will happen to the Civil Service who said impartiality did not apply in the Scottish Referendum?\r would like to see a non UK Commission,\r that would help to dispel fears of bias whether real or imagined.	No Answered	Would like to see that you must have been resident in Scotland for at least five or more years prior to the Referendum,\r this vote should be made by citizens who have chosen Scotland as a home not just passing through or a second home by rich foreigners,\r one of the big causes of distrust in Postal Voting was nobody knew where they were kept before official counting,\r 800,000 votes, lying somewhere 3 weeks before count open to "industrial-scale" fraud according to a top English judge.\r some clarification of that would be welcome.
5115	792627603	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fair	Fair	Fair
5116	1022304971	Heather Bremner	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
5117	368399087	David Williamson	Individual	Individual	I agree with these regulations	I would ban members of the House of Lords from voting	I agree with the proposed changes
5118	204376736	Maureen McGuire	Individual	Individual	No postal voting	Independent counting of votes	Don't understand it
5119	684111768	Patricia Plunkett	Individual	Individual	I do not want any private company registering and controlling the postal votes and counts. This is too easy to fix for those who want to continue under Westminster rule. It is privatising the electoral system and never has been given to the public to vote on. Cameron used this to fraudulently win the Independence referendum. Redacted text[ Labour] openly bragged about his interference in the referendum and nothing has been done to bring this man to justice. Ruth Davidson openly bragged about knowing the outcome of the referendum before a vote had been counted yet is allowed to continue as Tory party leader in Scotland. What chance do we have in another referendum when nobody is held accountable ?	Why did the postal votes get taken to England to be "sampled" ? Can we make sure this never happens again? and checking at polling stations was not used either, it made it all to easy for Redacted text and his colleagues to manufacture figures that could not be checked.	The Electoral commissions actions have been seriously in question. They ignored many requests for numbers by concerned groups.Redacted textand his company IDOX were in charge of the last elections given this right by D. Cameron the then Prime Minister. He got the right result in all but one election that was Brexit which he favoured.
5120	809900174	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No additional comment to be made	No additional comment to be made	No additional comment to be made
5121	843014863	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Which part of the NO result of First Referendum in 2014 does SNP and Sturgeon not understand?	not really necessary in my view	no views
5122	115465185	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Plan to manage it in accordance with all electorial regulations -but more importantly plan NOT to hold the referendum at all.	All the proposed technical changes are acceptable -it's the actual referendum which is NOT	Do NOT hold another referendum
5123	202821582	Martin Hannan	Individual	Individual	See below.	In the absence of a written UK and Scottish constitution - please remember that fact - there is at least one massive issue which requires to be addressed prior to a second independence referendum. That question is who is entitled to vote in that referendum, the issue of suffrage.\rBefore we get to the question of who can vote, it has to be accepted that hitherto there has been a fundamental failure on the part of the Scottish Government to deal with the issue of citizenship. Legally speaking, of course, we are not citizens but subjects of Her Majesty, though conversely we are citizens of the European Union. The Government needs to address the question of who exactly is a subject/citizen in Scotland and do so before any future referendum of any sort.\rI would contend that while matters of 'nationality' are reserved to Westminster, issues of citizenship come under the woolly heading of 'constitution', and that allows the Scottish Government to at least debate the matter. \rIn my opinion, we must once and for all set aside that 'subjects' nonsense and define Scottish citizenship, and ensure that only citizens of Scotland can be electors and voters in general elections and referendums - that is the norm in most democracies, even allowing for EU directives that all EU residents anywhere in the Union can vote in local and European Parliament elections. Most EU countries only allow their own citizens to vote in general elections and referendums, even such inclusive nations as the Netherlands and Luxembourg.\rMerely to say that "everyone who lives in Scotland" is entitled to vote is a nonsensical position following the EU referendum of June 23. That is because the Westminster Government decreed that no EU citizen could vote unless they hailed from Ireland, Malta, Cyprus, and Gibraltar. British subjects abroad were also banned from voting if they had lived outside the UK for 15 years or more. Had EU citizens been entitled to vote, the result would surely have been different.\rIf a second independence referendum is to be held, it can only happen because Scotland is being removed from the EU against the expressed will (62-38% and that's what you call a thumping majority!) of the Scottish people. It logically follows that the second independence referendum will be on the basis of Scotland becoming an independent nation within the EU. \rTherefore it stands to reason that the Westminster Government's position on referendum voting must be followed. No EU citizens and only 'foreign' people resident in Scotland for say, 15 years, should be allowed to vote.\rAs the referendum will happen after Article 50 has been triggered confirming the UK's exit from the EU, it can be argued strongly that people from countries intending to leave the EU no longer have an automatic entitlement to decide the future of Scotland inside the EU. It would be completely illogical for non-EU citizens to vote on an EU-related matter which future Scottish independence undoubtedly is.\rThat would mean English and Welsh people resident here not being able to vote, as their countries voted to leave and Article 50, which is presumably irrevocable, takes them out of the EU. So why should they have a vote on Scotland's future in the EU?\rHowever, there are a great many people from England, Wales, and many other countries who have made their homes here. Should they be denied the vote when they have clearly made a commitment to Scotland? Of course not - such people have a genuine interest in the future of Scotland and must be allowed to express a preference. \rThe answer to this conundrum is straightforward - the Scottish Government must initiate a debate, preferably in Parliament with evidence taken by Committee, on the whole issue of Scottish citizenship, majoring on the issues of how long you must be resident here to become a citizen and whether 'birth' citizenship lasts for life. I will happily give my opinions to such a debate.\rFor my part, I would argue that the establishment of a register of citizens, rather than just voters, is a prerequisite for any future referendum or indeed any form of independent Scotland.	There must be a rule that any newspaper or media organisation or journalist that indicates a preference for one or other side should be made to register as a supporter of that side.
5124	925826364	Robin Mouatt	Individual	Individual	Structurally this proposal is fair, though in regulation of referendum campaign I think there should be the implementation of an independent fact checker so that people can make an informed decision on such a life changing subject. There should be penalties if either campaign tell outright lies or even if they produce spin which gives a false indication of the potential outcomes which could result from referendum. \r Due to the outcome of the previous referendum on Scottish Independence where Scotland is still suffering from economic uncertainty and social divisions created by an independence referendum (and not least that the "once in a generation" quote has been treated so flexibly) there must be a clause which proscribes that should Scotland again vote to remain part of the UK there must be a fixed period where it is not permitted to call another referendum, this time frame should reflect the requirement for economic stability to be restored.	The inclusion of EU Citizens resident in Scotland as eligible voters is contentious as until the terms of Brexit are established we can not know their eligibility to reside within Scotland after Britain has exited the EU. As there is no means to make assumptions that Scotland could join the EU through either a deal or promise of application should independence be the outcome of any referendum. It would be unfair to provide a vote to EU Citizens until there is certainty of their eligibility to remain within the UK or an independent Scotland - given that Scotland is only a member of the EU as part of the UK there should be a base presumption that should Scotland vote for independence it would automatically exit the EU. The vote in a referendum should therefore be reserved for UK & Commonwealth individuals.	This appears to be a fair change.
5125	654116569	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for another referendum.	If EU citizens are allowed to vote, then only those that are resident here should be. Any citizens that are not ordinarily resident in Scotland should be excluded. Residency must be proved and Identification must be shown at the polling station when casting vote.	Nothing to Add
5126	751225106	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No change	Residency in Scotland should be 10 years plus for eligibility for all to vote.	No change
5127	319651413	Ross Naismith	Individual	Individual	No comment.	Agreed.	Agreed.
5128	836048926	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The only issue that I have about the proposed management of the referendum is with the Electoral Commission involvement. At the 2014 referendum it appeared that they were influenced too much by Westminster.	These are fine.	Fine
5129	485626900	Ian Sanderson	Individual	Individual	No problems that I am aware of...\r Presume the postal votes will be more tightly controlled ...?	No comments	No comments
5130	682866020	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements would be acceptable but the whole excercise is NOT Required\rI Do NOT believe a referendum is required	Arrangements are acceptable but the whole excercise is NOT Required\rI Do NOT believe a referendum is required	These arrangements are acceptable but the whole excercise is Not required\rI Do NOT believe a referendum is required
5131	664360878	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree with these proposals.	I am glad to see that proxy voting will be subject to better scrutiny. Not only was a 7,770% increase in emergency proxy applications an administrative burden, but, in my opinion highly suspect.	Hopefully this will lead to more transparency.
5132	318858036	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Should only be for No voters and Torys	Ludicrous	Should take in another 2m refugees as they would be forced to vote for you tossers
5133	928495111	Richard Ainsworth	Individual	Individual	By attempting to hold another referendum you are showing complete and utter disrespect to the voters who gave an unequivocal "No" in the last referendum. It is time you accepted this and stared to govern the country correctly.	By attempting to hold another referendum you are showing complete and utter disrespect to the voters who gave an unequivocal "No" in the last referendum. It is time you accepted this and stared to govern the country correctly.	By attempting to hold another referendum you are showing complete and utter disrespect to the voters who gave an unequivocal "No" in the last referendum. It is time you accepted this and stared to govern the country correctly.
5134	814012288	Christopher Haxton	Individual	Individual	There is no need for a further referendum. \r 2014 was supposed to be a once in a generation vote. \r The democratic decision was made clear.\r Respect that decision.\r Stop dividing the contry and stat governing.	N/A	N/A
5135	867692010	Union Flag	Individual	Individual	No need for a second divisive referendum on Scottish Independence. The people have already spoken and the vast majority do not wish to go into this divisive issue again !	No need.	NO NEED !
5136	777322019	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Simple - we should not be having one.\rThe Scottish Government should get on with governing our country and desist in the prevarication. The country has already voted against devolution recently. It is too soon to have the distraction of another referendum. The Government has no mandate to hold a second one.	None	None
5137	983223	Peter D. Cheyne	Individual	Individual	Happy with the proposals.	Happy with the changes.	Happy with the changes.
5138	389806115	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no difficulty with the "mechanics" of the referendum ,but I am totally opposed to a re-run of a vote which occurred barely two years ago in which the Scottish people clearly stated that they wished to remain part of the United Kingdom	I have no views on these	I have no views on these
5139	635699771	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	As an ex-pat in Spain I would like a vote. I have always been pro-Independence since I was 14, now a pensioner my pension is paid by the UK (not that it is worth much) but I may decide to return to the country of my birth and where I lived most of my life. I am also an SNP member.
5140	267147439	Scott Cameron	Individual	Individual	I would like to see involvement from an fully independent body, and by that I mean one that is not based in the UK or associated with UK elections. I personally don't accept that there was any criminality in the administering of the 2014 referendum however many people have a genuinely held belief that corruption played a part in the outcome. This is probably borne out of frustrations with how the UK establishment conducted itself in the lead up to the 2014 referendum but regardless of the reasons behind their origins they are thoughts and views that are unhelpful if we want unity and a 'one Scotland' approach following a second referendum and shouldn't just be cast aside and considered the opinions of a fringe element. Involving an independent organisation from continental Europe, working alongside the EC would go some way to building voter confidence.	The arrangements appear to be sensible. I commend the Scottish Government for their position on eligibility to vote. If for example it were only residents that were born in Scotland that were entitled to vote then I believe Scotland would already be an independent country. However a significant proportion of our fellow Scots (and that's how I regard those who were not born here) would be disenfranchised, much in the same way thousands of European residents who were not born in the UK were disenfranchised by not having the right to vote in the EU referendum. The Scottish Government could have followed that - undemocratic - precedent for a future referendum, knowing that it would likely increase the YES vote % but they have stuck to their principles and that should make all Scots proud.	no opinion on changes
5141	169901816	Lynda Wilson	Individual	Individual	I don't think there should be a 2nd referendum. The Scottish people gave their answer the government should be adhering to the decision.	N/A	N/A
5142	620556755	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The Electoral Commission as currently constituted is not capable of effective regulation of the referendum campaign. I say this because of the correspondence I (and many others) have had with them on the subject of defects in procedures for the 2014 Referendum. Indeed, I offered them proof of a No vote being made by a non-resident who was not entitled to vote, as an example of the potential for abuse of the current system - not only did they refuse to take action, they didn't even understand their own rules on eligibility to vote.	There are many more defects in the system than this - for example, \r1. the widespread fraud on election expenses committed by the Conservatives and LibDems in the 2015 Westminster election and 2016 Holyrood election (and probably others)\r2. the availability of multiple registrations by voters who own more than one property (which has increased considerably in recent times, and runs into tens of thousands of voters) - and the lack of effective policing to make sure that, for example, owners of holiday cottages are not permitted to vote when they are required to be resident.\r3. Postal voting is wide open to abuse, as evidenced by Redacted text/pub\r4. Security of ballot boxes is no longer assured by police escort\r5. There should be a full quota of International Observers throughout the campaign\r6. There should be exit polls conducted at all polling stations\r7. There should be an explicit instruction to UK security services not to interfere in the referendum process	There is no such thing as the Scottish Labour Party, and they should not be allowed to describe themselves as such.
5143	1026300394	Colin millar	Individual	Individual	They are fine	These changes were required	All ok
5144	731843127	Derek Westwood	Individual	Individual	Satisfactory.	Satisfactory.	Satisfactory.
5145	1059486653	leonard boughen	Individual	Individual	must make sure no vote rigging. jail sentences if guilty	good in favour	in agreement
5146	899761590	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree.	We had postal votes for the referendum : in two previous elections we couldn't vote because I had been rushed to hospital. But in the referendum I know for a fact that our ballot papers had no bar codes. I had no idea how significant this was until days after the vote, too late to do anything about it. \rI also believe that the ballot papers should be held for scrutiny, I believe this was not the case on this occasion.\rThe Scottish Government really need to tighten up security with regard to postal voting, to make sure that people who own second homes in Scotland, but are not permanent residents, are not automatically allowed to vote.\rTo me absent voting is the biggest opportunity for fraud and the electorate need reassurance that it can not happen.	No comment.
5147	610537981	Janet Paton	Individual	Individual	I think the voting arrangements are fine. However I do not think that we need another referendum as the last one was supposed to be a "once in a generation" occurrence. Recent polls have demonstrated that the majority of Scots would rather stay in the UK even with Brexit than separate from the UK on the slim chance that we could then become part of the EU. I think that the Scottish Government would be better to focus on governing the country and trying to improve their miserable record on education and the NHS than prolonging short term uncertainty and making this country unattractive to investors.	Agree that there should be 100% verification.	Sounds reasonable.
5148	150059057	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The 2014 referendum was neither fair nor transparent. The question put was loaded in favour of a yes vote and should never have been allowed. I remember the initial question proposed by the Scottish government being rejected by the electoral commission. I also think Scots living abroad should be allowed to vote	Scots living abroad should, in my opinion, be allowed to vote if non Scots living on Scotland are entitled to vote.	No view.
5149	493446541	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Scotland's opinion was obtained in 2014 in a vote which the SNP clearly stated would decide the issue for at least a generation. If (as publicly stated) the SNP respect the will of the people in eg the recent USA elections, why do they not respect of the will of the Scottish people regarding independence?	Disagree that 16 & 17 year olds should be allowed to vote on this matter and no other. They either are enfranchised or they are not. Since they are not, the referendum should not be open to them.	Scotland's opinion was obtained in 2014 in a vote which the SNP clearly stated would decide the issue for at least a generation. If (as publicly stated) the SNP respect the will of the people in eg the recent USA elections, why do they not respect of the will of the Scottish people regarding independence?
5150	425717644	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Would like to see added layer of security on postal ballot system to \r1) remove fears of tampering\r2) Remove "straw polling" at initial sort of postal votes to avoid any side having pre knowledge of voting trends	No Answered	Important to open the vote to all aged 16+ and all who are resident in Scotland
5151	419686057	Margaret Hynds	Individual	Individual	Forget a second referendum, we made a decision two years ago abide by it and start running the country, which is what you were voted in to do. \r The country is in dire straits and you are planning to waste money on a second referendum.\r Scotland could not meet the criteria to join the EU and if we're not part of the U.K. We would be in a worse state than Greece we could not survive on our own.\r Operations are being cancelled in Aberdeen through lack of nurses, that is what you should be getting to grips with not another referendum.	Have read this but do not agree with referendum so irrelevant	As above
5152	211701483	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	It is my view that Scotland should remain part of the UK as was the result of the vote in 2014, and should follow the UK out of EU as voted.\r Scotland itself is not a member of the EU the UK is the member and Scotland is a member because its part of the UK. \r Scotland as part of the UK should be able to sell its goods on the open market world wide and to the EU without having to depend on anyone else.\r Yes I believe in fighting for Scotland but within UK.
5153	714499382	James Clegg	Individual	Individual	I am strongly opposed to holding another referendum. The independence question was settled in 2014, a further referendum would only further divide an already divided Scotland. The Scottish government should concentrate on improving education, not more constitutional debate.	I am strongly opposed to holding another referendum.	I am strongly opposed to holding another referendum.
5154	376527883	David Steel	Individual	Individual	This seems satisfactory as these arrangements were proven to work in the 2014 referendum.\r I would like to see increased provision to counter voting fraud and tampering as we know it exists and has happened recently in American elections. I have a real concern that certain forces could intervene to skew the results( in favour of against independence) by covert means.	I would like to see some sort qualifying residency period for English voters living in Scotland. I reason this is because if they have lived here for a short period of time they are more likely to be pre-disposed to vote against independence and as this group represent a significant number (approximately 500,000) this could make a major difference to the final result. However, I do not know the practicalities of instigating this qualification.	I would like to see anybody in above positions disbarred if they have been convicted of major criminal offences or are currently under charge of major criminal offences.
5155	723632372	Dr J E M Anderson	Individual	Individual	As I view it for the survival of Scotland as a prospering, fair & non-class-ridden liberal democracy to become independent from England; & also feel it is our duty to ourselves & the peoples of Europe to remain brothers & sisters with them, committed to sharing finding workable responses to the huge problems of economic migration, extremist terrorism and climate change, I feel we must ENSURE that we hold the referendum only when we are certain we have a better than likely chance of winning it.	I strongly approve of the proposals.	I approve of these changes.
5156	1061292807	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think that the draft is fine in theory. However why cant native born Scots living out of Scotland have the opportunity to vote. Unionists born in other parts of the uk can? People who just have holiday homes in Scotland might abuse this opportunity to thwart or influence the vote.	No Answered	As above
5157	93582748	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Firstly, I do not agree that a referendum such as this about a potentially huge change to the status quo should be decided by a simple majority. In my opinion there should be a clear majority of at least 60 percent in favour of any change for it to be successful. I also believe that there should be a minimum hurdle of voter turn out for the result to be valid.\r More importantly, I have absolutely no confidence that any SNP led Scottish Government will accept the outcome of a referendum if it does not support independence. They talk about respecting the will of the Scottish People but then completely disregard the outcome of the "once in a generation" 2014 referendum which gave a clear majority against independence.\r Finally, the Scottish economy is not in good shape and there are huge problems in Health, in Education and with the Police. The Government should therefore be focusing on addressing these as opposed to wasting money, time and energy on another unnecessary referendum.	No comment.	No comment.
5158	326029208	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements seem fair.	All seems fair; however feel that if persons are not resident in Scotland on day of vote, then no vote. The same should apply to emergency proxy applications.	All ok.
5159	468169474	Colin Wilson	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	"I don't think the referendum should take place for another Generation in accordance with the White Paper (Scotlands"Future"). Page 3 If we vote No, Scotland stands still. A once in a generation opportunity to follow a different path, and choose a new and better direction for our nation, is lost. Decisions about Scotland would remain in the hands of others.\r The No vote did take place despite the warning in the white paper on page 226 that EU membership was at risk and that should be respected. "We will continue to be a member of the EU and will have a seat at the top table to represent Scotland's interests more effectively; we will not be at risk of leaving the EU against the wishes of the Scottish people"
5160	190692582	John Currie	Individual	Individual	I Agree	Agree	Agree
5161	352431808	Harry innes	Individual	Individual	The last referendum result was dubious to say the least.	A fair count is a priority.The postal vote had a huge question mark over it.	Fine again if all is above board.
5162	65632109	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am totally against another referendum,	I am against 16 and 17 year olds having a vote,	Only parties involved in the 2014 referendum should be allowed to participate,
5163	569751529	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't think there should be a second referendum. The last one was meant to count for a generation. You can't keep having votes till you get the result you want.\rHowever, as long as a referendum allows each individual one vote and it is independently verified it should be fair.\rHowever, I strongly believe there should be an agreed minimum turnout required for the vote to be valid, and at least 65% in favour of any change to our country's status. A 52/48 split is not conclusive.	I agree with all of the above.	I'm sorry but I don't see how a lot of the above has to do with a single question referendum.
5164	838073741	Robert Wilson	Individual	Individual	There is no need to have another referendum as we had one with a straight forward answer just over two years ago. A waste of time and resources.	See above.	See above
5165	474204895	Cathie Lloyd	Individual	Individual	I was happy with the arrangements for 2014 so I'm in agreement if that is to be followed.	I'm concerned about the position of EU citizens if we have left the EU before the referendum. I think it is important that people who are resident are able to vote. \r I agree with the polling and count staff rules. People who are parties involved in the referendum should not have sight of ballots before the end of the poll/count. This particularly applies to postal votes.	These changes seem reasonable to me. Misconduct should attract a legal penalty applicable without delay.
5166	586651808	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	agree	agree	agree
5167	529534153	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would like a required minimum turnout of 75% of the electorate for the result to be valid.	looks fine.	looks fine
5168	907010786	James Gallacher	Individual	Individual	I want independent observers and stricter controls of the Postal voters.	I want the same rules as the EU referendum only Scottish born people eligible to vote in Inndyref 2.	No views on this.
5169	503012707	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am disappointed to see that I have clearly not understood the reason for the consultation. I was given the impression on last night's BBC Scotland evening news that the purpose of the consultation was to see if the govt should call a referendum. \rI 'm not really concerned about technical changes to managing the referendum. I'm more interested as to whether another referendum should be called. My answer to that question is absolutely not. With Oil prices collapsing and with no likely improvement in short to medium term I see no sound economic case for going alone. I would much prefer that the Scottish government focus on the internal education, social and economic (govt. cutbacks) issues that beset us.	OK	OK
5170	1039527680	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine	Counting should be transparent, recorded ideally with a live feed. It is still my strong belief that the previous vote was tampered with to the detriment of the clear view of the Scottish people as shown clearly in every vote since.	Fine
5171	333745075	Paddy Farrington	Individual	Individual	I am happy with these arrangements.	Eligibility to vote should include EU residents irrespective of what stage Brexit negotiations have reached.\r Rules restricting disclosure or use of information on postal votes prior to the general poll should be tightened up.	Measures should be taken to eliminate or at least restrict the use of 'astro-turfing'.
5172	960533938	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	This is fine as long as it is run fairly and legally.	I feel that 16 /17 yr olds should Not be included in the vote as , the vast majority of teenagers don't have a clue about the way a goverment works. I felt at the last referendum election they were added as the goverment thought they would win the vote by including that age group...... .Adjusting things to suit themselves.
5173	486792148	NA	Individual	Individual	Under NO circumstances should there be another referendum. Concentrate on running the country which has been sidelined in favour of constant nationalist views!	At present I have not read in detail what the changes entail	I have no views at present
5174	518257378	Colin MacLachlan	Individual	Individual	Not required	Not required	Not required
5175	163011517	William Grier	Individual	Individual	There needs to be greater security to ensure that therevery can be no accusations of malpractice	I approve of these changes	I approve of these changes
5176	466577235	Chris Spratt	Individual	Individual	Agree with arrangements as now	Agree with these.	Agree
5177	834446687	Elaine Colley	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements .	I believe that the proposed technical changes would be an improvement on the present arrangements.	I agree with the changes.
5178	437396939	Alex Harvie	Individual	Individual	Forget it - drop the proposal !!!	It will make no difference to the outcome .	Will make little difference - you will still lose the vote, if held.
5179	455738322	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	as before	i obect to foreign nationals being allowed to decide scotland's peoples future	as before
5180	455386415	DENNIS WARD	Individual	Individual	i would like the poling and the counting be done by non uk people as i have no confidance on the honesty of some of these people and therfor would prefer a E U country to take over these proceidgers.	ibelieve it should be folk with at least 20 years in the country who should be eligible to vote and they still have to be born hear .	the tories spent millions on theirs but when it came to us ,they shifted the goalposts well lets just get a hawed o their baw and do the same .
5181	759498635	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the arrangements but do not agree that there should be another referendum	I absolutely do not agree with anybody but British citizens voting. Non British residents living in the U.K. should not be allowed to vote.	I agree
5182	551775518	Gordon Millar	Individual	Individual	These are acceptable.	No Answered	I don't believe that 16 and 17 year olds should be allowed to vote. With little opportunity to pay tax and contibute to the economy, which makes the country run, then these younger voters have only theoretical opinion of politics with no practical knowledge of what a political decision of this magnitude will actually mean to them.\r UK citizens living in Scotland should be allowed to vote. Those from elsewhere should have to own and reside in property in Scotland, as those who rent with roots in other countries could be prepared to take risks with their vote in the knowledge they could move away if it was the wrong decision.
5183	293001635	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Keep it the same as in 2014	It should be only those that are registered to vote and are on the electoral role.	Agree with the proposal
5184	860732121	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No change	No change to existing arrangements	No change
5185	779374844	Brian Strachan Gillies	Individual	Individual	Lots of People in Scotland think that there are loop-holes in Polling, we need to tighten up the security irrespective of the cost, Scottish National Interests are at stake here, Exit Polls, Car Cameras and Trackers in Transport carrying Polling Boxes, driver and security guard with the polling boxes between Polling station and Counting Office, once at the Counting Station, CCTV on Every Counting Table, one main thing lots of People want done, is a Neutral Country Overseeing the Referendum, England cannot be allowed near it, so every Polling Card and whatever is required must be done by Scotland, every Poll must be kept in security and only taken out when required, would I think England would Rig a Referendum, Yes I would, they have way too much too lose and probably why the money that comes back from Westminster through the Barnet Formula is being Cut every Year and why Scotland is Struggling even though we can manage on our own	Sovereignty of Scotland has always been with the People, I am glad that the age of people eligible to vote was reduced to 16	I am fine with this
5186	503612634	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are adequate, but I am surprised that you do not ask the basic question which is whether there should be a new referendum Bill. Clearly there should not, as Scotland is confronted with a range of important and pressing issues, none of which will be solved by a Referendum. The money can be put to much better use.\r I would have hoped that lessons were learned both from the last Scottish Referendum and the European Referendum, that these exercises are deeply divisive and the negativity generated does not serve communities or Scotland well. Referenda also solve nothing, as this "second referendum" proposal proves along with the toxic Brexit debate - the losing side, simply campaigns for another referendum until they get the result they want. At this point, then the other side starts its new referendum campaign. Wasting money, effort and energy.	These arrangements appear adequate.	No comment
5187	358875006	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine	Agree with changes	Don't have any views on this
5188	831116872	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Straight 'Yes' 'No' vote - no conditional clauses	In full support	Again, fully support
5189	879904720	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is a despicable first question. It is leading and presumptuous, in the same way as all SNP 'consultations'. The point should be around whether there should be a referendum, not trivial details about its conduct. If the democratic will of the Scottish people is intended to be respected with respect to the EU referendum, it should be respected with regard to the 2014 referendum. No additional independence referendum should be held. It is a distraction from exercising the existing devolved powers and an unhelpful source of division and uncertainty in society and the economy.	No opinion, there should be no additional referendum.	No opinion, there should be no additional referendum.
5190	825956082	Norman Laing	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	We voted to stay in uk no need for any change i will vote to stay in united kingdom let democratic vote in 2014 stand
5191	203904224	derek mcvay	Individual	Individual	My concerns do not lie with the proposed arrangements for managing a referendum,but whether there should be one or not	Seems Fine	Seems Fine
5192	38052648	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The referendum is not needed. The result of the first referendum was clear
5193	981529718	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum, this question is pointless. We have already voted.\r Respect the settled will of the Scottish people.	Irrelevant, this assumes a second referendum. It should not take place. \r Respect the settled will of the Scottish people.	Irrelevant, this assumes a second referendum. It should not take place. \r Respect the settled will of the Scottish people.
5194	109734622	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't agree that there is an unequivocal result for another referendum. I like many other voted to remain in the EU and to remain in the union with Britain. The outcome of the EU vote does not change my view that I would prefer to remain within Britain. Another referendum is, in my opinion, a waste of money. Money that would be better spent on our failing education system , NHS and emergency services . \rConducting the referendum as it was conducted in 2014 is accepatable. I am concerned that the wording above states 'will be'' assuming this will be happening.	I think the proposed changes are good	The proposed technical changes are acceptable.
5195	401297259	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Provision should also be made as to the management of the behaviour of supporters outside polling stations and during campaigning as this I found to be extremely intimidatory and especially those on the street and on social media	No Answered	The age for voting should be left at age 18 as it has been demonstrated a large proportion of under 18 are still heavily influenced by peer group opinion and do not have a large grasp of the and economic impact of such a large decision like this and vote with heart rather than assessing the implications and making an informed decision with all facts accounted for.
5196	754147794	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Why are the Scotstoun Government perusing another referendum when they made it very clear that the referendum in 2014 was a one off in a generation. It would appear to me that the SNP (of which I support) are not prepared to adhere to their own mandate. To peruse another referendum in my view is an ego trip for the politicians for their own polo tical gain, the people if Scotland have already voted and have made their intentions clear by voting NO. The SNP are making the Brexit vote an excuse but I do not see this as being a positive way to govern the country. Why don't the the MSP's concentrate on running our country now and resolve the huge problems with local authorities instead of perusing an ego trip.	Reducing the age to vote was correct and I agree with the proposed changes but not the principle of the need for another referendum.	I agree with the changes
5197	907537484	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My view is plain and simple - a resounding no to a second referendum. \rThe Scottish people voted in a "once in generation" referendum, the result was clear.\rThe Question for the Brexit was for the UK exit, with no special mention of Scotland. We live in a democratic society and the Scottish Government must abide by that. \rPlease get back to running the country and dealing with the matters which people see as important - health, education, employment rather than banging on yet again with Independence. Also stop all the centralisation of facilities to the Central Belt - that is no better than Westminster.	As above No to any Independence Referendum, this is valuable time, money and effort wasted on what have gone to matters which matter to the Scottish people. Resources are finite and should not be wasted on fripperies or tinkering with a decision once made by the public, Democracy is not about constantly whinging on about one party's desire, or forgetting about the country and trying your hand again.	The permissible participants ( including the lower aged 16 year olds) turned out in their droves to vote and vote they did. If the Scottish Government wishes to be seen as a Democratic Party it must adhere to its promises and listen to the electorate. Nothing has changed, Scotland voted to remain in the UK and the UK voted. I voted to remain, was disappointed with the result but accept the national outcome. We must be more positive, enter the negotiations with Westminster and Europe and be seen not as a backward, awkward nation with only one intent but as a progressive, optimistic country determined to trade on the world scene.
5198	768066823	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	AGREE	AGREE	AGREE
5199	618612976	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The arrangements laid out here do not make clear th the question for the referendum is to be arrived at. This does not give consultees the opportunity to comment on that question.\r For example, citizens may question the value-loaded character of a Yes-No question rather than a 'remain within or leave the UK question'. I note, furthermore, that the possibility of a 'devo-max' option is once again absent from the proposed paper.
5200	608228046	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would be happy that the previous process be used again, should we face the prospect of another referendum.	I have no concerns with the proposed changes	I have no issue with these changes
5201	900504616	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	The question was too biased last time, it should have expressed the alternative to remain within the United Kingdom as being the consequence of voting no as well.	I think Scots in other parts of the UK should be allowed to vote
5202	393138002	Paula Nicol	Individual	Individual	I'd prefer impartial counters. People who are not bias to the union or independence as there was a lot of rumours about counters destroying ballots or deliberate mis counting in favour of the union. If there were impartial counters there would be a much fairer outcome.	I agree with all changes	I agree with the changes
5203	925362986	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't have an issue with the proposals for managing a referendum but I don't agree with having another independence referendum .	I do not agree with EU residents being allowed to vote in any proposed independence referendum as this would by proxy become a Scottish vote on Brexit not independence.	No view on this
5204	944051806	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Second referendum not needed, voters expressed their feelings in the last referendum. The government should focus on the issues in hand, and save taxpayers money. We are in a recession and the country is so much debt as it is.
5205	824262625	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is norequirement for a second referendum	There is no requirement for a second referendum	There is no requirement fir a second referendum
5206	233881015	Jeff Hall	Individual	Individual	Arrangements are fine but I do not agree with holding a referendum in the first place.\r It will be a major distraction from the Scottish parliament getting on with its main purpose. If a referendum is held it will be the same result for even more division.	I'm not sure european residents of Scotland that have been here for less than Say two tears should be allowed to vote on the issue unless they are tax contributors.	see above response to 2
5207	982657274	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum, we've already had one.	There should be no referendum, we've already had one.	There should be no referendum, we've already had one.
5208	319441097	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This time we need exit polls. The postal vote requirements need tightening up.	I agree with the proposed changes.	Agree
5209	1064744474	john richard brackenbury	Individual	Individual	be more aware ofelectrol fruad	happy	happy
5210	1053747666	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I fundamentally disagree with having a referendum and as their is no mechanism for the silent majority I feel this is the only way to respond. The original referendum was once in a generation vote. We cannot pick and choose what we want.	No views as only an excuse to gain independence	No views
5211	837342779	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements seem sound, especially given they mostly mirror the 2014 referendum.	Greater attention to postal voting identification is an excellent idea and will increase confidence that there will be no way to exploit the rightful ability for those unable to vote in person to be able to register their opinion.	All fair and seem robust.
5212	500878802	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The U.K. Government only has the power to trigger a vote. We had a vote in 2014 and that should be that.\rSturgeon says she respects the vote of the US people but she doesn't respect the vote of the Scottish people.	Why should there be any arrangements, spend time running the country than causing more divisions in the country.	Rubbish
5213	772397959	Phillip Allan	Individual	Individual	Agree in full	Agree in full	I have a preference for limiting elegible donors to individuals only
5214	358164526	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Having another referendum is a total waste of money and resources, we are only recently had one and voted NO! Just because you are not happy about Brexit does not mean you can use my remain vote to justify another Indy! If fact I would now vote to leave and do not want to be part of EU! \rPlease concentrate on pulling together with rest of UK.	Postal votes should be verified	Any person born in Scotland but living elsewhere in U.K. or living in Scotland should be eligible to vote.
5215	681207207	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	That this consultation is immediately predicated on presumption that there should be a referendum is an affront to democracy. The settled will of the Scottish people, as per the 2014 referendum, should be respected as agreed to by both Holyrood and Westminster in the Edinburgh Agreement.	That this consultation is immediately predicated on presumption that there should be a referendum is an affront to democracy. The settled will of the Scottish people, as per the 2014 referendum, should be respected as agreed to by both Holyrood and Westminster in the Edinburgh Agreement.	That this consultation is immediately predicated on presumption that there should be a referendum is an affront to democracy. The settled will of the Scottish people, as per the 2014 referendum, should be respected as agreed to by both Holyrood and Westminster in the Edinburgh Agreement.
5216	121939611	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think Scottish Citizens living and working abroad should also be able to vote. They may only be away temporarily and intend returning to Scotland in the future. The other arrangements look fine. \rI agree 16 and 17 year old's should be able to vote. \rThe question should also ask if we want to be members of the EU or a fully Independent country. \rI do not concur with simple majority. We see the consequences of this with Brexit, where a close result involves almost half the voters in the country being forced down a road against their will. I think there should be a clear 5% winning gap.	These look OK. \rPostal votes - many people now work away from home for periods of 4 weeks, sometimes longer - the recent trend to shorten how far in advance postal votes are sent out means people have missed their vote - and for me I do not want to give a proxy vote - I'd like to be able to vote by post from 4 weeks in advance.	No view.
5217	821855907	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposed independence referendum is a betrayal of democracy since the SNP declared that the 2014 referendum was a once in a generation event.	This is irrelevant since this referendum is undemocratic. The democratic decision of the people of Scotland from the 2014 vote has been ignored.	Not relevant
5218	583857938	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I did not know that a referendum had been agreed so not sure what you're supposed to be managing.	There hasn't been an agreement to hold a referendum so all of above is irrelevant.	What referendum?
5219	568130061	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not to have one in the first place.	Non, again I believe we do not need another referendum.	18+ and not those new to the country with only temporary plans to stay in Scotland.
5220	238647162	James Clark	Individual	Individual	I am happy for Indyref2 to be managed similarly to Indyref1.	Perhaps those normally resident in Scotland but on extended foreign contracts could be allowed to vote.	One "participant" for YES and one for no?
5221	38598971	Nigel Rickard	Individual	Individual	I have no problem with the proposed arrangements, but I do have an issue with holding another referendum which will be costly at a time of austerity and which will inevitably distract the government from conducting the vital functions of government. The electorate have already given their clear views in 2014.	I agree with these changes	Agreed
5222	525223297	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They are fine.	I would like toes more of a breakdown of demographics of voting. It would also be interesting to 'consult' with ex-pat scots - not as a binding vote, but as a consultation.	Agree with suggestions
5223	476765285	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Referendum not necessary Scottish people have already said no to independence. Another referendum would be a drain to Scottish taxpayer.	Unnecessary.no change needed.	Same as before!
5224	549907581	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Referendum not necessary. Scottish people have said no to independence.	Unnecessary.	No change needed.
5225	4937001	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No comment on procedural issues but why have another referendum.? \r Scottish independence failed because the majority of the Scottish people rejected separation because they wish to remain within the UK. By a decisive 10% margin (2m voted to remain 55% v 1.6m leave) East Renfrewshire where I live a massive 65% rejected separation! The issue is closed its time to accept the voice of the Scottish people and move on.	No comment	No comment
5226	928762660	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	nothing	the referendum should be for scottish residents only or those that have lived here for a certain time, i.e 10 years, these rules clearly help the snp gain as many votes as possible and from people whose scotlands best interest arent theirs.	none
5227	274761350	Joe Bloggs	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	This statement assumes that there will be a referendum. Why? There is no change in the public opinion judging by opinion polls and we have not got anywhere near the "a once in a generation timescale" before considering the independence question again. The presumption that there will be a referendum to suit the minority is highly arrogant.\rI would also very much question the opening statement in the executive summary stating\r"The current Scottish Government was elected with a clear mandate"\rThe current government in Scotland is a minority government in terms of seats and even more so in terms of votes. To call it a clear mandate is false and inaccurate. I would suggest that this is withdrawn from the summary and replaced with a more accurate reflection of the current make-up of the Holyrood Parliament. The SNP need to face facts and not what what the wish would be the case.
5228	325682414	David Fulton	Individual	Individual	Primarily, there should NOT be a 2nd referendum... !\r The elegibility to vote criteria should be the same as for any other scottish general election.	Primarily, there should NOT be a 2nd Referendum...!\r In the event of a 2nd referendum...Voting should be restricted to people who are confirmed as a registered voter, with permanent residency rights in Scotland.	Primarily, there should NOT be a 2nd Referendum...!\r In the event that there is a 2nd referendum, then I would agree with the proposals.
5229	252056326	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not necessary. The Scottish people have said no to independence.	No change needed.	No change necessary.
5230	276857640	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree on the whole with this but would like to see exit polls too.	I agree with this.	I agree.
5231	53372470	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposals for the management and regulation of the referendum as set out	I am happy with the residency rules but feel that allowing the vote at 16 is too young.	No issues on this
5232	871843804	Garry Williams	Individual	Individual	Agreed	Agreed	Agreed
5233	82553565	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	positive	I would have preferred eligibility to vote to be:\r residents of Scotland since birth\r or\r minimum 15 years residency.	Happy with proposed change.
5234	339819178	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Given that the referendum of 2014 was decisive and final, there is no need to comment.	As above.	These questions are merely attempting to distract from the key issue - no referendum is required.
5235	386962733	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not wish this referendum to be held. I voted NO to Independence in 2014 - I wished to remain part of the United Kingdom. I voted YES / LEAVE along with other UK citizens in 2016 on the EU referendum. Our vote should be respected.	British citizens resident in Scotland should NOT be allowed to vote.\rCommonwealth citizens resident in Scotland should NOT be allowed to vote.\rCitizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland should NOT be allowed to vote.\r Members of the House of Lords resident in Scotland SHOULD be allowed to vote.\r Service/Crown personnel serving in the UK or overseas in the Armed Forces or with Her Majesty’s Government who are registered to vote in Scotland SHOULD be allowed to vote.\r EU citizens, non-EU citizens, asylum seekers and refugees living in Scotland should NOT be allowed to vote should the referendum be held.\r I do not wish this referendum to be held.	Schedule 4 of the 2013 Act, paragraph 3 - AGREED.\r Schedule 4 of the 2013 Act, a new paragraph 3A - AGREED.\r Schedule 4 of the 2013 Act, paragraph 4 - DISAGREE.\r I do not wish this referendum to be held.
5236	826330053	Neil Cameron	Individual	Individual	Fine	Very important postal vote are carefully checked	In agreement
5237	528366640	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	All fine	All fine	All fine
5238	344211324	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no basis for another referendum which was a "once in a generation" activity. The settled will of the Scottish people should be respected instead of creating further division. It is confusing to me as to why these questions are predicated on the assumption there should be a referendum - this shows a wilful intent to deliver a a referendum which is not a matter in control of the Scottish Government.\r The Scottish Government should not be wasting public money on such a pointless consultation, and concentrate on governing the country and utilizing the extensive powers it has already been granted (which is has thus far neglected to do in any meaningful way). \r I therefore have no further comments on any proposed arrangements as these are irrelevant in the context of the above.	There is no basis for another referendum which was a "once in a generation" activity. The settled will of the Scottish people should be respected instead of creating further division. It is confusing to me as to why these questions are predicated on the assumption there should be a referendum - this shows a wilful intent to deliver a a referendum which is not a matter in control of the Scottish Government.\r The Scottish Government should not be wasting public money on such a pointless consultation, and concentrate on governing the country and utilizing the extensive powers it has already been granted (which is has thus far neglected to do in any meaningful way). \r I therefore have no further comments on any proposed arrangements as these are irrelevant in the context of the above.	There is no basis for another referendum which was a "once in a generation" activity. The settled will of the Scottish people should be respected instead of creating further division. It is confusing to me as to why these questions are predicated on the assumption there should be a referendum - this shows a wilful intent to deliver a a referendum which is not a matter in control of the Scottish Government.\r The Scottish Government should not be wasting public money on such a pointless consultation, and concentrate on governing the country and utilizing the extensive powers it has already been granted (which is has thus far neglected to do in any meaningful way). \r I therefore have no further comments on any proposed arrangements as these are irrelevant in the context of the above.
5239	795678277	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no objection to the proposed arrangements (aligning with the processes in place for the 2014 vote).	I have no objection to the proposed changes.	I have no objection to the proposed changes.
5240	385272255	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	there is no need for a second Referendum	there is no need for a second Referendum	there is no need for a second Referendum
5241	682396053	James Arnot	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There should be none to manage.
5242	735482387	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It looks fine.	All seems fine, however I have worked as a Redacted textand it would be good to also include proof of identity when someone turns up without a polling card.	All good.
5243	845677033	Colin Izat	Individual	Individual	Many of the "counting officers" and Chief Counting Officers are extremely anti-independence. I did not think that there was sufficient oversight at the counting in the 2014 referendum. If we are going to run the counts the same way as last time then I would want independent oversight of the whole process by the European Union Election Observation Mission or the United Nations Election Monitors. \r I would rather that the Electoral Commission was not involved in the referendum. I believe that they are part of the British establishment and as such I do not trust them even if they are reporting to the Scottish Parliament. The only way we can ensure a fair referendum is by having independent monitoring.	As well as the checking of all postal votes, they should be kept separate from and counted separately from the votes from polling stations. They should also be kept for a period of 3 or 6 months following the referendum so any subsequent queries or challenges can be investigated.	The proposed changes to rules on permissible participants are acceptable.
5244	285809660	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Our voting system is adequate now. It does not need to change. However we do need representatives to reflect our wishes. We do not need a governing body who presents one sided biased views.	We do not need to change any technical methods to our voting system. The 2014 referendum was changed to allow children a vote, surely this was already a change too far.	Views collected should only be those resident in Scotland permanently, not those who reside elsewhere.
5245	505970053	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The people of Scotland have already voted and given their views in 2014. This was once in a generation opportunity	There should be no change.	Anyone e of Scottish birth residing in UK should be entitled to vote
5246	245820394	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The referendum and all associated costs are not required as Scotland voted NO to independence in what was termed to be a once in a generation / lifetime vote in 2014. The Scottish Governement should take heid of this vote and that of the Scottish people.	The referendum and all associated costs are not required as Scotland voted NO to independence in what was termed to be a once in a generation / lifetime vote in 2014. The Scottish Governement should take heid of this vote and that of the Scottish people.	The referendum and all associated costs are not required as Scotland voted NO to independence in what was termed to be a once in a generation / lifetime vote in 2014. The Scottish Governement should take heid of this vote and that of the Scottish people.
5247	942510204	Janette Mclelland	Individual	Individual	Whilst I think no referendum is required the changes seem fair	I agree that all postal votes should be verified but I do not think voting should open to under 17 year old youths. I also think residents living here paying taxes and having children at school here but are from non eu countries should gave the right to vote.	Yes this seems fair
5248	455463687	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no views on the management of the referendum as I believe it is unnecessary.	No views.	No views.
5249	381501000	john wood	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	the people voted no accept the result
5250	233758749	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am total against holding another referendum. The country has had it's say in 2014 and what Scotland needs is a time (at least 10 years) where the government can show it can handle the power it has already and with this power improve the economy leading to a larger private sector which will lead to higher tax returns and in turn this money can be used to improve those less fortunate in society. Stop wasting money on referendums take off the tartan glasses and get on with governing.	As stated above in Question No.1	See Question No1
5251	122556013	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Workable as they were in the previous referendum	This all seems logical	Seems sensible
5252	861879761	Roz Armstrong	Individual	Individual	Unfortunately, the real question that the public should be asked to comment on is absent from this exercise, that is : Do you want another Scottish Independence Referendum, Yes or No? The absence of this question should be taken into account and it is vital that every response is NOT in any way a measure of support for for a second bite at the independence cherry.\r First of all, Scotland will be a poorer place economically and socially if the threat of a second referendum is not removed once and for all. After the 2014 event, there was no attempt to address the divisive nature of the referendum. Responsibility must be enshrined in legislation to ensure government is pro-active in bringing back together a split population regardless of the outcome of a vote. All parties must be held to account and should accept without question the expressed will of the people.\r All electoral events in Scotland have a sound record of sound management. There should be trust in the independence of the counting officers and there should be no political tampering with the well proven procedures already in place.	All electoral events in Scotland have a sound record of sound management. There should be trust in the independence of the counting officers and there should be no political tampering with the well proven procedures already in place.\rThere is a great danger in granting voting rights to 'temporary' residents in the country. Although they may have local government voting rights, foreign nationals should not be allowed a definitive say in such an important national issue. Voting should be the same as for parliamentary elections and importantly, Scottish people resident (for whatever reason) overseas should have a say in the future of the country they may well be returning to.\rAs for polling and counting staff, it is understood that all responsible counting officers already have in place mechanisms to prevent individuals with a vested interest from working at the poll. There is no need for legislative change here.	No Scottish Government or other public finance should be used in what is a proposed political referendum. The costs to the public purse of another referendum Scotland would be several million pounds. This money would be far better redirected to local councils struggling to meet education and social care needs in communities.\r Should a referendum be officially promoted for a particular date, the Scottish Government should immediately bublish an estimate of the total cost to the public purse. After the event, returns from counting officers would help confirm actual costs but these do not include administrative costs incurred centrally, or by the electoral Commission. ALL actual costs need, in the name of transparency, to be published to allow the Scottish Electorate the opportunity of judging value for money and appropriateness of spend.
5253	214483995	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
5254	558948086	John Fulton	Individual	Individual	Irrelevant - the whole point of this so called consultation is not about arrangements or technical challenges.\r The only point that matters is that Scotland has already voted NO decisively and that is the end of the matter for a generation.\r The SNP should get on with governing Scotland properly and forget this showboating exercise of futility. It is FAR FAR FAR more important that Scotland remains within the single market of the UK rather than the EU.	Irrelevant - the whole point of this so called consultation is not about arrangements or technical challenges.\r The only point that matters is that Scotland has already voted NO decisively and that is the end of the matter for a generation.\r The SNP should get on with governing Scotland properly and forget this showboating exercise of futility. It is FAR FAR FAR more important that Scotland remains within the single market of the UK rather than the EU.	Irrelevant - the whole point of this so called consultation is not about arrangements or technical challenges.\r The only point that matters is that Scotland has already voted NO decisively and that is the end of the matter for a generation.\r The SNP should get on with governing Scotland properly and forget this showboating exercise of futility. It is FAR FAR FAR more important that Scotland remains within the single market of the UK rather than the EU.
5255	475854109	Brian hay	Individual	Individual	The whole referendum including vote and count should be controlled by a non involved recognised outside organisation such as the UN . And have representatives only observing from England Scotland etc .	Only those born in Scotland or have lived in Scotland for 5 years continuously or more should be allowed to vote . Scots living outside Scotland should register to vote with proof of residency in Scotland within 10 years before proposed referendum .	Only those born in Scotland or living continuously in Scotland for 5 years or more should be allowed to donate to either side of the debate and participants should only be as above , no participant living outside Scotland should be allowed to campaign in an independence referendum including Westminster and English based politicians .
5256	824790905	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These proposals are unexceptional, however, in my view, there is no need for a second referendum as the people spoke clearly in 2014. Just because Scotland voted in favour of staying in the EU should not make any difference. The EU referendum was a referendum for the whole of the United Kingdom not just Scotland. Accordingly, even if the result is not what we might personally have wanted, it should be accepted. For the Scottish Government to use the Scottish vote as an excuse for a second independence referendum is, at least, disingenuous. It would be like Dundee or Glasgow, notwithstanding the result of the independnce referendum, demanding separation from the rest of Scotlannc	No comment, subject to the caveat that there is no need for a second referendum.	No comment
5257	645057622	No Thanks	Individual	Individual	Redacted text	Changes to suit the SNP obsession	As Above
5258	859803707	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	W need to have another referendum so that the people's voices can be h are	Changes need to be made.	Changes are needed. More transparency needed.
5259	603175220	Gordana Bjelic	Individual	Individual	The arrangement ensures correct counting of the votes.	No Answered	UK citizens(with Scottish roots whose families/relatives live in Scotland) living abroad and with permanent residency within the EU should also be eligable to vote. There a lot of Scots living & working abroad in the EU and Switzerland who frequently travel to their home land. Their vote should count as well.
5260	978587627	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I am happy with this arrangement. However I would want electronic counting machines to be used. This would be backed up by people counting the votes. There was video evidence in 2014 to suggest that votes where put in the wrong piles. This was shown on various news channels.
5261	792573095	George Porteous	Individual	Individual	I have completed the consultation questions, however I do not accept the need, requirement or justification for a second referendum.\r Should a referendum be called then the proposed arrangements would be suitable.	Content subject to the caveat that I do not support the need for a second referendum.	Content subject to the caveat that I do not support the proposal for a second referendum.
5262	965021742	Kevin Lynch	Individual	Individual	I was happy with how the referendum was managed in 2014. It seemed like a normal vote. Which is how it should be. If you live in Scotland you should definitely have a say in Scotland's future.	No Answered	Allowing campaigners to get involved with the count clearly introduces a conflict of interest. Which really should be addressed with respect to all elections and referenda. So I would certainly welcome any measures to exclude campaigners from the vote count.\r I would also go as far as banning party members from getting involved in the vote count. And I would suggest a professional company should be brought in to actually handle the count. Which would clearly be more expensive than volunteers. However the last referendum did raise questions as to the integrity of the vote. And these must be addressed.
5263	744432508	stephen hillman	Individual	Individual	sounds good.	I like the idea of checking the postal ballot. there was talk of the 2014 ref. postal votes being sent to England to be counted. This should not be necessary. I strongly agree with the eligibility criteria.	complicated, beyond me.
5264	580213673	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
5265	234018740	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Seems ok but should make sure that everyone who is entitled to get a vote is offered the chance	Agree that there should be more checking	Ok
5266	425739325	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is absolutely no need to hold another referendum, respect the settled will of the people of Scotland from 2014. Brexit is absolutely not a reason for another vote, try respecting the result of that UK wide result. Get on with running this country.	There is absolutely no need to hold another referendum, respect the settled will of the people of Scotland from 2014. Brexit is absolutely not a reason for another vote, try respecting the result of that UK wide result. Get on with running this country.	There is absolutely no need to hold another referendum, respect the settled will of the people of Scotland from 2014. Brexit is absolutely not a reason for another vote, try respecting the result of that UK wide result. Get on with running this country.\r It is outrageous that this "consultations" questions are predicated on the presumption that there should be another referendum. This is undemocratic and demonstrates a wilful intent to deliver a presumption in favour of a referendum. This is the corrupt tactics of a desperate Government and failing administration.
5267	264703274	Robert McEwan	Individual	Individual	There is no need for a referendum. Nothiong has changed	Scots living abroad should have a vote	See above
5268	520611072	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There absolutely should not be another referendum - it is costly, divisive and unnecessary. The Scottish government would be better off focusing time, money and effort on improving education, the NHS, policing, public services, reducing inequality of opportunity, rather than being distracted by their own fantasies. You cannot ignore the people of Scotland who voted No and/or Leave in favour of a minority who are evidently financially and economically illiterate - and genuinely believe we would actually be able to stay in the EU, which Spain has already said it would prevent. The SNP need to grow up and demonstrate they can in fact improve Scotland with their current extensive powers - which they have utterly failed to do thus far.	I do not even trust the SNP to prevent those who campaigned from becoming polling or counting staff. They are so utterly corrupt that I must question who else they are involved with - nobody is highlighting their extensive failures as should be done with any party in any government in any country or devolved region.	Trying to 'fix' the group of people who are allowed to vote to increase the chances of a yes vote is disgusting - 16 and 17 year olds are far too young and pretty much all still at school, non-taxpayers, and impressionable, following their friends' opinions and actions (not many years since I was that age, too many people of that age don't realise the serious potential ramifications of their vote and don't even take exams and education seriously, all too often, sadly). I wonder if many EU citizens might actually be more likely to vote No - I like to think they would be sensible enough to see that Scotland would also be out of the EU either with or without rUK, and how damaging the SNP's behaviour is for cohesion in Scotland - again, the reason why we won't be having another referendum.
5269	983914521	Robbie McDonald	Individual	Individual	I do not think there should be another referendum.	I do not think there should be another referendum.	I do not think there should be another referendum.
5270	182658187	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	There were reports of postal votes being verified (counted?) prior to the polling day and party representatives making assessments of voting patterns from these samples. As a normal postal voter I am concerned that the privacy of the vote could be infringed in this process	Agreed
5271	672079628	Bill stevens	Individual	Individual	No to another referendum\rStop banging on about a hard brexit\rIf scotland leaves the uk it will suffer worse than a hard brexit\rOut of uk and out of the eu\rThat will be HARD	No to another ref	Se above
5272	733038069	Robbie Lawson	Individual	Individual	It is entirely inappropriate to consider a further referendum. The 2014 vote was billed as a once in a generation event. Whilst the political landscape has changed with the brexit vote, it is not a reason to further destabilise Scotland. There are a number of issues:\r 1. Further uncertainty will be detrimental to Scotland's economy. Individuals and organisations will not comfortably invest if the constitutional and fiscal arrangements are uncertain. Whilst there is a short term political opportunism by the political class, The rest of us have to make decisions that affect our children, families, businesses and properties. It is not fair for us to have such uncertainty for what could be considered political vanity projects.\r 2. The Scottish government, whichever party is in power, is elected to improve the lives and life chances of Scottish people. The record of the executive on education, health, life chance inequality is woefully poor. Efforts and talents should be directed at the responsibilities that you have accepted, not political grandstanding.\r 3. One can't help but feel that this is a pointless and needlessly expensive exercise. We are election weary and the average person will absorb little from a further campaign other than shallow sound-bites. The Brexit voter was foolishly given to the UK electorate by Cameron's desire to appease the "swivel-eyed loons" on the right of his party. This consultation is to appease the "ultra-nats" and is political folly for Sturgeon. A further lost referendum (and this is the likely outcome)will consign her to Cameron's fate. By focusing on running the country well, not of constitutional fantasy, the electorate may gradually consider Scottish politicians competent for independence to be reconsidered.	Involving 16 and 17 yr olds is positive. The government should consider enfranchising Scots currently living outwith Scotland, but who have a stake in Scottish affairs. For example, someone owning a house in Scotland, temporarily working elsewhere, should have a vote. They have a significant stake in Scotland's future.	These seem fine
5273	677030842	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree with furthering the Nationalist cause. The UK, which Scotland voted to remain part of, voted to leave the EU.	No matter what you propose, the UK, which Scotland voted to remain part of, voted to leave the EU.	No matter what you propose, the UK, which Scotland voted to remain part of, voted to leave the EU.
5274	293752621	N ford	Individual	Individual	A clear majority should be required to avoid the position following BREXIT that is diversive. I.e a need to achieve 60% of the yes vote rather than just a majority. \r there should also be a legal period after any referendum that a follow on referendum can not be held, i.e 10 years, to avoid the constant negative distraction from actually being a government, running a country and taking it forward and the constant uncertainty for people and business	See above, qts 1 response	No comment
5275	655005644	Edward Aitcheson	Individual	Individual	There should be more stringent rules relating to the voting , who is entitled to vote , who counts the votes . There should be no English based companies involved in any way shape or form regarding postal vote counting. Exit polls should be mandatory.	No Answered	I still believe that more could be done. The provision for recording ( videography ) at all polling stations to counter the prospects of fraudulent activity.
5276	164184317	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As someone who voted Yes in the last referendum and accepted the result. I find the proposal to redo it because some people find democracy inconvenient very unsatisfactory.\rI am not in favour.	No Answered	Not in favour.
5277	24430153	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Eligibility should be from aged 16 upward.	Members of the House of Lords resident in Scotland and\rService/Crown personnel serving in the UK or overseas in the Armed Forces or with Her Majesty’s Government who are registered to vote in Scotland - must NOT be permitted to vote unless they are also clearly resident in Scotland and paying Council tax for over 6 months of the year every year for the last 5 years.\r Of itself being an absentee member of the house of lords with property on Scotland should connote no right to vote.	None
5278	463146596	Tom Hastings	Individual	No Answered	Individual	I agree with the need to tighten up proxy voting procedures but I would also suggest that, unlike the last referendum, exit polls are taken.	I agree with these measures
5279	394812817	John Toms	Individual	Individual	I am in agreement with this method.	I agree with this.	Agree
5280	484257927	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine	Fine	Fine
5281	855823591	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	What referendum? \r Respect the result of the 2014 referendum.;	Irrelevant if we're not having yet another poxy referendum we don't want.	I don't really give a Redacted textwho can participate in a referendum we have already had.
5282	100186690	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I don't see anywhere to put my comment in the following spaces \r I would like the chance to vote for independence but I think that if this were to happen during the next few years we would lose . I am a great fan of Nicola Sturgeon and how she leads Scotland but I think she will lose this one and end up having to resign- like Cameron had to.\rThe country is not ready after the last 2 referenda . Please wait !
5283	1043664285	Alastair Lochhead	Individual	Individual	Since September 2014 the case for an independent Scotland has diminished further, mainly due to the vast drop in revenues from North Sea crude oil availability - on which most of the argument was based for the initial referendum vote.\r Quite apart from that, the ongoing economic situation in the UK and the West of Europe does not support any country "going it alone". We all need each other in terms of markets, employment, economic growth, research & development, etc.\r It is quite wrong to even consider the question of a second referendum. We were assured in 2014 that this was a once in a lifetime decision !	These changes do not affect my view that such a referendum is not called for, totally wrong and a large waste of public finance. Only the Westminster Govt can decide when and if Scotland will be allowed such a vote anyway !	Such proposed changes only amount to small percentage changes in a national vote which is not required and wasteful of resources !
5284	29157887	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The 2014 Independence referendum and 2016 referendum on EU membership were both run on the basis of a simple majority. The problem is that this is not an election where we can change our mind in 5 years should we be unhappy with how the government implements its manifesto. The side campaigning for change in a referendum can say whatever they want safe in the knowledge that should they win, they can renege on any commitments as part of a negotiation. As a result the public really do not know what they are voting for. I would prefer that either a higher threshold is set (say 60%) to change the status quo or that two votes are required, one on the question and another on the final package negotiated. Otherwise I cannot see how we avoid the same controversy as exists over what 'Brexit' actually means.\r The question asked must change as 'Yes' is a more positive and emotional response than 'No'. I think that 'Leave' and 'Remain' should be adopted instead.	No Answered	As this referendum is being positioned as a decision on whether Scotland remains part of the Europe Union, I believe that the following group should not be eligible to vote\r - citizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland\r Citizens of EU countries have a vested interest in remaining a part of the EU and have the option of leaving Scotland to return their country of birth. Native born Scots do not have that option.
5285	29367305	Alison forsyth	Individual	Individual	No Answered	On constitutional issues I do not believe that people who are 'just passing through' should have the vote. For example, students who are only in Scotland to complete a fixed term degree course. The matter should be decided by those with longer term commitments to living and working in Scotland.	I would reiterate the same view as above. This who are 'passing through' should not be entitled to vote in any future referendum
5286	1024754142	Richard Bauermeister	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I believe the result should be void unless a 66% majority either way is returned.
5287	559789794	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum but would like that the Government were particularly observant with some issues that emerged during the 2014 referendum.\r1) the ballot must be duly stamped: ballot missing their official stamp must not be allowed to be used for voting and must be substituted with a valid one;\r2) please, don't allow voters to take pens, cameras and smartphones with them while voting: cameras and smartphones must be left with the officials prior to voting, and pens (or indelible pencils, as we do in Italy) must be given by the officials at the polling stations and given back by the voters once the vote is placed.\r3) the boxes holding the ballots to be counted must be sealed and opened only by officials sent by the Electoral Commission.	I agree with the proposed technical changes from the 2014 referendum procedures, especially with the count of the 100% of absent votes and the restrictions for voting by proxy.\rPersonally, I would restrict the eligibility to People resident in Scotland for 10 or 15 years at least, and not to the whole of British citizens no matter the time of residence.\rI would suggest the same for Commonwealth and EU citizens: the decision about the Independence of Scotland must be given to people that have chosen Scotland as a permanent residence and has their main interests in its territory, not to people that have been living there since a very short time.	I agree with the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants and hope the rule about not having any public funding will be strongly upheld.
5288	910482641	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	My view is that it is not necessary to have another referendum. We made our decision in 2014 and it would be totally inappropriate have another referendum.	I did not agree with 16 & 17 year olds being allowed to vote in the 2014 referendum
5289	857155342	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I know that the SNP won't listen, but I think it is inconceivable that we are yet again spending tax payers money to achieve a goal that 55% of the Scottish people voted against	No Answered	Why does it matter? Won't we keep having a count until the SNP gain independence?
5290	253224136	Eric Bridgwood	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum, so far the referendums held have been divisive and until the exit from the EU is agreed and acted upon there should not be any need for a further referendum.	No issue with these proposals	Each side should have equal funding.
5291	451808954	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There should be no referendum, once in a lifetime we were told. The Scottish government clearly does not listen to the people.
5292	777382889	Stephen Herbison	Individual	Individual	I agree that any future referendum should have these changes made to ensure that the vote is fair and not tampered with or pressure put on staff.\rHowever I do not want another referendum as the vote for independence was quite clear last time. The government represents all of the people in Scotland not just those who support independence.	Agree with changes but think that Scots living in other parts of the U.K. should be given a vote as they may for example only have moved for a job opportunity which may be time restricted and they will return to Scotland at some point.	Agree with changes
5293	485784335	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed changes	I agree	I agree
5294	485886594	Lynne Rose	Individual	Individual	The actual management of the voting system seemed to work well before and should be the same. \r If at all possible the various campaign groups should be held to account for any statements that they issue. One has only to refer to the EU referendum to see how downright lies can sway a result.	The above seems pragmatic and fair.	Above seems sensible.
5295	988454568	Brendan Hynes	Individual	Individual	I do not want to see postal votes going outside of Scotland to be counted or versification \rThey should be counted locally and securely h	I do not want to see postal votes going outside of Scotland to be counted or versification \rThey should be counted locally and securely h	None
5296	1039478725	Chris E	Individual	Individual	I fully support the proposal.	They seem\rReasonable	Fair.
5297	503481766	James Martin	Individual	Individual	The voting age should be 18	No Answered	Not too happy with proxy voting it is open to abuse.
5298	55587335	Jim keiller	Individual	Individual	We should not be having one we voted in 2014 the result was clear NO	We should not be having one we voted in 2014 the result was clear NO	We should not be having one we voted in 2014 the result was clear NO
5299	941172735	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a second referendum, therefore this is irrelevant. We were told in 2014, it would be a "once in a generation" occurrence. Respect the settled will of the Scottish people please.	There should not be a second referendum, therefore this is irrelevant. We were told in 2014, it would be a "once in a generation" occurrence. Respect the settled will of the Scottish people please.	There should not be a second referendum, therefore this is irrelevant. We were told in 2014, it would be a "once in a generation" occurrence. Respect the settled will of the Scottish people please.
5300	220723397	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals for the management and regulation of the referendum.	I agree with the proposals, as far as they go, but I am concerned that postal voting arrangements may remain open to abuse in two respects.\r 1. People not normally resident in Scotland may claim to be resident at a friend or relative's address in Scotland in order to register to vote. Positive evidence of residence such as tax code or utility bill should be required.\r2.People not resident in their own home (particularly elderly resident in care homes) may be subject to pressure to apply for a postal vote and to cast their vote in a particular way. Postal votes are not subject to the provisions of a secret ballot that are enforced at polling stations and it is a concern that people outwith the security of their own home may be subject to coercion to vote in a particular way. This is a particular concern given reports of the management of care homes denying access to yes campaigners during the last referendum. I would suggest that applications for postal votes should require a medial justification as was previously the case. There should be no automatic right to a postal vote - the system is inherently insecure and vulnerable to coercion. Provision could also be made for people who are going to be away on polling day to cast their votes at a local registrar for a period of time beforehand (say 14 days)	I agree with the proposals \r I agree with the proposals
5301	946114661	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Young people and EU citizens should be eligible to vote	No Answered	Glad that checks being put in place for postal votes. Would prefer that postal votes not be opened until polling stations close on day of referendum
5302	658011279	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am against it.	2014 was supposed to be a once in a generation referendum.	Why is there one hospital for the whole of greater Glasgow that just happens to be built in the constituency of Nicola Sturgeon Documents can be centralised not illness.
5303	63574178	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This question assumes that I wish a referendum, I do not! Therefore my views on its management are moot. If pressed I would suggest that it is never discussed again.	No Answered	Members of the Armed forces can opt to vote in any constituency in the UK. So saying they must be registered to vote in Scotland is irrelevant.
5304	326360960	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It should not happen. I voted yes - but only on the grounds that we were told that autonomy within the UK was "categorically not an option"\rThe referendum is done, dusted and has proved to be both decisive and divisive. We must not open this gaping wound again so soon. Once in a generation is not twice in a decade. Bin the idea	No opinion on this	No opinion on this
5305	883780965	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The approach similar to the previous referendum would be sufficient for me. However I would prefer the narrative of the current context to reflect the seriousness of the Brexit implications.\rI also felt that there was much misinformation and untruths expressed in the media regarding the previous referendum. I felt this was mostly from the remain-in-UK parties who made the process fearful and inaccurate. This time I want to hear clearer arguments about independence back by clear and concise information that can provide little doubt about the way forward. This is not so much for my faith but for the faith of others - to join me in the wish for independence.	I am happy with these arrangements as it should help ensure that the polling will be fair and accurate. The various people allowed to vote now reflects those who will be respectful and sincere in voting. Verification statements in particular are an improvement - giving peace of mind that the result reflects the poll.	I am happy with this arrangement. Much of it has common sense.
5306	984495019	John Dunn	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposal.	I agree with the proposal.	I agree with the proposal.
5307	278163893	Pete Ritchie	Individual	Individual	content	content	content
5308	239975534	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Thought I don't agree that there's a mandate for a second independence referendum in either the result of the Scottish elections or the EU referendum, I would accept that the arrangements of any future independence referendum would follow the same pattern as the one held in 2014.	I accept that with legislation now in place regarding 16 and 17 year olds voting in any future referendum, and that other technical changes are also agreeable as a result of lessons learned during the 2014 referendum.	I am happy with the changes made regarding the rules on permissible participants.
5309	809164597	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not wish this country to waste money on another referendum.	I do not wish this country to waste time and money on another referendum so soon after the clear outcome in 2014	Presumably this is to favour an SNP positive result
5310	1004501119	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Referendum is a waste of your time and my money. We've just had our "once in a generation" or "lifetime" opportunity.	Even considering them is waste of time and money.	Nobody should be permitted to vote more than once in a once in a lifetime referendum.
5311	666166834	elizabeth mcneil	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	I approve
5312	410260618	Kenny Stewart	Individual	Individual	No Answered	I feel the 2014 referendum was managed well and should be replicated again for a future referendum.	It shouldn't matter if a person registers a name that is deemed obscene or offensive . All that should matter is their eligibility.
5313	420592071	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't consider the need for another referendum as we had one a only a few years ago. A clear decision was made and having another so soon when it was decisive causes huge uncertainty.	In terms of eligibility it is inappropriate to allow 16 year olds to vote as they lack the experience needed to make an informed decision. The threshold should be 18.	I don't consider the need for another referendum as we had one a only a few years ago. A clear decision was made and having another so soon when it was decisive causes huge uncertainty.
5314	645393492	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No view	OK	OK
5315	666180706	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with this.	I am concerned that the ballot boxes at the last Indy ref were not sealed with waterproof seals. This needs to be enforced.	I'm happy with this.
5316	511874706	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A second referendum is not required	a second referendum is not required	Not needed
5317	894845807	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No comment	I think the franchise for a constitutional issue of this depth is different from your proposal.\r Local government and Scottish parliament elections cover shorter established terms and afford the voter the opportunity to change their representative in response to policy or preference.\r The question of independence is has far reaching and longer term consequences. It has been described as generational - which is - 30yrs ? It can't be short term as it couldn't repeatedly be reversed - if at all.\r Eligibility should reflect those who have a long term stake in Scotland. That is\r - people born here. Thinking particularly of those who work and live in other parts of the UK but content leaving Scotland as it was part of the UK\r - people not born here but with a demonstrable commitment to Scotland through possession of a UK residency certificate	No comments
5318	689416736	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I don't think there should be another referendum. The Scottish people were told it would be a 'once in a generation' event, which was changed rather cynically to a 'once in a lifetime' event. The Scottish Government need to have some credibility and respect the decision given by people, democratically, in 2014. \rThe SNP are simply using division in the UK to try and get the only thing they exist for - Independence. The facts are that Scotland has nearly £50 billion of trade with the rest of the UK every year, and £12 billion of trade every year with the rest of the EU. So to want to try and damage that trade, by leaving the UK, is utterly ridiculous. That, on top of a £15 billion deficit in Scotland's finances last year (Scottish Government's own published figures), shows that, along with the polls, there is absolutely no reason at all why there should be another referendum, with more division and pain for Scots. Get on with running the country please.
5319	954138089	John Gillespie	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There needs to be a far more rigorous check on how ballot boxes are transported from polling stations to the central count, especially in more rural areas. Too many examples where boxes were transported without due diligence from polling stations in single cars.
5320	342014378	Brian Liddy	Individual	Individual	Basically, go for it! \rI am a Scot living in England. But I want, with all my heart, to see an independent Scotland. I'd like to see some way for Scots living in England can be given the vote in a Scottish independence referendum. I understand and agree with the basic premise that those who live and work in Scotland should be the ones who decide the country's future. That is common sense. I am excluded, but I'd like to know how any of us living in England also wish Scotland were independent. Are figures available? If the answer from Scots living in England is in favour of independence we should be allowed to contribute to the final outcome. I'm sure I'm not alone.	I have no problem with those eligible to vote as outlined in this forum. I'd like the the eligibility extended to Scots living in England, often on short term contracts who hope to return to Scotland one day in the near future but who are currently excluded.	I'm all in favour of transparency, and I am against both obscenity and offensiveness. So, I am in favour of the proposed changes.
5321	874321817	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with this.	I agree with this.	I agree with this.
5322	176500418	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think there should be a requirement for the result to leave the union be based on a majority of all people in Scotland and not just those that turn out to vote. Frankly the vote should not happen again for the generation we were promised as we 'the people' of Scotland have already given our views. I also am disgusted by politicians who are clearly out to feather their own nests. Why has no one been sanctioned for the lies told at the last election e.g. the ridiculous statement that Scotland would be more prosperous outside the union.	They are reasonable.	Again they are reasonable
5323	706037924	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for a referendum at all	There is no need for a referendum at all	There is no need for a referendum at all
5324	643430237	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't know why this proposed referendum may be taking place.\r HAVING GONE THROUGH THIS COSULTATION DOCUMNT, I CANFIND NOTHING ABOUT THE NEED FOR HOLDING A REFERENDUM.\r This appears to be a complete waste of time and effort.\r Not impressed.	See above	No views
5325	1008781346	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for a referendum at all	There is no need for a referendum at all	There is no need for a referendum at all
5326	757555773	Roderick Neilson	Individual	Individual	Appropriate arrangements, inappropriate referendum. The referendum in 2014 settled this question for at least a generation.	Irrelevant as need for second referendum has not been made	Irrelevant as need for second referendum has not been made
5327	1071082371	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No surprise that we start with a biased question assuming that we will have a second referendum. We should not be having a second referendum as democracy clearly showed that the first one was lost. So much for "once in a generation".	E.U and commonwealth citizens living in Scotland should not be allowed to vote.	no comment
5328	1035337466	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fair and acceptablr	Fair and acceptablr	Fair and acceptable
5329	1043535180	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There must be no visibility of postal votes to politicians before the main count begins. This proves to be in flagrant violation of voting rules.\r If any voting papers/ballots have been observed to be tampered with i.e bundled up before reaching the main count, there must be action taken and if required, the result to be declared null and void due to misrepresentation.	As long as you are resident in Scotland, you have the right to vote.\r Members of the House of Lords should have their vote withdrawn!	As long as the voting procedure is fair and accurate.
5330	333924750	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements are satisfactory.\r I am not satisfied with the scope of this consultation. The Scottish tax payer incurred a significant cost in relation to the 2014 referendum which returned the clear view of the Scottish people that they did not wish to become an independent nation. It is clear that circumstances have changed with the UK voting to leave the European Union, but also major changes in the Scottish economy particularly with respect to oil and gas revenue.\r Nevertheless I do not believe that it is in the interests of the Scottish people to re-run the independence referendum at this time. We were told in 2014 that it was a once in a generation opportunity. \r I do not believe that referenda are an acceptable way of making complex decisions and as a tax payer I do not wish to incur the cost of another wasteful exercise, particularly so soon after the last divisive event.	I believe that European Economic Area (EEA) citizens, e.g. Norwegian citizens, resident in Scotland should be eligible to vote in the referendum	The changes are acceptable
5331	560581770	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposed changes to managing the referendum need to be brought into the 21st Century!\r Why is Scotcoin still being ignored? Other counties have begun using cryptographic voting systems, why can't we? Its cheaper, impossible to rigg, and everyone in the world can watch the results come in hours before they would have with the current system (even with the changes being proposed!)\r We are always banging on about how we Scots are innovative and here we have a chance to prove that claim and the Scottish Government are completely avoiding Scotcoin even being seen as a viable alternative to the current voting system. Why?\r Here is what I propose in basic terms, you can contact me directly if you need me to describe things in nitty-gritty detail:\r Scotcoin is a Digital Asset. A computer program (to make it easy to understand better) and just like you can use Microsoft word to write up a contract, you can also use Scotcoin to write up a contract. It is secure because the contract is sent via the Bitcoin blockchain rather than the Royal Mail.\r To hack the blockchain, a hacker would need to hack about 7 million computers (I don't have the exact figures yet), all at the same precise moment! If even one of those calculations is a fraction of a second early or late, the block chain is alerted, and shuts down and reboots to the point just before the hack took place, it then remembers all the hack data and stores it so the next time the hacker tries again, they are automatically blocked (like when you block someone on Facebook, neither of you can see each other online anymore!)\r The way Scotcoin can work when it comes to voting is quite simple! It works the exact same as when you scan your milk at the self service checkout at the supermarket. You scan the item and then insert money. Except with Scotcoin, you scan your code (for either yes or no) and insert a password that can be included on ballot papers, the same way pin numbers are sent from a bank.	See my response to question 1	See my response to question 1
5332	405823098	James Hume	Individual	Individual	Agree.	Agree that there should be no pre-counting or sampling of postal votes by political parties, campaigners or lobbyists. The 2014 referendum was clearly flawed in this respect.	No comment.
5333	346549499	Gordon Paton	Individual	Individual	I know of people living outside Scotland with holiday homes in Scotland voting in last one. This should not be allowed.	I use postal vote but next time I shall hand it in at ballot box. \rI did this in last GE and noticed it went into a different box from normal votes. It should go into same boxes.	No problem
5334	716294590	Ruairidh Duncan	Individual	Individual	As only the UK government can legally call a referendum, the Electoral Commission should report to the Secretary of State for Scotland and not the Scottish Government \r It is not an internationally accepted principle that residency determines electoral eligibility; most countries base it on citizenship and expats need to vote at their embassies even when the live abroad	No Answered	It is not an internationally accepted principle that residency determines electoral eligibility; most countries base it on citizenship and expats need to vote at their embassies even when the live abroad
5335	151777999	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I don't agree with a further referendum taking place and a highly concerned that this consultation appears to be predicated on the clear assumption that a second referendum is inevitable. We were promised that the last referendum was 'once in a generation' but it would appear that that is not the case. Are we to keep having referendums until the SNP get the result they want. There was a vote against independence in 2014 and that should be respected. A further referendum now would cause huge uncertainty at a time where there is a strong need for certainty to ensure a sustainable economy. There is also a very real risk of dangerous division being caused in society. Please drop the push for a further referendum and concentrate on improving our schools, NHS and economy.
5336	845070986	Redacted text	Individual	Individual	As I absolutely do not want another referendum on Scottish Independence - ever -I am not interested in how the government would manage such a thing	I think it is absolutely outrageous that someone from the EU who may have lived in Scotland for a comparatively short time is allowed to vote on such a thing whereas my sister and tens of thousands like her who are Scottish but live abroad or - worse - just across the border in England or Wales have no rights to vote at all. Appalling. Not surprising however- the independence cause would be utterly in shreds if such a thing was permitted.	I'm pretty certain that whatever has been changed will have been done to further the nationalist cause.
5337	678628660	Ross Stuart Gordon	Individual	Individual	I would like it too follow the same formula as the 2014 referendum but with two small alterations, I would like there too be a lot more international scrutinisers and I would like all ballot forms to have to be filled out in black pen!!	I agree with these changes!!	I agree with these changes!!
5338	349875696	Rob Stamp	Individual	Individual	No means no	No means no	No means no
5339	279304597	Ewan Sanderson	Individual	Individual	Acceptable	All resident in Scotland paying Tax should be eligible to vote.	Acceptable
5340	763941919	Jamie Regan	Individual	Individual	I think the whole idea of a referendum is appalling for 2 reasons.\r 1. We've had one and the choice was made - live with it. You, we, everyone knew that the EU referendum was coming during the first Independence referendum. If you really thought this was a valid reason to vote again, then the first independence referendum should have been put on hold until the EU one was complete. The Scottish Government cocked up, live with it.\r 2. People are stupid (on the whole). You shouldn't be asking them anything. Brexit and Trump will tell you that. I have 3 children. If I had a referendum, on what we should have for dinner it'd be pizza and chips every night. I am a parent, I know best so I decide. YOu're the government. Grow a pair and just do it. If you're really intent on getting Scottish Independence, then just do it. You have the power - just do it.	Clearly you will make changes to make a Yes vote more likely this time.	No view
5341	198481312	Janet kleboe	Individual	Individual	Suggest tight control at the Count if only a two way answer, yes/no. Is it possible to have a "don't know" ?	Agreed.	My concern is residential and care homes and how residents postal votes are managed?
5342	366714225	None	Individual	Individual	For referendums that have major long-term or irreversible consequences a majority of at least 60% of the vote should be required in favour of the change. The 2014 Independence vote satisfied nobody and has left a bitterly divided nation. The same criticism applies equally to the 2016 Brexit referendum where there should also have been a 60% at least majority required. On such major issues it should not be possible for the outcome to be decided by 1 vote. For General Elections this may be acceptable as the Government can be changed again at a subsequent vote but Independence or Brexit really are (or should be) one-off events.	I do not believe that Commonwealth, EU or Irish Republic citizens should have any say on this particular issue, i.e. Scottish independence.	No comment to offer
5343	812589210	Paul McAuley	Individual	Individual	firstly the proposition is a shambles? how many committees did it take to construct this question? keep it straight, not simple, we are not children, we are more sophisticated than what you might presume us to be. Only nod to Scottish History to see that Scots do not like bull, nor do they pander to it. ask a straight question, get an even answer, simple. The question should be forthright and transparent, this disarms the fearful.	see the above answer, the Scottish Government (bless them) is the mud in the water, make things clearer, minimalism is the way, open clear routes of communication with the people. did you learn nothing from the referendum? we're here.	permissble particitpants. I despair I truly do. only a government this clueless can look at what happened in 2014 and say, "how can we throw more mud into this water" like Redacted textagainst Norway, its easier to pass it in it really is. the power is staring at you, the choice is yours.
5344	706949240	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Seems fair.	Sensible.	Fair.
5345	768417116	billy roy	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
5346	40847771	No Answered	No Answered	Anonymous	i only accept an other referendum on the condition that it will benefit all of Scotland as a whole and not done as a political exercise and not a personnel agenda by whoever happens to be in power	as long as all aged 16 and above can vote i do not see a problem	sound a lot of nonsense one person one vote how hard can that be
5347	240027349	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The people made their decision. Please leave it alone	I don't think it needs changed	Doesn't need changed
5348	207484212	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am satisfied that the last referendum was held in a fair and transparent manner, and that if any new referendum was to be held in the future in a similar capacity and with the same voting franchise, I would have confidence in the result.	I am pleased that there is to be increased scrutiny of the postal ballot, as if there were to be tampering with the vote, although there is little evidence to suggest that is the case, the postal ballot would be easier to interfere with, I would imagine.	This seems fair.
5349	385875021	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	there needs to be stricter security this time. Several videos showing apparent cheating were shocking and there were local tales of people intended to accompany full ballot boxes being left behind. Helpers should be vetted strictly.	fine	fine
5350	458954630	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	More attention to independent observers to make sure no tampering at all levels
5351	46877881	Maureen Mangan	Individual	Individual	I believe there should be tighter controls on managing the count. There should be more security in transporting the bird from the polling station to the count and stricter controls on the paper trail and signing for ballot boxes. \r In relation to eligibility to vote, I agree that anyone who has chosen to live in Scotland should be able to vote in the referendum. However, I don't believe that students who are merely "staying" in Scotland for the duration of a course should be entitled to a vote in the referendum campaign.	I am in agreement with this with one small change. I don't believe it should be necessary to send postal votes south of the border to be samples or verified or counted. Basically, I think that all voting papers used in the Scottish referendum should remain in Scotland.	I am in agreement
5352	709394417	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with it.	I am happy with proposals	No issues
5353	798176000	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	i concur with the proposal.	concur with proposal.	proposal is valid.
5354	222605388	Charles Andrew	Individual	Individual	No problemd with this	Sensible and correct	Sensible and correct
5355	616575327	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If there is another referendum, the arrangements should be the same as last time.	I think it is unfair that Scottish people living elsewhere in the UK, as is their right, do not have the option to vote to keep this arrangement. They are Scottish but may have moved for work, etc, but can't vote to retain the status quo.	These changes are acceptable.
5356	612086632	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These seem acceptable but I would hope there would be a requirement for a minimum percentage of the population would have to vote before any result were binding.	While I note that Service/Crown personnel serving overseas will be allowed to vote which is right and proper, I see no provision for other born and bred Scottish citizens who have had to leave Scotland to find work. These people too are proud Scots, concerned about what is happening in the land of their birth and are surely as entitled to vote every bit as much as those who have moved to Scotland but have no Scottish ancestry.	This appears acceptable.
5357	755241427	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The voters should be given a list of non- devolved matters to stress that this is what is being voted upon.	I think that 16 and 17 year olds are too young to vote In something as complicated as this. It should be the head not the heart that makes the decision of an individual. Most matters are now devolved to the Scottish Parliament and it is important to make a list of things that are not devolved and stress that the decision is only about those things.	Good idea to make these changes.
5358	585800859	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Support a second referendum.	So long as 16 year olds can vote, as they appear to be, I'm happy.	No view.
5359	977487576	David Crines	Individual	Individual	I believe that the fact that the vote is available to 16 year olds, to persons from England working here and to EU national s working here is altogether a great benefit to the democratic process and strngthens outcomes, especially compared to U.K. wide elections and referenda. \r To exclude any of the above groups would be not only unfair but seen to be unfair.	my remarks on inclusivity in the first response above stand for this section too.\r Postal votes were highly contentious in the analysis post referendum 2014. My main objection was that there are\r 1) way too many - proxy votes are far more democratic given that they can be changed right up and including referendum day itself. So they are less subject to cynical manipulation by, what shall we say, the more mendacious political classes. So make it easier to have a proxy vote rather than a postal vote and for the remaining few don't have them posted weeks before the election. Remove all possibility of tampering by outside agencies by a transparent yet secure system of keeping full tabs on them.\r2) The postal were observed and counted by it seems several persons from different parties during a pre count check. To do this again should be a strict liability criminal offence on any individual and party involved. Don't exclude prison - it is that serious. No ifs, no buts, no biased PFs letting pals off the hook - strict liability sorts that out at one fell swoop.	No views.
5360	773884206	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The Scottish electorate voted in a Scottish referendum and the majority voted No to independence. This was in the words of the then first minister a once in generation opportunity. There was no mention then of a material change.\rThe Scottish electorate then participated in a Uk referendum and the outcome was Brexit.\rAs an individual who voted Remain I have to accept the outcome and The Scottish Goverment must work with Uk Government for the best interests oll all.\rWhen the outcome of Brexit negotiations are published the people of Scotland may find that being in an Independent UK is preferred to that of being in an Independent Scotland trying to join the EU.\rThe minority Scottish Government does not speak for the people of Scotland in matters of independence and Brexit. The number of votes cast for the SNP in the last election was only about 40k more than the Scots who voted to leave the EU.\rPerhaps the Scottish Government should acknowledge that of the order of 70% or more of our business is with UK which according to latest figures has the strongest performing economy of the top six nations.\rSo Scottish Government forget Indyref2 and demonstrate your ability to govern. The present state of the NHS, Education, Policing and the economy is a sad reflection of years of SNP policies.	There is no definition of residency.	Plain English would be preferred to highlight the actual differences.
5361	1034215500	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the Scottish parliament, cross party, should support the govt. you know better than most what goes on behind the scenes and the suggestion that there is no plan or work going on is absurd. Start helping not hindering. It will happen .	Seems fair.	Again seems fair and above board.
5362	367256442	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There were too many unsubstantiated technical and economic arguments in the 2014 referendum particularity regarding projections for oil revenue which have subsequently been discredited and have not come to fruition. I therefore think that there should be a formal body set up to check accuracy and voracity of these claims. Scotland cannot make a decision of this magnitude based on falsehoods and obvious vested political interests. The timing similarly should be condensed. In 2014 the Scottish government calculated the date for the referendum to coincide with events that would be beneficial to them eg post the commonwealth games and Ryder Cup sporting events. The date should be set independent and say within 6 months of a bill being passed. This would avoid divisions within the country.	i do not think that the debate among 16 & 17 year olds was well informed and I think that their inclusion is based upon their emotion and their tendency to support the independence argument. On balance I would suggest they should not be included in the vote.	no comment
5363	696775757	Sheila Mitchell	Individual	Individual	Make sure all counting ballot and postal are counted in SCOTLAND	make sure ballot box are properly sealed and securely taken to the count	no comment
5364	1058286456	David Crinesdmcrine	Individual	Individual	Inclusive eligibility is a positive. To exclude temporary workers from other parts of the UK or EU would be wrong and seen as unfair. 16 and 17 year olds too. Their inclusion Ina big step forward	I suggest that postal votes are discouraged and proxy votes encouraged instead as they are more democratic and the voter can change right up and including polling day\r Also sampling of the postal vote should be made a strict liability criminal offence perhaps even with a prison option because it is a gross abuse of democracy. It is still a matter of concern to me that our PF system failed to deal with previous infringements no matter which parties or individuals were involved. PFs are, believe it or not, human and, even if they try to be fair within the law they may bow to political and/ or media pressure, so take it out the PF's hands and make it strict liability with no discretion.	No views
5365	507293980	George Todd	Individual	Individual	To try and do this is against the Scottish people we voted to stay in the UK and knew the EU referendum that was voted of the British people, this is causing more uncertainty to normal people and jobs	What changing rules to suit your selfs we said no to Independence	Again to suit your selfs again we have all ready said no to Independence
5366	822802653	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This seems acceptable although I do not believe that a referendum is helpful or needed..	These are acceptable	Acceptable
5367	645275878	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be a change to the arrangements so that there must be at least a 50% turnout and of those votes at least 66% should be required to pass a yes vote. The disastrous result of the EU referendum has produced a situation where a very small number of people have committed the nation to leaving the EU. It cannot be right to allow a simple majority and hence a very small number of people to alter the future of a nation.	Proposals seem acceptable. I am especially glad to see that all personal identifiers will be checked.	Proposal are acceptable.
5368	975636965	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	. None	I think the franchise should mirror the approach taken for EU referendum - i.e. Scottish citizens currently living and working in Scotland, together with members of armed forces serving abroad. To qualify as a Scottish citizen you must have been born in Scotland or have a parent that was born in Scotland.\r Voting must be in person only. No postal voting allowed. \r ID should be supplied at the polling station to confirm eligibility to vote.	None
5369	688109250	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Accepted	I welcome the changes for postal voting . \r I understand that the Sovereignty of the Scottish People islready enshrined in Scots Law and is derived from The Declaration of Arbroath , the Bill of Rights and relevant Articles of the Treaty of Union. Therefore the need to present it as an opinion weakens our democratic position. Let's ensure that this cornerstone of democracy in Scotland is and has been for many years is a proven a constitutional reality .This may prove vital in the event of a challenge by the UK Government to the outcome and validity of the Referendum result. \rMy opinion is that this " protection " should be put in place BEFORE the second referendum .	Accepted as the most efficient method at this time.
5370	454197888	Goofy	Individual	Individual	Rotten	Rotten	Rotten
5371	446099793	Jamie Wallace	Individual	Individual	the 2014 referendum was well organised and fair, happy to see the same basic structure and oversight	all the changes seem fair	sounds fair
5372	1037303645	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements for the 2014 referendum were perfectly adequate. I see no issue with the latest ones.	I see no issues with the polling and count arrangements.	No objection.
5373	179143712	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel they are completely unnecessary. As a Scot I voted to stay in Europe, not as part of an independent Scotland but as part of Britain. Many of the people I know did the same.\rI feel this is being ignored and that the SNP are snatching at any opportunity to have a second referendum even if it means misinterpreting the intentions of many Scots voters.\rFollowing the decisive vote to stay a part of Britain in September 2014, we had no way of knowing that because a majority of Scots wish to remain in Europe (as part of Britain) this would give the SNP a last desperate opportunity to call another referendum. \rScotland has overwhelmingly decided to stay in Britain so another referendum is unnecessary.	Not applicable.	Not applicable.
5374	631729845	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't disagree with the arrangements but independent neutral observers should be utilised.	Pleased that there is more emphasis on verification but I am concerned about postal voting and the sheer numbers involved. Postal voting is open to abuse and that in some areas in 2014 apparently 97% of ballots were returned is somewhat suspect. Also, there should be more scrutiny of bulk votes submitted from care homes.\r The opening and scrutiny of postal votes should be subject to much greater scrutiny. Nobody should know prior to the vote, what the postal returns are indicating.\r I am also concerned about students residing here temporarily. My daughter was attending Edinburgh University in 2014 and she told me that she did not meet a single student from England who voted anything other than no to independence. The vast majority of these students will return "home" and have no real investment in an independent Scotland. Perhaps a referendum date should lie outwith university term times.\r People normally resident outside Scotland but with holiday homes in Scotland should be subject to greater scrutiny.	No view on this.
5375	110490747	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Make sense	Happy with proposal	comfortable with changes
5376	932874635	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Personally I am annoyed we are at this stage again . 2014 was a vote to decide this and here we are again looking to divide an already divided country yet again ... It makes no sense . It impacted our economy and slowed it down last time and will have an even bigger impact now. Everybody I have spoken too wants to move on and get on with their lives . But because of the wealth of undemocratic and selfish individuals in our government (Holyrood) and a dirth of even worse ones now sitting in westminster we can't . Health and Education are all suffering despite the First Ministers pledge that it was her number 1 priority ... which it nevere has been and now it will go to rack and ruin just so she can blame Westminster for it ... however as people have now cottoned on to the fact it's devolved she is becoming increasingly open to her duplicitous politics.	Fine by me ... may stop the ridiculous allegations of fixing by MI5 and everybody else wanting "to put Scotland down"	No Issue as long as it's the same for all
5377	817029638	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They seem good to me.	I don't think postal voting should be allowed as it is open to abuse.	All good
5378	888452577	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't hold another referendum. Manage the process of brexit from within.	Don't hold another referendum	Don't hold another referendum
5379	56858072	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no further referendum. I voted NO on it in 2014 and would do so again if forced to hold another vote.\rThis whole consultation is a sham as it is about ARRANGEMENTS for something the majority of Scots do not want.\rThere is no logic at all in wanting Scotland to remain in the EU under the control of Brussels and yet split from the rest of the UK "So that we can pull the levers of power" ourselves. And the financial projections preferred for the Scottish economy on its own simply do not stand up to scrutiny.	Including 16 and 17 year olds since 2014 was a blatant attempt to skew the vote towards SNP policies.	No opinion.
5380	690220465	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree.	Checks should be made to verify residency against employment,council tax,child allowance etc.Short term residency problems of swapping main residence for holiday home address was quite prevalent.Also short term lets,family addresses etc were used.\rA cross reference,of the electoral register,of those registered for original referendum,date registered for eligibility,to previous address & subsequent reversal to said residence should be made.	Only groups registered,and located,in Scotland should be allowed.Multiple groups operating from same address or used simply as a mailing address should be barred.
5381	463726744	Vince redpath	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There is no need for another referendum. You would lose anyway. We are not stupid!!!
5382	465185846	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Scotland has always had a good reputation for fair and honest voting procedures, though given today's technology and the fact local and central government and related agencies use on-line contact, our voting system is not 21st Century.\r To me the main question is not what one can do to improve process standards, but is more aligned to whether our country should be saddled with another expensive referendum which has the potential to drive a wider wedge into the divisions created in our communities, by the initial independence referendum.	I accept there are some necessary constraints on eligibility, however I cite my daughter as a prime example of one who will be excluded: she was born, brought up and educated in Scotland but work necessitated a move to englandshire. She and her husband have always been adamant they will return to Scotland as soon as they can find comparable work locally - they are both specialists in Chemistry based research. She currently has and always has had, Scotland to the forefront and is only in "exile" due to the lack of employment opportunities in her field.\r She is not alone and it would be "nice" for those like her to be able to have a say in their Country's future as well as those who are recent immigrant s from england.	This change reflects part of recommendation 8 of the Electoral Commission’s report on the 2014 referendum.
5383	672500672	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with this proposal	I agree with this proposal. I think this will improve the security and accuracy of the voting.	I agree with this proposal.
5384	466913892	Wolfgang Gerd Jabs	Individual	Individual	I agree with the described arrangements.	I agree with the technical changes to polling and count arrangements a described.	I agree with the changes to rules on permissible participants.
5385	567937520	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The Scottish Assembly, in conjunction with the other devolved assemblies, should be respecting the will of the UK Electorate, who voted overwhelmingly to leave the EU.	No Comment	In Agreement
5386	1060318436	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe we should have a second referendum - we have had one, and the result was clear. Scotland voted to stay part of the UK, and the UK voted to leave the EU. I did not agree with that vote, but you cannot opt in and out at every turn.	No Answered	none.
5387	402174776	Fraser Graham	Individual	Individual	Seems transparent enough.	Really important for me to have an exit poll. I am not aware whether or not the Scottish Government has control over this.	No issues.
5388	1069041526	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am absolutely fed up with all this talk of a further referendum in Scotland. There is no need for one after the vote in 2015. So regarding managing it - as there is absolutely no need for one there is no need for a management strategy! I know of only one person who has spoken in favour of Scottish independence and when I aske where they lived they said Cardiff!!	No need for any technical arrangements as nobody I know wants another referendum on the subject	Again No need for any rules on permissible participants - will the SNP get back to their day job rather than go on about it
5389	478340314	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe a second referendum is necessary, wise or helpful so soon after the first one, even given the Brexit decision.	I don't believe EU residents living in Scotland should be included in the referendum. This is likely to unfairly skew the results towards independence, since they have a verse interest in remaining in the EU.	I have no specific views on this.
5390	436327688	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would like the Scottish Government to concentrate on a radically overhaul of the Curriculum for Excellence and I would like this to happen as a top priority. I have many examples of how it has failed my children and is continuing to do so. I am not interested in going through the whole independence debacle yet again. The Scottish government needs to lay this to rest and focus on education as they promised. Myself and my husband are both university educated professionals and are now desperately searching for jobs which will take us over the border into England to ensure that our children receive a decent education.	I would like the Scottish Government to concentrate on a radically overhaul of the Curriculum for Excellence and I would like this to happen as a top priority. I have many examples of how it has failed my children and is continuing to do so. I am not interested in going through the whole independence debacle yet again. The Scottish government needs to lay this to rest and focus on education as they promised. Myself and my husband are both university educated professionals and are now desperately searching for jobs which will take us over the border into England to ensure that our children receive a decent education.	I would like the Scottish Government to concentrate on a radically overhaul of the Curriculum for Excellence and I would like this to happen as a top priority. I have many examples of how it has failed my children and is continuing to do so. I am not interested in going through the whole independence debacle yet again. The Scottish government needs to lay this to rest and focus on education as they promised. Myself and my husband are both university educated professionals and are now desperately searching for jobs which will take us over the border into England to ensure that our children receive a decent education.
5391	587949318	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If a referendum is to be held, it should be along the same lines as in 2014.	No opinion.	No opinion.
5392	147871498	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe that Scottish Nationals worldwide should be allowed to vote in all Scottish referendums. This is because there are huge implications for all expatriots,\r.Also most scottish expats have moved for employment opportunities, and care deeply about what happens in their home country. Last of all, Scottish people have had little representation abroad and require a say in what happens with their passport/ citizenship. Not including them, is to shamefully disenfranchise a large community of scots.	No Answered	Answer as for above. Why should Scots who have moved temporarily abroad, or to England for work, have less say than a recent immigrant?
5393	794411977	Laura Kerr	Individual	Individual	Generally good, but I would be concerned at a repeat of the media circus we saw in 2014.	Much better. It may be more faff, but transparency must take precedence over everything.	Happy with these changes.
5394	588606622	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no views on the way that referenda are carried out, I merely believe that another independence referendum in the same generation is wasting time and money that should be better spent trying to improve Scottish people's life experiences now.	No views	I am content that recommendations are to be taken into account.
5395	813518995	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum therefore any arrangements are an unnecessary expense.	EU citizens and ROI citizens residing in Scotland should not be allowed to vote in any election or referendum in Scotland. These people can return to their home country in the future having affected the rest of the population who stay.	Non residents should not be permitted to finance nor offer an opinion on Independence.
5396	197695371	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements are suitable - but I do not want us to proceed with another referendum. I also believe approval from UK Parliament should be sought before proceeding.	Arrangements are suitable - but I do not want us to proceed with another referendum. I also believe approval from UK Parliament should be sought before proceeding.	Arrangements are suitable - but I do not want us to proceed with another referendum. I also believe approval from UK Parliament should be sought before proceeding.
5397	806858518	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is an insult to the people of Scotland to have another independence referendum.	It is an insult to the people of Scotland to have another independence referendum.	It is an insult to the people of Scotland to have another independence referendum.
5398	682086043	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with these proposals.	Happy with this.	Fine with this.
5399	964588579	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am not in support of a new Scottish independence referendum so cannot support this bill. I firmly believe Scotland should remain part of the UK and not an independent country within the EU as we do not have the resources to have any position of strength within the EU community.	I disagree with the element of residency determining eligibility to cast a vote in the context of this specific referendum. It does not allow for all Scottish citizens , particularly those who still identify very clearly as Scottish but living elsewhere within the UK often due to work commitments to have a voice. I do not accept that someone from elsewhere in the EU who has moved to this country within the last 10 years has the right to cast a vote in a referendum like this. For local and national elections I support the residency argument but in the case of independence I do not.	I am not in support of a new Scottish independence referendum so cannot support this bill. I firmly believe Scotland should remain part of the UK and not an independent country within the EU as we do not have the resources to have any position of strength within the EU community.
5400	626344656	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I DO NOT WISH FOR A SECOND REFERENDUM. THE COUNTRY VOTED IN 2014 AND SHOULD NOT BE VOTING AGAIN. THIS IS CAUSING DAMAGE TO OUR ECONOMY TO KEEP THIS SUBJECT CONSTANTLY ON THE TABLE AS AN OPTION AND WE ARE LOSING VALUABLE REVENUE AS A COUNTRY.	N/A	N/A
5401	1035435510	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Why is there no question on this "consultation" that states "should we have another referendum?". This "consultation" is clearly designed to avoid that question. Who cares at present on the technical details of how a referendum should be run?\r So, to answer my own question... You clearly should not run another referendum. You can't keep asking the same question until you get the answer you want. It is un-democratic.\r Also, the huge reduction in the oil price since the last referendum should prove that Scotland cannot deal with such fluctuations without the backing of the rest of Britain.	No views	No views
5402	618756827	n macpherson	Individual	Individual	The use of the definite article ie… ‘the’ referendum assumes there is to be one. This is yet another example of the cynical and manipulative way the SNP operate and is reminiscent of A. Salmond’s initial draft question for the 2014 vote.\rThe ‘settled will’ of the Scottish people in 2014 should be respected. There is no increase in support for independence, even after the ‘material change’ of the Brexit vote. The country remains dreadfully divided with an all-pervading mood of uncertainty causing damage to both society and the economy. The fundamental independence questions regarding currency, borders, oil and the huge fiscal deficit remain unanswered.\rScotland now has an essentially disenfranchised majority who want nothing to do with the SNP’s fantasy of independence and it is to be hoped that the rest of the people in the country will in time see sense and consign this fantasy and its proponents to the outer fringes of politics where it and they belong.	The issue was settled in 2014 and no refrendum is required. I have therefore no comment.	The issue was settled in 2014 and no refrendum is required. I have therefore no comment.
5403	893272597	Robert Warner	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements seem straightforward and fair.	The rules governing eligibility to vote seem fair and reasonable.\rI welcome the change to checking of postal vote statements whereby all indentifiers are verified.\rVerification statement being available on request seems reasonable and transparent.	Seems straightforward. The requirement to register as a "permitted participant" if spending £10,000 or more is clear, however, I'm curious to know what happens if someone incrementally exceeds this amount by giving small sums towards campaigns. Would lowering the threshold help?
5404	180105746	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals. I would prefer not to have another referendum at this stage. However, as a No voter and campaigner in 2014, and a very disappointed Remain voter in 2016, I see the need to explore all options. I favour the First Minister's compromise position of pushing for single market membership/'Soft Brexit' for the UK as a whole, and I hope that the UK Government will see the sense of this proposal.	I agree with the proposals. However, with regard to Service/crown personnel - there were concerns in the 2014 Referendum that those born and brought up in Scotland, registered elsewhere in the UK due to postings, but planning to return to Scotland, were not able to vote; I realise this is complicated, but in the event of another referendum I think consideration should be given to addressing this issue.\r I agree that active campaigners should not be polling or counting staff, however with a referendum that attracts high levels of involvement careful thought needs to be given as to how this will be monitored.	No comment.
5405	944914468	Douglas Macdonald	Individual	Individual	No problems with that	No problems with that	No problems with that
5406	343955874	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	None	None	Scots working in England, Ireland and Wales should be able to vote
5407	383019387	Paul Fullerton	Individual	Individual	The arrangements for managing the referendum are fine .	The current arrangements have worked well for previous elections/referendums.	The changes are fine.
5408	327504860	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Irrelevant expense!	An irrelevance.	An irrelevance.
5409	79673765	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am strongly against another independence vote even though I voted yes in the last one. I believe that we are better off being part of the UK as this would secure long term security for Scotland for its economy and wider interest. At least we know who our elected leaders are and can vote them out if we don't like them in the next elections. This is not the case in the EU gravey train and they are UN accountable to us and very biased too. \rI do identify myself as Scottish and British and not as an EU national because I share less in common with the EU in terms of culture and identity. There is no chance of Scotland being accepted as a member of the EU if we are independent as other member countries had already stated that they would not allow us to join the club due to fears of their country also breaking up. Their stance had not change and this is going to be the situation even after Brexit as the EU is not going to be another financier to a low economy country as they are doing with the less developed member countries. The EU are only interested in countries that could enhance it's coffers and not the opposite. \rFinally, this argument does not make me a racist or a narrow minded person that is not out looking. I am proud to be Scottish and British too and I would like Scotland to stay in the UK as we are stronger being one country. During the last referendum for independence, the EU never wanted us to be part of them if we had voted YES and why now then...????? I would vote NO to another scottish independence referendum now as I am not convince with the Scottish government's current argument.	I believe that it is only Scottish and British nationals residing in Scotland that should vote in any referendum regarding Scottish independence. If EU and other nationals except the rest of the UK are allowed to vote, this would skew the results and might be seen as biased too.	None
5410	317220432	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No further referendum necessary	No further referendum necessary	No further referendum necessary
5411	104525482	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No strong views, i was not present for previous referendum.	You should, if possible, make it easier for Scots abroad to take part in the referendum, for example some kind of online provision. Many people, especially the younger generation, spend time travelling or working in other countries and will be put off by the effort required to take part using the current system.	None
5412	226994891	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel strongly that there should be a qualifying level for both turnout and majority for a referendum result to be binding. I don't know what the figures should be, but perhaps 60-70% turnout and 60% majority.\r These should be widely publicised in the run up to a vote to ensure that people understand the importance of voting.	No Answered	I think there should be safeguard to ensure that proxy votes are genuinely made by on behalf of people who are ordinarily resident in Scotland, and who will be resident in the future.
5413	213342375	james gourlay	Individual	Individual	totally unnecessary	see answer 1	as above
5414	807128114	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements seemed to work well the last time. However, I do not see the need for a second referendum. The last referendum was supposed to be the decision of a lifetime. Short life-span then. The nation spoke in 2014. That should still stand.	This seems fine.	This seems fine.
5415	388525870	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I do believe a new ca\ll for a referendum contradicts the the first referendum reasons in the first place. It was a once in a lifetime offer of the right to become independent. I truly considered the options and decided to vote no and I genuinely beleaved this was the correct choice for the country.
5416	216444438	Mary-Anne Buntin	Individual	Individual	Best to remain with previous management, worked well last time.	Sensible changes.	Fully approve.
5417	699218341	Colin Hastie	Individual	Individual	Sound.	Slight improvement - addressing possible abuses of postal voting.	Tidier.
5418	49879799	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't believe there is any need for a second referendum.	I don't believe there is any need for a second referendum.I don't believe there is any need for a second referendum.	I don't believe there is any need for a second referendum.
5419	190606525	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum	I do not want another referendum	As above
5420	498857639	Roberta Brown	Individual	Individual	Please do not start considering another referendum at this time. We are going through such change the Scottish people have already made that decision and do not want to go through that again	No particular view, sounds secure and robust	No particular view
5421	630455512	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Please stop wasting my money on this. I live in the UK and the UK voted to leave the EU and that should be an end of it! To extract the Scottish vote is ridiculous.	Please stop wasting my money on this. I live in the UK and the UK voted to leave the EU and that should be an end of it! To extract the Scottish vote is ridiculous.	Please stop wasting my money on this. I live in the UK and the UK voted to leave the EU and that should be an end of it! To extract the Scottish vote is ridiculous.
5422	906040749	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be a minimum of 2/3 majority before constitutional changes are enacted from any referendum.	No Answered	There should be provision made for Scots who live in the rest of the UK and abroad to vote. This could include a maximum time limit, for example if you've not lived in Scotland for 5 years then you would not be eligible, but it's unfair to disenfranchise Scots who may be resident elsewhere due to work or study but plan to come back.
5423	852379028	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are acceptable- but I am completely opposed to holding any such Referendum until the outcomes of Brexit become clearer- and that will not be for at least five years!\rAnd having read through this pro forma I am dismayed that you have restricted this so called consultation to a series of arid technical matters when the real issue is the validity of holding any such referendum inn the first place. \rIs this another typical SNP ruse to be able to claim a strong mandate when the issues have been in fact dodged? \rI would add that the present Sturgeon inspired campaign is based on a lie- that the EU is our leading trading partner whereas it is indisputable that it is the rest of the UK. I am a 'remainer' but resent this opportunistic attempt to rush to an evangelical pro- separatist agenda regardless.	see above	See above
5424	810769485	David McGregor	Individual	Individual	There is no more patriotic Scot than me but we need to stop this nonsense now and start governing Scotland as you were elected to do. First Salmond and now Sturgeon have lost all focus on Scottish issues and are purely obsessed with the independence nonsense.	There is no more patriotic Scot than me but we need to stop this nonsense now and start governing Scotland as you were elected to do. First Salmond and now Sturgeon have lost all focus on Scottish issues and are purely obsessed with the independence nonsense.	There is no more patriotic Scot than me but we need to stop this nonsense now and start governing Scotland as you were elected to do. First Salmond and now Sturgeon have lost all focus on Scottish issues and are purely obsessed with the independence nonsense.
5425	898175400	Malcolm Smith	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	With Respect\r DRAFT SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM BILL\r I totally oppose the need for another Independence Referendum given the previous one indicated Scotland should remain in the United Kingdom (UK)\r To suggest that Scotland voted to remain in the European Union (EU) is immaterial. The UK voted to leave the EU and people of Scotland voted as members of the EU according to their beliefs and it really doesn't matter that 1.6 million wanted to remain and 1 million wanted to leave\r Why should this trigger the desire for another Independence Referendum? In due course there may well be a case for another Referendum but the Government (or should that be the SNP) should not use this as a lever to gain support for another Referendum especially when considering that 32% of the population didn't bother to vote. Interestingly the Scottish Government didn't exactly promote EU membership in any meaningful way before the EU Referendum vote was taken. Indeed the Government (SNP) has seen this as an opportunity to get more support for its own agenda. They should be ashamed\r To suggest the Government are simply listening to people and doing what the people want is ridiculous. A Government makes decisions that are for the good of a Country and that is not necessarily what the people want. To be honest most Government decisions are definitely not what ordinary folk want and that apples to both Holyrood and Westminster\r Thank you for reading this\r Redacted text
5426	538652731	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no issues with the way this process will be managed	I largely agree with these arrangements.	Sensible
5427	930727600	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think it is a disgraceful distraction and an abhorrent misrepresentation of the wishes of the Scottish electorate for a minority administration to seek to subject the people of Scotland to yet another expensive referendum. It is also quite ridiculous that this is the priority for an administration which saw its own vote drop and when public services in Scotland are in complete disarray following ten years of mismanagement and maladministration by that same body. It is simply outrageous that you can even consider this as a serious response to the challenges facing the country. Independence was massively rejected less than thirty months ago and you would do well to respect the wishes of the vast majority and get back to basic governance. You cannot keep acting like a spoilt child and ask the same question until you get the answer you want - we were promised that 2014 was 'once in a generation!'	No comment	No comment
5428	368383272	Claire Wallace	Individual	Individual	So does this mean a Scottish person staying in England will have the right to vote this time around as they can vote in local government elections but were not allowed to vote the first time.	I disagree. Surely the "people of Scotland" are Scottish people and not residents by default? It should apply to anyone born in Scotland regardless of where they stay and not someone who has been drafted in who was born out with Scotland.v - they might have moved to Scotland a few weeks before the vote, What do they know and what right do they have on my future? Yet a "Scottish person" now working in England cant vote? i think this is appalling.	I don't have an opinion on this .
5429	707527297	Donald Gillies	Individual	Individual	I felt the last referendum was not fair in much of it conduct. To many loose ends in counting stations along with postal votes counted and seen weeks before was not a fair democratic process as it gave those in power the chance to change the shape of out outcome.\r Eligibility should only include those on voter roll for over a year prior to vote. That will ensure Scotland is served fairer.\r We should be looking at a modern system that people have faith in. Referendum has lost the faith of many in Scotland.	Sounds fairer and reasonable. \rI would add to ensure postal vote is not undermined my above comment folk on Scottish roll for over 24 months and not registered anywhere else. \rA voting individuals breaking those rules will incur a mandatory criminal conviction and fine to be set before vote.	Sounds fair and reasonable.
5430	302875576	Andrew Brownlow	Individual	Individual	These are fair and should be followed, however to maximise the electoral turnout the option for people to vote online should be investigated.	The facility for emergency proxy applications need to be maintained, regardless of 'administrative burden', however as stated in the previous question, investigation into secure, digital online voting should be investigated.	Agree
5431	165103834	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Holding another referendum is a complete waste of time and a sign of the current governments unwillingness to listen to the views of the majority of the people. They failed to come up with a plausible economic argument last time and no amount of clever/weasily words will make the economics look any more possible. It would be far better for Scotland if they concentrated ALL their efforts on running and improving the country and spent less time and money thinking about how and when to hold another referendum.
5432	936833635	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Proposals for managing a referendum seem reasonable.\r This, however, ignores the elephant in the room.\r The first question to be asked is "should a referendum be held at all?"\r I remain very concerned with the level of division created across the country within local populations and indeed within families. This takes a long time to recover and we run the risk of perpetuating divisions and ill feeling. That is not who the Scots are.\r A referendum was held in 2014. More recent events have created a climate of uncertainty and I feel this should be the focus of the Scottish Governments attentions and not to keep on reverting back to the case for yet another referendum.\r The thought of living through another 12 month period (or longer) of another referendum fills me with dread. I strongly believe that this is not in Scotlands current interests.	I am concerned that people born and brought up in Scotland, who have a strong understanding of the Scottish identity but, through circumstance, live outside Scotland and have no entitlement to vote.\r This contrasts with people from the EU living in Scotland having a right to vote when they may not be long term residents and will have a different view and understanding of the political structure in Scotland and the UK.\r This issue leave me very uncomfortable.	Seems reasonable
5433	286173637	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The plans to manage a 2nd Indy referendum are irrelevant as they should be no return to this issue for a generation. Putting such management issues at the beginning of the consultation procedure looks like an attempt by SNP to "normalise" or gain acceptance for the need for such a 2nd referendum.	Again, this is irrelevant as no 2nd referendum should take place until a generation has passed. A generation is often defined as about 25-30 years. This matter has been settled by the first referendum.	Again largely irrelevant as there is no need or desire (outside of the SNP) for a 2nd referendum.
5434	1011081928	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	happy with this	Happy with this	happy
5435	549910728	David walkinshaw	Individual	Individual	This time clearer rules need to be enforced and counters need to be properly vetted and no campaigning on day of referendum	Good	Ok
5436	836483992	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The SNP have no right or mandate to ignore the results of the 2014 referendum. It was a clear majority. The instance of Brexit makes it more likely that people would again vote no since why would Scotland choose to break away from the rest of the UK if people favour being part of something bigger which we showed we overwhelmingly did in the Brexit vote. The SNP need to start prioritising the good of Scotland e.g. Education, Health etc. and remove independence from their agenda completely. You need to move from being a selfish one policy party and start working for the people of Scotland.	These arrangements are irrelevant as there should not be a second referendum.	These arrangements are irrelevant as there should not be a second referendum.
5437	1032220370	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The previous referendum was neither fair nor transparent - quite the reverse. The white paper produced by the Scottish Government was vacuous and cynically failed to address fundamental issues.\r This questionnaire is itself an example of the deliberate attempts to obfuscate. This questionnaire is not a consultation - it introduces matters of a technical procedural nature none of which is of paramount relevance.\r The first and only question should be :-\r Do you agree to a second referendum - "yes" or "no"?	The referendum should be UK wide and not restricted to Scotland. Alternatively the vote should be extended to include Scottish individuals resident anywhere in the UK. Foreign nationals should be excluded from the vote	The proposals lead to conflicts of interest. \r This is a matter which should be dealt with by the respective leaders in the Scottish Parliament who should each present their arguments for consideration in a succinct and meaningful manner. If they are unable to undertake this task are they fit for purpose?\r Lobbyists and other action groups should be excluded from making any comment.
5438	103995212	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	OK as per the 2014 referendum	OK	OK
5439	320312228	George Wood	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I personally don't fell it is democratic for Scotland to have another referendum. I am an SNP voter and voted for Independence in 2014, but the majority voted to stay in the UK, so I respect the judgement of the people.\rIn the EU referendum, the UK voted to leave. We need to respect the views and opinions of the electorate as a whole and follow the instruction that the people have given.\rWe cannot argue that Scotland voted to remain; London also voted to remain, but we are all part of the UK; what next, do we split into counties and some stay and some go? Ridiculous. The UK electorate voted to leave; we should respect that democratic process and get on with it. We cannot keep having a referendum every two/ three years until we get a favourable result.\rLet's pull together as a nation and make our success outside the EU, just as the majority of the electorate have told us.
5440	1018964506	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposal to re-use the 2014 referendum question is completely flawed.\r If a 'material and significant' change is believed to have taken place the original question cannot be considered fit for purpose, as the call for any referendum will be put forward as preserving Scotland's links to the EU.\r The question needs to make it clear that the Scottish people are being asked to leave one union i.e. the UK and independently join another i.e. the EU.\r A fit for purpose question could read as follows:\r '' Should Scotland leave the United Kingdom and apply for membership of the EU?''	Nothing to add.	Nothing to add.
5441	405817606	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree	I agree	I agree
5442	1017140750	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We had a referendum in 2014 with a decisive result. I suggest the result of this should be respected rather than the constant agitation for a re-run	Giving 16 and 17 year olds a vote is nonsense as they have no experience of the world and in particular no economic acumen required to see through the waffle peddle by the SNP about (lack of) currency and any plan to plug the £15bn hole in public finance	Who determines "obscene or offensive"? is it defined anywhere?
5443	722240751	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This presupposes that we should have such a referendum. I disagree on that point.\r THE LOGICAL STARTING POINT SHOULD BE WHETHER WE SHOULD HAVE A SECOND REFERENDUM ON THIS ISSUE AT ALL. \r There was full and exhaustive debate in 2014 and the Scottish people voted by more than 55% NOT to separate from the rest of the UK. PLEASE JUST RESPECT THAT DECISION.	Indifferent - with the caveat that you should allow scots-born people now resident in the rest of the UK also to register for a postal vote.	If you do manage to contrive such a referendum - against my wishes and those of many more - you should allow scots-born people now resident in the rest of the UK also to register for a postal vote.
5444	1027794019	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want a further referendum so this. is not relevant	No referendum required so no procedural changes required.	Not required with no referendum.
5445	455903267	Alan Cant	Individual	Individual	I am completely opposed to another referendum. I voted in a "once in a generation" independence referendum (Alex Samond & Nicola Sturgeon quote,) which at the time had no caviats built in!	I am completely opposed to another referendum. I voted in a "once in a generation" independence referendum (Alex Samond & Nicola Sturgeon quote,) which at the time had no caviats built in!	I am completely opposed to another referendum. I voted in a "once in a generation" independence referendum (Alex Samond & Nicola Sturgeon quote,) which at the time had no caviats built in!
5446	13698959	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is absolutely no need whatsoever for an independence referendum. The people of Scotland voted unanimously to stay within the Union and the Scottish Government needs to respect this view.	Many Scots who do not live in Scotland felt disenfranchised by the way the referendum was run and any future referendum should have a means of embracing these people. Most of these people return to Scotland frequently and feel strongly that they should have a say in the future of this country.	No comment
5447	125651988	Sean Condron	Individual	Individual	Happy with the 2014 process	Happy with these technical changes	Content as long as these rules are publicly enforced
5448	242799405	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I support this approach.	I agree with this. However, what plans are in place to prevent non-Scottish nationals temporarily registering as being resident to influence the vote.	No views
5449	854598184	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements seem fair.	The changes seem fair and reasonable.	The changes are reasonable.
5450	695808221	Joseph Anthony Fleming	Individual	Individual	I am in agreement with these proposals. They follow a tried and tested method employed for the previous referendum.	I see these are justified fine tuning.	I have no problem with any of these stipulations. My only regret is that as a person born in Scotland but living in Wales, I am not allowed to vote!
5451	68767379	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	It is folly to contemplate a second referendum at this time. With the Brexit vote, the electorate has no idea what situation the UK will be in for at least another two years. So we don't know what we would be leaving, let alone know what we were joining. What evidence is there that an independent Scotland would be able to join the EU within a reasonable timescale and under what terms. A second referendum potentially compounds one bad decision with another even worse one.
5452	293955887	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	The proposed changes to the referendum procedures would remove any chances of fraud - these are sound.
5453	935050230	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe the premis upon which this consultation and referendum plan have been created to be fundamentally wrong. \r The question put to the vote in June 2015 referred to the United Kingdom as a whole remaining in or leaving the EU. It did not refer to the separate entities of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. \r My vote, as a Scottish resident, solely adressed the question on the ballot paper of whether or not the United Kingdom remains in the EU. \r To suggest that my vote somehow contributes to the premis of "Scotland's strong and unequivocal vote to remain in the EU" is wrong. \r To then further extrapolate my vote for the UK to remain in the EU as one for Scottish Independence is a gross misrepresentation of my views. \r My views on the proposed arrangements on managing the referendum are that they are geared towards obtaining the preferred result of the Scottish government rather than the preferred result of people of Scotland.	My views on the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements are that they are geared towards obtaining the preferred result of the Scottish government and not necessarily the result preferred by the people of Scotland.	My views on the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants are that they are geared towards obtaining the preferred result of the Scottish government rather than the people of Scotland.
5454	647595719	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no complaint as to how a further referendum would be managed. \rBUT I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY WE NEED ANOTHER . \rWe have only just recovered from the last one . Lets get on with sorting out our, hospitals, schools, police and council services. There are issues that require our MSP's, MP's and councillors full attention. \rNot months of campaigning and mud slinging again.	Must our children loose yet another day of schooling . I thought the last vote was " A ONCE IN A LIFETIME " not lets vote again with any old excuse.	no issues
5455	448844554	Neil Spinks	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	You must be joking...manufacturing another referendum (widely rejected) 3 years after a decisive result in 2014.\rScotland in Single Market?? European politicians (Spain and others) have rejected this idea.\r UK voted overwhelmingly to leave EU, to regain control of borders and laws/regulations. Yes they did...the ONLY regions in the whole of the UK to vote to remain were London (inevitable), Northern Ireland (largely due to issue of possible loss of free border) and Scotland (confused with vote for Holyrood, SNP and independance).\r Democracy is a word not fully understood at Holyrood. Silver Gardens did not vote in majority for SNP.....I demand a rerun election!\r Be careful what you ask for. 80% of Scotland's trade is with rest of UK. Do you want Border Controls at Berwick/Gretna?\rDo you really want then to join EU and accept the Euro currency (complicating trade with our biggest trading partner), loss of any UK rebate (do you think EU countries will grant Scotland this benefit??), with addition of VAT charge to food, books, children's clothes?\r What damages the economy is the threat of interference with trade with rest of UK. Do not underestimate the effect on firms and industry of another period of uncertainty regarding Scotland's future status. Last time round some major firms expressed disquiet (including Scotland's financial sector) over the independence issue.\r Listen to the people unless you really want to lose all credibility.
5456	150867913	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The time and money which is being spent on proposed referendum would be much better used on improving the conditions of the people of Scotland within the framework of the United Kingdom. The Scottish Government has more powers now than it has ever had - please do something constructive with them and stop dividing the nation. The 2014 vote was decisive - just do what you are being paid to do!!	No need. See question 1.	See answer to 1.
5457	748560234	Jason slade	Individual	Individual	This all makes sense, and I have no further comment.	All good!	No comment. Looks fine.
5458	463795406	Robert MacLeod	Individual	Individual	Fine with me	Yes Agreed\r I do however wish to say that whilst I agree with foregoing I would like some assurance that we will have the opportunity to vote once again on Scotland's future - in my lifetime.\rIdeally by the end of next year (2018).\rGood luck with all your political endeavors.	Sounds Fine
5459	346078131	Alan Pole	Individual	Individual	We are already leaving the 'big club' - EU - which is worrying so why would we ever wish to become a 'minnow club' by leaving the UK as well? Scotland could never stand on it's own financially.	No comment	No comment
5460	815380574	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't agree with holding a second referendum.	I don't agree that 16 & 17 year olds should be allowed to vote - their maturity levels are generally insufficient to tackle long-term life changing decisions.	I don't understand what this means.
5461	739169047	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There is no requirement for another referendum. The last one made clear the views of the people of Scotland. This was accepted as being the settled view of Scotland "for a generation". This requires to be accepted by the Scottish Government.
5462	929252314	Simon William Cree	Individual	Individual	I agree that any future referendum should be handled within the same parameters as the last, as these rules successfully delivered a fair and transparent vote.	I agree with these changes, so long as they bring into force what is considered to be best practice.	Agree, again so long as these changes enforce what is considered best practice.
5463	119424967	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
5464	583811834	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I do not want another disruptive ,devisive Scottish referendum
5465	850899253	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	It is my view that Scotland is best placed to prosper within a United Kingdom and as we as a nation have already stated with a clear majority that we wish to remain as part of the U.K. there is no basis for calling another referendum.
5466	546537171	Wliiam Legge	Individual	Individual	A total waste of resources being deployed to fan the egos of Politicians all of whom should be concentrating on the day job and delivering within their remits instead of pontificating and spreading discord. The SNP have lost all vestiges of respect which I have had for the Party up until now.	No Answered	No comment
5467	566561877	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Against a second referendum	Against a second referendum	Against a second referendum
5468	871731658	Nicholas Russell	Individual	Individual	In 2014: \r- Scotland's referendum used archaic paper slip voting\r- Many people voted without knowing what The White Paper was\r- The referendum cost taxpayers £15.85M\r- Tories were somehow able to take tallies, and advance-counted incoming postal votes\r Any future referendum:\r- In this modern era, should be digitalised. As per Estonia and Denmark, etc etc etc Same methodology as 2016 National survey, with full electoral roll interface via digital passports, and run it for a few weeks, to allow full community participation.\r- White Paper should be via Compulsory download.\r- Minimal taxpayer cost\r- Indelible digital records for UN inspector scrutiny	Only people with primary place of residence should be entitled to vote.	/
5469	959698475	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Not required	Not required	not required
5470	561943476	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not support a second referendum under any circumstances at the moment given the uncertainty over the brexit situation. The prop	The proposals appear adequate on paper and we should await confirmation of their function ability before passing judgment.A	As none have been tested views at this time can only be assessed circumstantialy without any proof of being fit for purpose.
5471	825641698	Carol Ann Tracey	Individual	Individual	I fully agree with the proposals.	I fully agree with the proposed changes.	I fully agree with the proposed changes.
5472	892654028	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is my understanding that a decision on a referendum is not devolved and the decision to call a referendum lies with Westminster (this is correct as it will affect the whole of the UK .	I do not agree with the voter eligibility - A vote should not be automatically granted to an EU citizen who may have only been resident in Scotland for a matter of weeks , may be here temporarily , any may have no vested interest in Scotland . To be eligle to vote the should hold UK citizenship \r People born is Scotland , who now reside in rUK or elsewhere tend to still have roots in Scotland , a vested interest in Scotland's future , and in many cases plan to return . They should not be denied a vote (this happened in the EU referendum and should be allowed in any Scottish referenedum	none
5473	951254964	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no second independent referendum, the public voted no in 2014 and this should be the end of any discussions. \r The SNP, in particular, Nicola Sturgeon, must accept this result, and the Brexit result, and move forward with the rest of the UK. \r I find it galling that MSP's want to spend more time and money on a second referendum, yet our children's education is, quite frankly, in a mess and needs urgent time spent rectifying this; scrapping the Curriculum for Excellence program and reinstating the Three R's would be a good starting point!	N/A	N/A
5474	916666265	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe it has been a waste of government time drafting this proposal. The country has very recently shown their opinion on this issue and the decision of the people should be respected.\r The referendum divided the country and undesirable and intimidating behaviour were shown by both sides of the argument. It is now time to unite the country and move forward with the decision already made about independence.\r If you wish to waste the country's time and money in another referendum I do not object to the arrangements suggested.	no comment	no comment
5475	620592679	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	At the last referendum Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond told us this was a once in a lifetime vote. I voted Yes to independence but Scotland voted NO. I accept this vote by the Scottish People and so should the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government. \rBy asking for another referendum within this short period of time, the rest of the UK will see the Scottish Government as untrustworthy.	Only Scottish people should be eligible to vote.	Why do we need this ?
5476	329465346	Thomas Tracey	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements.	I agree with the proposed technical changes.	I agree with the proposed changes.
5477	568626317	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I feel strongly that there is a manipulation of the results of the EU referendum\rto justify a call for another independence referendum. Scotland voted to remain in the UK and the UK voted to leave the EU. Scotland did not vote to remain in the EU.
5478	759684919	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no mandate for a referendum, I therefore unreservedly object to any and all proposals for running another referendum. The Scottish electorate voted to remain within the UK in 2014 fully aware that there would be an EU referendum in 2016, and that there would be one of two outcomes. It was with this knowledge that Scotland voted to remain in the UK. Any attempts to discount that 2014 referendum result is wholly undemocratic and should be made illegal. The party of government in their blinkered pursuit of Scottish independence have neglected their prime responsibility which is to run Scotland . The SNP should be made to set aside their constant attempts promote this independence agenda and urgently attend to job they were elected to do and which they are currently failing at spectacular style. I say a firm no to another independence referendum.	There is no mandate for a referendum therefore I unreservedly object to any proposals for running a referendum. The Scottish electorate voted to remain within the UK in 2014 fully aware that there would be an EU referendum in 2016, and that there would be one of two outcomes. It was with this knowledge that Scotland voted to remain in the UK. Any attempts to discount that 2014 referendum result is wholly undemocratic.	There is no mandate for a referendum therefore I unreservedly object to any proposals for running a referendum. The Scottish electorate voted to remain within the UK in 2014 fully aware that there would be an EU referendum in 2016, and that there would be one of two outcomes. It was with this knowledge that Scotland voted to remain in the UK. Any attempts to discount that 2014 referendum result is wholly undemocratic.
5479	707223499	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is wrong to carry out another referendum. \r You cannot repeat a referendum until you get the answer that the SNP government want. \r I voted to stay in Europe and was very disappointed that the UK voted to leave, however i accept the majority. I suggest you do too. \r Shall there be another Euro vote?	I do not agree that another vote should be held.	no comment
5480	40546935	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	PLEASE PLEASE NO MORE REFERANDA I can't be the only person who is totally confused by the SNPs willingness to accept the result of Brexit but not the result of the independence referendum and WHY stay wth Europe and break away with the U.K.	NA	NA
5481	907500921	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am totally against another referendum but should this happen the proposed arrangements are acceptable	I have no objections to the proposals	I have no objections to these proposals
5482	47742363	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They were fair	No Answered	I don't think people who have lived in Scotland for less than 7 years should be able to vote. I don't think those people who have only lived in Scotland for less than 16 years and who are about to leave the country should be allowed to vote. I think those who grew up in Scotland and have left temporarily for work have more right to a vote than those who have recently arrived.
5483	1047159329	Murray Biagini Kemp	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I fully support it. The Independence Referendum was won by the No campaign through a campaign of false promises, scare tactics and outright falsehoods. The No campaign won on the back of a number of conditions, too many of which have not been met. One of these was continued membership of the EU. Westminster and the voting patterns of England have become too, too right wing and too spiteful towards the rest of the world that its time the union was separated
5484	730863591	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe that the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum are fair.	In addition, I believe Scottish citizens living overseas and other parts of the UK should be entitled to a vote as well. I was one of these people at one time but still paying UK tax.	No comment on this.
5485	269546707	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum. Therefore my views on the management will all illicit same response. \r I just want my voice included in those not wishing a second referendum or independence from U.K. To be included . \r All management to my mind is ill advised damaging to our family and community relationships and unessasarily costly so soon after last costly and damaging referendum.\rI voted to remain in Europe but not at the expense of U.K. Remain	As above . \rI want my voice heard that there should be no referendum.	As above. I do not want areferendum.
5486	357460337	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Management in my view has been non existent. I was only made aware of this consultation by accident and feel that to say the result is the view of Scottish people is a misrepresentation. Myself and the rest of my family have had no correspondence of any kind with regards to this consultation.	None	Sounds okay
5487	482617453	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Second independence referendum is required hence this is not applicable - we have already voted No to Independence from UK.	No Second independence referendum is required hence this is not applicable - we have already voted No to Independence from UK.	No Second independence referendum is required hence this is not applicable - we have already voted No to Independence from UK.
5488	903327311	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I am very concerned that such a significant decision as independence can be determined by simple majority of those who bother to vote. This factor does not appear to have been considered as part of the changes proposed, but I would like to see a more inclusive criterion such as a majority of the electorate, or a majority of say 10%.
5489	148677488	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the Scottish Government should work with the other nations to secure the best possible deal for the whole of the UK. Then, and only then should the Scottish Government refer back to the country to propose a clear choice between staying in a UK that is outside Europe, or electing to leave the post EU UK and become an independent country. IT is absolutely futile to ask Scotland to vote in an independence referendum that will have even more uncertainty around it than the last. It will only lead to more division and inevitably because of the degree of uncertainly will conclude with the same result. And as you continued to acknowledge the will of the people to leave the UK after the independence referendum so you should continue to acknowledge the will of the people of Scotland that voted to leave Europe.	Agree with this but I think it is an absolute disgrace that 'Counting Officer' receive a vast fee for that event, on top of their already considerable salaries for doing something that should be within the remit of their existing role, and I object to my taxes being wasted int his way.	Anything that makes participants more accountable is welcomed.
5490	837765337	colin cuthbertson	Individual	Individual	I feel the party has to set the agenda on a referendum at our pace, when the move from the people to vote for it is clear as losing again would set it back for my life time. I DO NOT feel people voted to stay in the EU had any reflection to that of the 2014 result at all. I voted as I would always do, vote for freedom from Uk, so in line with that and a few of my SNP life time voters we voted for the UK to be free from EU as it offers the same opportunities to make quicker macro and micro economic policies which are best suited. Not which have to be agreed by the EU,, is Scottish Fishing Industry or what is left of it has been destroyed by EU interference.	Technical arrangements seem to make sense and agreeable	Seems sensible and open
5491	724107181	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Do not need another referendum	No issue with these changes however we do not need another refererendum	No issues with this but moot point as referendum not required
5492	338558948	John Glen	Individual	Individual	I disagree. The Referendum on BRITAIN'S membership of the European Union was a UK wide expression of public will, not a regional one. I therefore do not see why Scottish Residency criteria should be the basis of a consequential desire for an independence referendum. Continued membership of the EU was not an explicit condition of the referendum vote exercised in September 2014. If a second referendum on Scottish Independence should include Scots living in the rest of the UK and who voted on the Brexit referendum.	Disagree, see above . should include Scots resident in the rest of the UK	no comment
5493	728832930	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Quite simply, please don't put us through this all again. Scotland voted 62/38 to remain in the EU, but voted 55/45 to remain in UK. They are, nevertheless, different questions and shouldn’t be confused.\r However, you can decide to cross-reference the 62% “IN EU” vote and 45% “Pro Independence” vote. The argument could then be made that only 28% of Scotland are in favour of both. Yes, a “specific scenario” has triggered the consultation on a draft referendum bill – but I believe this to be an opportunist maneuver which goes against Scotland’s will when asked in 2014.\r I ask you as a Scot, please do not put us through this again so soon – not for decades - as it was so destructive for us as a nation in 2014. If you can, listen to the estimated 72% of the voters that would argue against the “specific scenario “being met. Halt plans to propose a second referendum.\r As above - Quite simply, please don't put us through this all again.	Quite simply, please don't put us through this all again. Scotland voted 62/38 to remain in the EU, but voted 55/45 to remain in UK. They are, nevertheless, different questions and shouldn’t be confused.\r However, you can decide to cross-reference the 62% “IN EU” vote and 45% “Pro Independence” vote. The argument could then be made that only 28% of Scotland are in favour of both. Yes, a “specific scenario” has triggered the consultation on a draft referendum bill – but I believe this to be an opportunist maneuver which goes against Scotland’s will when asked in 2014.\r I ask you as a Scot, please do not put us through this again so soon – not for decades - as it was so destructive for us as a nation in 2014. If you can, listen to the estimated 72% of the voters that would argue against the “specific scenario “being met. Halt plans to propose a second referendum.\r As above - Quite simply, please don't put us through this all again.	Quite simply, please don't put us through this all again. Scotland voted 62/38 to remain in the EU, but voted 55/45 to remain in UK. They are, nevertheless, different questions and shouldn’t be confused.\r However, you can decide to cross-reference the 62% “IN EU” vote and 45% “Pro Independence” vote. The argument could then be made that only 28% of Scotland are in favour of both. Yes, a “specific scenario” has triggered the consultation on a draft referendum bill – but I believe this to be an opportunist maneuver which goes against Scotland’s will when asked in 2014.\r I ask you as a Scot, please do not put us through this again so soon – not for decades - as it was so destructive for us as a nation in 2014. If you can, listen to the estimated 72% of the voters that would argue against the “specific scenario “being met. Halt plans to propose a second referendum.\r As above - Quite simply, please don't put us through this all again.
5494	775720479	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	System should stay as before	Changes regarding postal votes are welcomed. It is essential that abuse of the system is drastically reduced.	NO comment
5495	738325414	Ken Bruce	Individual	Individual	The Scottish Givernment should not be wasting any more Public Money on another Independance Referendum, Scotland has already made it,s decision in the last Referendum.\rThe Scottish Government should be concentrating on sorting out more important issues such as the NHS , Education and Local Government problems	There is no need for a second referendum!!!!!!!	Not required
5496	641615911	Gerard O'Reilly	Individual	Individual	I feel that the proposed arrangements will not refelect the wishes of the majority of people eligible to vote. Any referendum on a major constitutional issue, to be truly fair, should require a 50% plus majority of those eligible to vote rather than 50% plus of those voting. The presumption should be that those not voting favour the status quo.\r I feel that this Bill should not even be put forward to the the Scottish Parliament. To do so is to abrogate the democratic will of the Scottish people decided at the last independence referendum.\rThe Scottish Government could have campaigned to wait until after the EU referendum but chose to go with a date before then. It is a disgrace that this Bill is even being considered.	No Answered	Given that the UK has voted to leave the EU, I belive it would not be appropriate for other EU nationals currently resident in Scotland for less than tens years to vote on such a major constitutional issue, The ten year residency threshold would demonstrate a commitment to Scottish civil society. The outcome of any referendum could turn on a small number of votes cast by persons of limited residency and commitment to Scotland, who have not contributed to Scottish society.
5497	546637168	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A second "independence" referendum should only be held in the frame of Scotland remaining within the EU. There is no such thing in today's world as an "independent" country and it is the interdependencies that are the issue for Scotland following the EU referendum result.\r Difficult though it might be to regulate, UK citizens who can demonstrably claim Scotland as their "home" who are residing in the other EU member states under free movement of labour should have the opportunity to participate in any such referendum. At a minimum this should encompass any Scottish resident who has taken up a post at an intergovernmental body e.g. NATO, ICC, EC, ESA, EPO etc. It does not seem equitable to disenfranchise such people from participation in such an important issue.	Acceptable but the comment to question 1 regarding eligibility to vote applies. (The eligibility to vote statement in question 1 had better have been omitted and kept solely for question 2.)\r All registered voters should be required to vote or face a fixed penalty. An abstain option should be included on the ballot paper.\r The rules for deciding the outcome should be defined. A decision should not be possible on a differential of a single vote. As a suggestion, to change the status quo at least 55% of registered voters should have voted for the change. (45% against or abstained.)	Acceptable
5498	987525838	Robert Graham	Individual	Individual	Primarily there should not be a referendum. The Scottish people have expressed their view on this and it is opportunism to pretend that the Brexit outcome will make Scotland any less dependent on England. You must not go on bombarding us with this issue. However if one should take place these arrangements are acceptable.	Acceptable	Acceptable
5499	121024800	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposals but like the original referendum would like 16yr olds to have a vote as this will have a greater impact on them.	no comments	no comment
5500	585485102	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	What referendum are you referring too ?\r The referendum held in 2014 in which I votes YES was rejected by the majority of people in Scotland to which I did not agree with but respected the peoples wishes in a democratic outcome.\r The SNP have lost my vote due to their lack of respect for democracy and now look to seek independence at any cost.\r The SNP really needs to look at what they are saying. If independence was won in 2014, Scotland would have been out of the European Union which didn`t seem to bother them at the time. Now that the UK has voted to leave, they have major concerns. The SNP`s argument for independence based on European membership seems to be inconsistent and embarrassing to many of their members.\r I along with many other SNP voters has lost faith in the direction that our party is taking us. Independence to me means total Independence from the UK and Europe.\r This means an independent Scotland where decisions are taken by those elected by the people of Scotland !!!!!	I strongly object to European residents or any other individuals (including students studying) who are in the country on a short term basis.\r In my opinion, the only persons who should be entitled to vote on Scotland`s future are those individuals who were born in Scotland who still reside here and any individuals who has taken out UK citizenship and reside permanently in Scotland.\r Scots who reside abroad should not in my opinion be entitled to a vote either.	My belief that the proposed changes are a waste of public funds on the basis that the 2014 referendum was held and a decision was taken by the people of Scotland.\r The constant change of procedures does nothing for the credibility of any party and is seen as nothing more than more legislation to enhance the prospect of changing decisions which were already taken in 2014.
5501	363543444	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum. \rThe Scottish people voted and decided that independence was not best for Scotland. a democratic vote, as was the Brexit UK vote.\r This was for a variety of factors, not about Europe but mainly because the SNP had no sustainable economic policies fit for an independent country.\rThe divisions created by the way the campaigning was undertaken are still with us\rThere should be no allowance for personal attacks, intimidation and derogatory statements	Postal or proxy voting should only be allowed on ground of infirmity or government service outside the country.	sounds sensible
5502	185979626	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They are very poor and ill thought out	poorly thought out	no comment
5503	522348405	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	See my comment below to Q2 about including a third group of voters excluded from the EU referendum (you mention 16-17 year olds and EU citizens): expats. I may be naïve and it may not be possible to include this group due to there being no existing electoral eligibility criteria, but it may be wise not to ignore the strong emotions evoked by excluding this group.\r Are you sure that a simple majority is standard (as you say in the document) and will be respected by the public and internationally?	No Answered	I wonder whether you want to think about extending the eligibility to vote. I agree with your proposal to allow EU citizens to vote (in fact as a Scotland residing EU citizen for 20 years, I am extremely grateful in particular after being excluded from the EU referendum). A critique on the EU referendum was the exclusion of voters (in particular EU citizens but also British expats). There were also many people who felt excluded at the time of INDY1. Do you want to think about including your expats (who are abroad or in the rest of the UK at the time of the vote)? Perhaps for an expat to get a vote, they would need to apply to meet certain criteria e.g. proving temporary absence, proving to have residence related interests in Scotland such as residential property or a business, or being from Scotland originally (e.g. for more than 10-15 years) and likely to return to be with remaining parents or children that can be proven to be settled long-term etc. (the later might avoid that people feel no control over their families being separated in case of independence a bit like the Berlin wall). It might be expensive and complicated but important to give voters with strong feelings (i.e. who feel that Scotland is their home nation and want a say in its independence) this opportunity to apply to vote in the referendum. Perhaps it can be a light touch application process based on good faith (not home office procedure where applicants need to account for individual days of absence in the country for a period of decades, an impossible task). There is no bias in my observation (considering Brexit I do not think extending the eligibility of the vote will change the outcome of an independence referendum), but I think that without this extension the referendum might be seen as more biased (as seems the case for the EU referendum). I hope you find this useful.
5504	3323099	Iain Guild	Individual	Individual	I believe no one who is not born, raised, or has been a permanent resident for a set amount of time (5, 10 years?) should be allowed to vote.	No Answered	I have no view, except that it should be a national holiday on the day of the prospective referendum. Ensuring a larger turnout. Possibly even mandatory voting
5505	251071469	William G McDermott	Individual	Individual	Given the breach of purdah by Westminster last time, we need tighter rules and a clear threshold over what constitutes government initiatives.\r I would also like to internationalise the referendum to include United Nations observers.	I continue to be worried about the whole issue of postal votes and their management.\r Postal votes should be regarded as a special or even exceptional arrangement not run-of-the-mill, available to all. The electorate should only be allowed postal votes after proving:\r 1) Incapacity to travel to a polling station\r2) Away from home on polling day\r3) Proof of residency in Scotland	The Referendum should be a Scotland only affair. That means that the Unionist side should depend on finance generated only from within Scotland.
5506	936493330	Alex McBride	Individual	Individual	The arrangments are fine	No problem	Strange that the goverment say 16year olds can vote, but under the resposable adult laws you say that they are children till there 18years old. You cannot have it both ways.
5507	997207568	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am not happy that the SNP minority continue to pursue independence when the last referendum clearly demonstrated that 1) the majority voted against total independence and 2) a majority in Scotland voted against leaving the EU.	These arrangements seem fair and equitable, however I am of the view that prisoners should be able to exercise their right, and responsibility to vote.	These arrangements seem fair.
5508	236431332	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO NEED FOR SUCH A REFERENDUM. THE PEOPLE OF SCOTLAND GAVE THEIR VIEWS IN THE PREVIOUS REFERENDUM!	THE PRACTICE OF WRITING NUMBERS AGAINST BALLOT PAPERS MAKES A MOCKERY OF "SECRET BALLOT" AND SHOULD BE STOPPED.	NO COMMENT
5509	214502400	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The procedure is in order but the SNP is out of order in holding this consultation when they should be doing something about the economy, the NHS, education, crime and secure electricity supplies.\rThey are all in a shambles despite the Scottish government having had responsibility for 9 years.\rGet on with the day job.	I disagree it should only be Scottish nationals who actually live here should be included and not foreign nationals who choose to live here.	no comment
5510	416188308	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A new referendum is not necessary. The question has already been answered.	Acceptable	Acceptable
5511	734812560	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I voted for a once in a generation referendum and do not expect the taxpayer to fund another referendum on independence. The process was managed in a fair and transparent way in 2014 and a clear message was given to the SNP that Scotland should remain as part of the UK, disregarding the fact that the UK is in the EU or not. \r This has already been debated and in order to give some certainty to investors who are holding off making a decision to invest in Scotland, the independence referendum should be removed from the table altogether.	no views.	no views.
5512	269624414	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't want a referendum. \rArrangements are fine.	I don't want a referendum. \rPeople have to be permanently resident in Scotland (been here for more than 10 years)before they can vote in my view. Those who vote have to be able to suffer/enjoy the result. \rThere needs to be a minimum turnout of those eligible to vote (55%) as well as a minimum winning margin of those who voted (60%).	I don't want a referendum.\rTechnical changes OK.
5513	1038275799	Dr Jeff Liston	Individual	Individual	This seems sensible to use as a structure.	Good that 16-17 year olds are a standard fixture of the electorate; reassuring to seeing tightening up on use of postal and proxy votes.	No comment.
5514	319912456	Andrew Dobbie	Individual	Individual	I am indifferent since there was a clear commitment given at the time of the previous referendum that this would settle the question for a generation and therefore, whatever the mandate the Government believes it has it should not proceed with any plans for a referendum for many years	no view	no view
5515	1061129675	Sarah Anderson	Individual	Individual	I don't think we should be having another referendum. It was voted on 2 years ago. Move on.	I don't think we should be having another referendum. It was voted on 2 years ago. Move on.	I don't think we should be having another referendum. It was voted on 2 years ago. Move on.
5516	320457726	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think there should be another referendum. Arrangements I have no comment on.	No adverse comments on technical changes but I do not believe we need another independence referendum.	No comment on these issues. A second independence referendum is not required. The decision made previously was intended as a "once in a generation" decision. This should be respected.
5517	559418408	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the arrangements are very appropriate, in particular, that 16 and 17 year olds should be able to vote and also that anyone who has chosen to make Scotland their home.	I think the above changes are very appropriate. I particularly welcome the arrangements for people with disability. I also welcome the Easy Read version. It would be even better if some pictures could be added to illustrate the text.	I think these are very appropriate.
5518	647899124	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel that they are not necessary as the people of Scotland have already made a choice.	As previous question	I feel that as a proud Scotsman I no longer have a flag as the St. Andrews cross has been highjacked by the pro independence campaign which has split the people of Scotland and been very divisive, in my own case I have witnessed many argument !
5519	761784345	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	Simply put there should be no other independence vote.\rLet the people of Scotland, the vast majority, get on with life in the UK and manage the best deal for us all in light of BREXIT.\rAs they say in our beautiful country 'geez peace'	No one under 18 should be allowed to vote. Don't give us the analogy about driving etc. Can most or any 17 year olds be expected to run and maintain a house, pay gas, electricity, council tax bills, run a car, budget for day to day demands on expenditure etc etc Generally the financial and non financial challenges and decision making tests of life? Again as they say in our wonderful country of Scotland in the UK - naw!!! Why should they be given a vote on these essential factors and they have never had\r(and I would not expect them) any experience of thematic?(rhetorical)
5520	74916016	William Sharp	Individual	Individual	The arrangements should be as the previous referendum as this will require the UK Government's approval of a second referendum within three years which is unlikely.\rThis is merely a politcal stunt by the SNP.	ALL persons resident in Scotland should have a vote as the prsent government is detrmined to include in the everyday lives all immigrants to this country.\rAlso all residents in the UH should have a right to a vote as this affects all persons within the UK.	These changes are made solely for the benefit of controlling party only.
5521	69891872	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No particular view on this but none of your questions seem to address the issue of whether we should have a second referendum at all. I voted two years ago and feel that should be respected.	As above	As above
5522	730681198	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There quite simply shouldn't be another referendum. An already divided country does not need more division! It is absurd to even consider such an event so close to the original referendum which showed a clear majority wished to remain as part of the UK. Regardless of 'hard' or 'soft' Brexit a referendum must be off the table if there is to be any certainty, security and togetherness in both Scotland and the UK as a whole.	Though myself would be able to vote in a referendum (currently 15 though would be 16 by the time a referendum was called) strongly believe those 16 and 17 year old should not gain the vote.	No opinion
5523	427896145	Gordon White	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There should be no Scottish Independence Referendum for "a Generation" (at least) from 2014 as the SNP stated both before and after that vote.\r The Scottish people voted in 2014 to remain within the UK and as such are now bound by Democratic principle to follow the will of the overall UK vote to leave the EU.\r Theose who voted to remain within UK in 2014 would have had no chance of another vote had (when) the SNP fantasy economics destroyed Scotland - had the result gone the other way.
5524	907816725	James Beale	Individual	Individual	Another vote would be divisive, foolish and a breach of promise.	Another vote would be divisive, foolish and a breach of promise.	Another vote would be divisive, foolish and a breach of promise.
5525	933661558	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals	I agree with the proposal	I agree
5526	652077409	Malcolm MacKinnon	Individual	Individual	I agree	I agree	I agree
5527	1042464509	Alistair Cameron	Individual	Individual	These arrangements are consistent with those of 2014 and are entirely fair and acceptable	The arrangements appear valid	These appear valid
5528	412783391	Jack Bairner	Individual	Individual	Despite the fact that I am against holding such a referendum the suggested arrangements seem adequate.	I believe that people born in Scotland but living elsewhere should be able to participate in any future referendum. They are just as 'Scottish' as people born outwith Scotland but now resident here.	Seems to me to be reasonable. Although I would support some sort of cap from organisations and individuals to all referendum related financial donations.
5529	648589480	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Forget it, you got a result in 2014 you didn't like. Are you going to have referendums for the next 20/30 years thinking you'll eventually wear everyone down.\r Anyone with half a brain should know it would be financial suicide.
5530	168562509	Alan L Calder	Individual	Individual	These arrangements are acceptable.	The proposed technical changes are wholly acceptable.	All acceptable.
5531	173473221	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am of the opinion that there should be a minimum turnout to vote on this issue and also that that it should not be a straight first past the post. The decision is so important that I believe the decision must be made with an overwhelming majority.\rWithout this no matter what the outcome there will be division in the country.	There should be a qualifying period of residency before being eligible to vote in a referendum to ensure that anyone voting is actually a stakeholder and not just in the country for a temporary period	No comment
5532	716249924	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree.	I agree.	I agree.
5533	340783914	Malcolm Porteous	Individual	Individual	I think the ScottIsh Government have a right to call a second referendum if Scotland is forced to accept a "hard brexit" option but should try not to go for it until there is a strong possiblity of a 'Yes' vote.	I think that all identifiers should be checke and that everyone 16. Years old or over should be able to vote.	I agree with the proposed changes but I also tink that non British citizens should be excluded from voting even if they are resident in Scotland at the time because t hey do not know what it's like to be Scottish.
5534	1054875100	Ian Hopkins	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I am totally against having another referendum .
5535	352789534	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I do not wish to comment on the detailed proposals for a further referendum. In my view this exercise should be stopped right now. There is already too much uncertainty engendered by the Brexit vote and forthcoming negotiations. There is no case for considering a further referendum until the outcome of these is known and fully digested.
5536	115069014	Alan Downing	Individual	Individual	As a strong supporter of Independence for over 45 years it pains me to say that I would not vote Yes this time if the intent was to remain within the EU. Independence is about taking control of shaping your own country's future not just about getting rid of Westminster's control. In fact we have far more ability to change our situation in Westminster than we ever would in Brussels. \rAny attempt to use Brexit as a means to gain independence I believe would fail because the EU remain supporters in Scotland predominantly come from those who support the Union and not those who voted Yes in the independence referendum last time. \rWhy bother having full control at Holyrood when ultimately the decisions will still be made elsewhere?	Not applicable considering my previously stated point of view.	Not applicable considering my previously stated point of view.
5537	64710572	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no second referendum.\r Scottish Government need to focus there efforts in running the country. Continual evidence is available that our transport system, NHS, Police, education system etc is failing and all efforts should be putting these right.	There should be no second referendum.	There should be no second referendum.
5538	890434955	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Don't want another referendum !!
5539	376985429	Michael Newman	Individual	Individual	I voted remain in the EU referendum, but feel that my vote in that poll is being taken as support for the break up of the UK.\r I and many others do not believe that the SNP has a mandate for a new Poll and appears to be seeking a pretext to break its word.\r The consultation is to narrow focusing on the on the content of the bill and not on the assumed rational for bill.\r I do not support any political party and having lived in Scotland for over 10 years plan to leave taking my taxes with me.	None	None
5540	265149651	David Mooney	Individual	Individual	I have serious reservations about the Electoral Commission's will or ability to detect voting anomalies nationally. Analyse these potential anomalies and act in a decisive manner if evidence of fraudulent activity has been found.\r The reason for this is. Although the EC is supposed to be an Independent body appointed and reporting to the UK parliament. I cannot see how the EC can be truly independent and neutral when it is answerable to a Westminster House of Commons hostile to Independence by a ratio of over 5:1. \r At the last Independence referendum. It was clearly shown that the Westminster based civil service, considered Scotland's Independence as a clear and present danger to the British state. \r Against it's own rules of neutrality. The CS blatantly and actively contributed to the Better Together's ruthless propaganda campaign against Scottish Independence. This stance continued with the 2015 GE.\r I see the EC as nothing other than another civil service department, more than willing to assist the Westminster establishment's attempts to thwart Scotland's democratic right to self determination.\r For these reasons I would like to see an independent, international organization (with no vested interest in the results) to oversee the next independence referendum.	I would like to see that postal voting should only be granted on the grounds of disability, occupation, service or employment. Where the disability, occupation, service or employment genuinely restricts the ability of the subject to exercise their right to vote during normal opening hours, at the subjects designated polling station.\r I would also like to see that all postal votes are not opened, verified or counted until after the poll closes at 10pm on the day of the referendum. This would prevent the dubious practice of "sampling" before the polling stations have closed, by interested parties.\r Permissible participant's or their representatives should be prevented from trawling postal votes from residential care homes or day centres for the elderly and infirm. It should be an offence for a permissible participant's representative to organize and administer a postal vote on behalf of any other individual bar themselves.\r If not done already. A postal voter should declare competence to make a sound personal judgement on their ability to vote and have not been coerced into voting against their will. \r It should be a criminal offence for any permissible participant's representative to deliberately mislead or coerce an individual into voting in a way contrary to their wishes.\r Statistics for No, Yes and spoilt postal ballot papers (independent from the overall vote cast) should be made available at the time of the declaration.\r Postal ballot papers should be traceable back to each individual that voted. This would make it possible to identify if people on the voters register have voted twice using an address from a second home or were in fact deceased when the postal vote was submitted.\r The reason for this is that there was an enormous increase in applications for postal votes (around 20%+) for the 2014 independence referendum. The majority were apparently for no other reason than it was more convenient than going to a local polling station. It has also been demonstrated both in the UK and abroad. That postal votes are easily open to tampering and manipulation. These and other measures would go some way to help minimise fraudulent activity.	No real thoughts or suggestions.
5541	1023647233	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We do not need another referendum as the referendum about being part of the E.U or leaving the E.U was a British referendum not a Scottish referendum so the people of Great Britain have spoken in a democratic way and there wishes should be implemented.	there should be no referendum.	We should not have a referendum
5542	318172122	Billy Thomson	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Postal votes should not be opened for sampling reasons. Neither should these votes leave Scotland prior to being counted.
5543	744533833	james starrs	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Different coloured paper should be used per voting option, with voters discarding unwanted papers.\rI still want Scotland to be independent, but also independent from the failed EU dictatorship.\rIf that means several options on the ballot paper(s), so be it.\rI have voted SNP in the past, but do not support many of their "nanny state" policies, nor do I support their views on the EU.
5544	235387178	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is probably an appropriate way forward.	Given the importance of this vote and the interests of the wider Scottish diaspora, I feel that there should be a wider eligibility for Scots who live and work elsewhere in the UK to vote in the independence referendum. clearly this has to be carefully considered and managed, but excluding emigrants who have required to relocate for economic reasons, does not seem fair.	Fair enough
5545	80499643	Simon Baig	Individual	Individual	I do not support another referendum. I do not equate the Brexit result as a mandate for a new referendum on Scottish Independence because it was a UK vote, without requiring all constituent parts to be in agreement.	Fine with the proposed changes.	No issues with the proposed technical changes.
5546	608781754	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	To first clarify I am a retired Senior Police Commander with ten years Firearms Commander Experience which I set out to show I do not take decisions without due considerations of all facts . Also to be clear I voted no to Independence NOT because of a silly front page 'vow' on a tabloid or to help stay in Europe [though I VOTED REMAIN for Police and Security reasons but I respect the UK decision ] However like so many others like me I am saddened and angered by the contempt my Govt has shown for the 55 per cent plus who voted in only 2014 to remain in the UK [ still no apology for the pathetic blueprint for the future that was produced as a 650 page white paper and yes I READ THE IT FULLY TWICE,not difficult as it was very repetitive containing no full business case,strategic way forward ,or facts and figures -well oil figures and enough said there!! \rNo you do not, as you claim, have a clear mandate to hold a referendum as less than half of the electorate voted for you and polls clearly show over 60 per cent do not want one !!! Indeed our First Minister said polls would have to consistently show at least 60 per cent in favour of Independence before she would take this forward . Another broken promise . How can people with such excellent intellects as the first and Deputy First Ministers not realise they are supposed to govern for ALL THE PEOPLE not just the 40 plus per cent who keep them in power because of the independence issue . How can they not see that error strewn policies on Police Reform, NHS ,Transport,Economy ,Courts etc are what the majority of people ,even your own supporters want them to concentrate on . Going into the last referendum the SNP even had the media cooperating with their ' the Scottish people see us as being Competent' statement .That has been torn to shreds and not just by those playing politics in Holyrood or the right wing press but by many independent individuals and organisations . EVEN IF THE SILENT MAJORITY ,who will not be so silent this time, lose, and SNP gain a Yes result \rwhat an even bigger mess we will have whether there is a soft or hard brexit .During these negotiations do you really think the rest of the UK will want to pay much attention to what we ask for ,and given their own concerns do you really expect a good deal whenever it can be achieved .Out of the EU [ of course we will be] and out of UK \r-- Well that's a real pretty picture isn't it !!! And as we are seeing with the Brexit vote ,we will have a divided people in our once wonderful coutry [ which is the people not a flag or anthem] . My Govt could not properly oversee the reform of a great Police Service with a budget of 1.2 Billion ,couldn't get farmer's payments out in time ,or poduce the i6 technology that ,in Mr MacAskill's words,was paramount to the success of the new Police organisation So given all of the previous issues at the last referendum ,still not resolved ,and all of the failing departments led by underperforming Ministers ,how can we have any hope that MY GOVT , who despite the fact that I would never vote for a Nationalist Party ,I want to do well for my family ,friends and fellow citizens,will do anything but impoverish our country by such a decision I have never nor could I see the day when I would vote Conservative but I will be writing to the Prime Minister ,as many like me are planning to do , to ask her to honour the agreement between Mr Salmond and Mr Cameron to respect the 'SETTLED WILL OF THE SCOTTISH PEOPLE '' in the 2014 referendum result . \r i am sure this will be treated as a rant [ I have only ever contributed to the single Police Force consultation before, pointing out the lack of a full business case and the dangers in hurriedly changing the control room operations ,both of which I told the Justice Minister and responsible Acpos Officers at the time about] or not relevant to the question being posed ,but to paraphrase a saying for bad things to happen it just takes good people to do nothing .	As above .	As above .
5547	821274236	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Not required
5548	891008771	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum, the SNP should acknowledge the democratic will of the Scottish people as expressed in the referendum of 2014.	No Answered	The SNP should concentrate on running the country instead of obsessing about constitutional change.\rThe economy is in a mess, the health service is in crisis and educational standards are plummeting.\rThey should get on with the job they were elected to do.
5549	827735454	James Anderson	Individual	Individual	More than happy for referendum to be as previous.	No issue. Great to see 16 & 17 year old are now included in the register.	All very sensible.
5550	1031265102	Roy Bishop	Individual	Individual	I still believe the last independence referendum was the most inclusive exercise of democracy I have ever been involved in. My only misgivings are in relation to the allegations of fraud and rigging that were not fully explained after the afore mentioned referendum.	No particular views on the changes.	I have no issues with this.
5551	639538487	Gerard Lynch	Individual	Individual	Appears a good manner in which to carry it out. However given the last result and the current political climate it is not a good use of public funds.	Cannot understand the reason that Commonwealth citizens resident in Scotland and\rcitizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland should be entitled to a vote. They are not Scottish citizens.	No views
5552	113394853	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	We shouldn't be having one, stop being so devisive and get on with running the country. The vote in 2014 was decisive, public opinion hasn't changed despite what the SNP may think.
5553	423942397	Sharon Murray	Individual	Individual	I think we need to ensure we have 2 people, who are not well known to each other in charge of the boxes at each stage of transport. We also require more security at the count.	Any change which makes it harder for electoral fraud is good in my book. \r I also think we should ensure that the postal votes are NOT sent to England for counting.	I agree with these changes. Any improvements made which help prevent electoral fraud are fine with me.
5554	487327274	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No opinion on management of such a process	Ok	No opinion
5555	179665453	Colin Robertson	Individual	Individual	I think the proposed arrangements are fair.	I think the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements are fair.	I think the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants are fair.
5556	453697792	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would suggest that taxpayers money is spent more appropriately on a failing NHS	I would suggest that the current administration respects the democratic result of the first independence referendum	As above
5557	865194821	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposals are fair and proportionate	No view although they do not seem onerous or against the public interest	The proposals are fair and proportionate
5558	839705585	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't want another referendum	EU citizens should not be able to vote. They are able to leave if the worst happened and Scotland was forced into independence. The loyal citizens of Scotland would have nowhere to go. They have little knowledge of the history of the country and should not be allowed to influence the outcome either way.	No referendum.
5559	892282014	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not at present have any view on technical issues. It is a scandalous waste of scarce public resources that this so-called draft bill and its associated papers have been issued. The SNP should bear in mind that they are a minority government and it is stretching it to say that they have any mandate for this exercise. It is nothing but an SNP stunt and should be paid for by them.\rI would like to suggest that the minority government should concentrate on its day job and stop spending our money on self-serving projects of this sort. Also bear in mind that our trade with rUK is at least 4x our trade with the EU so this is all wasted endeavour. People really are not THAT stupid.	I do not at present have any view on technical issues. It is a scandalous waste of scarce public resources that this so-called draft bill and its associated papers have been issued. The SNP should bear in mind that they are a minority government and it is stretching it to say that they have any mandate for this exercise. It is nothing but an SNP stunt and should be paid for by them.\rI would like to suggest that the minority government should concentrate on its day job and stop spending our money on self-serving projects of this sort. Also bear in mind that our trade with rUK is at least 4x our trade with the EU so this is all wasted endeavour. People really are not THAT stupid.	I do not at present have any view on technical issues. It is a scandalous waste of scarce public resources that this so-called draft bill and its associated papers have been issued. The SNP should bear in mind that they are a minority government and it is stretching it to say that they have any mandate for this exercise. It is nothing but an SNP stunt and should be paid for by them.\rI would like to suggest that the minority government should concentrate on its day job and stop spending our money on self-serving projects of this sort. Also bear in mind that our trade with rUK is at least 4x our trade with the EU so this is all wasted endeavour. People really are not THAT stupid.
5560	289765397	Stewart Morrison	Individual	Individual	happy with them	happy with them	happy with them
5561	368263340	Alan Clark	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The proposed arrangements presuppose a clear mandate for a referendum. I do not agree that this is the case, the election was around many issues and not a simple mandate for a referendum.\r What was clear was the earlier commitment to no new referendum for a generation. Two years is not that.
5562	931751127	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	All arrangements are totally unnecessary and a criminal waste of public money.\r We had the referendum in 2014 and the people of Scotland emphatically voted to remain as part of the United Kingdom.\r Using Brexit as an excuse to further the SNP's blind drive for independence, regardless of the stated will of the Scottish people, is totally undemocratic. Our elected representatives are supposed to represent their constituents and govern the country in line with the will of the electorate. This was clearly stated in 2014. Furthermore, a minority of the total electorate voted against Brexit, not the majority of the Scottish people as the SNP would have the public believe.\r It is time that the Scottish Government got on with the job of governing the country instead of concentrating upon it's own political ideology.
5563	892427694	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Voters should have to show their polling card or other ID.	No Answered	Postal votes, after verifying, should not be opened but should be held securely and opened on the day of the count, just before all votes are counted.
5564	27121105	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My fundamental view is totally against any further referendum on this subject.\rMy view is that the Scottish Government, which was happy to be elected by means of a democratic process, has now clearly indicated that it does not accept that democratic process and is intent only on achieving its own objective of independence.\rIndependence is sensible only if we are economically and socially completely prepared for such a course of action. We are not - repeat not - in a sound enough economic position to contemplate independence, and particularly at this time, with its high level of uncertainty about the future of the UK, the EU itself, and the Euro! Socially, the signs, often expressed in conversation, are of extreme concern about the obsession of the Scottish Government to sever our country from our natural partners!\rTo be asked to support a quest for independence under these circumstances is totally irresponsible and merely demonstrates the blind obsession of the Scottish Government with breaking free of the rest of the UK while, at the same time, also risking being denied membership of the EU - a highly likely outcome.\rOur wonderful country of Scotland has far more probability of success outside Europe if we remain part of the U.K.\rThis quest for independence should be abandoned immediately, to recognise and realise, as the Scottish Government openly wishes and states, "the best interests of the Scottish people"!	Comment not applicable.	Comment not applicable.
5565	213962578	David Whytock	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Ensure that Scots living elsewhere in the UK get the right to vote.
5566	714740293	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Far too soon for 2nd referendum. Although I would prefetr UK to remain in EU, I think we have to accept brexit vote. Post brexit we would be better to stay as part of UK .	OK with these minor changes	OK with these minor changes
5567	223184686	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No, no, no! Not another referendum. There has already been a referendum and this Government should respect the view of the people. No!	Fine! Not a problem.	No problem with the present arrangements. Leave them as they are.
5568	171277599	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A change of this magnitude should require a clear majority of the electorate, rather than merely a majority of those who elect to vote.	No issue	No issues
5569	211710951	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum. The recent referendum rejected independence with a clear majority. The Scottish Government should concentrate on addressing Scotland's problems and challenges with the substantial powers and resources already available to it.	There should be no referendum. The recent referendum rejected independence with a clear majority. The Scottish Government should concentrate on addressing Scotland's problems and challenges with the substantial powers and resources already available to it.	There should be no referendum. The recent referendum rejected independence with a clear majority. The Scottish Government should concentrate on addressing Scotland's problems and challenges with the substantial powers and resources already available to it.
5570	634337548	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The first referendum was not entirely fair as so many people who are Scots were not able to vote and many people who know nothing about Scotland or her peoples and who did not even have UK nationality were able to vote - although they couldn't possibly know what they were voting for.\r I would hope that any other referendum was properly thought through.	See above.	I still think that it is grossly unfair that Scots living in Britain outwith Scotland cannot have any voting rights.
5571	737844771	Robert Taylor	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I was not happy with the electoral commission's role in the 2014 referendum so what safe guards are in place to make sure they stay impartial? \r Are there going to be any impartial international ( not from England ) observers to oversee and ensure impartiality during the referendum \r Also it must be recognised that the unionist supporters, both English and Scottish drove a cart and horse through any rules and did not conduct themselves, in many cases, in a seemly matter\r Last but by no means last there must be NO repetition of English politicians coming up here and telling us how to vote nor busloads of canvassers From England allowed to go from door to door spreading falsehoods as happened the last time\r If safeguards are not put into place to prevent all the absuses that took place in 2014 then this referendum will also fail
5572	926309254	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The same as 2014 is fine, but with a Leave and Remain option to answer. Yes and No are far too weighted against each other for a true response.	Should only be British Citizens that reside in Scotland and not other EU citizens	Fine
5573	761487435	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I thought overall the 2014 referendum was managed well. However I did have concerns with postal votes being opened BEFORE polling day as well as them being sent to England.	Agree with proposals	Agree
5574	307287914	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These arrangements are suitable	I feel that the 500,000 English people living in Scotland may have a bias against independence and unfairly influence the result. In a situation where one country' s interests could be compromised by some of it's residents , e.g. In wartime, to use an extreme example, measures can be taken to ensure this does not happen. \rIs there any way that such a large group with such an obvious potential bias could have their influence moderated, as there is such an obvious conflict of interest?	I agree with these changes
5575	742115638	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I can see no reason for a further referendum to be held. Scotland will be unable to join the EU and the millions the referendum costs will be wasted.	I accept the proposed technical changes to polling and counting the votes of a poll I do not think is necessary.	I believe the referendum is unnecessary.
5576	213962338	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Eligibility to vote should include Scots born ex-pat Scots working outside Scotland without discriminating against those ordinary working Scots who cannot afford houses in both their country of work, and a house in Scotland	Scottish born ex-pats currently working outside Scotland should be allowed to vote , even if they cannot affords to also maintain a house in Scotland.	No observation
5577	895819	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think there are any circumstances in which Scotland will benefit from independence.\rThere is a massive black hole in the proposed transfer funding from Westminster to Holyrood.\rThe collapse of the oil industry will put great pressure on the Holyrood government too make ends meet.\rThe outcome of Independence can only lead to falling standards of care, benefits and public services or, alternatively, to severe increases in taxation.no	No positive opinion on this subject.	In my opinion every eligible voter should be obliged to vote , or obtain a reasonable excuse not to vote.
5578	476220080	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Why are you not asking if people think you should be running a second independence referendum two years after the first one was supposed to have settled the matter for a generation?	No Answered	Why do EU citizens, who have not chosen to become British citizens, get to vote on the future of our country?
5579	927041188	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree that there should be absolutely stringent standards for the referendum. In addition to the campaign being watched over by the Electoral Commission, I would also like to additionally see other neutral, external bodies act as observers, preferably from an international source. In Indyref 1, for example, purdah was clearly not observed with the 'Vow'. This sort of nonsense is a blatant flouting of democracy and needs to be stopped. The rules of engagement need to be made absolutely crystal clear beforehand, and enforced throughout the campaign by the neutral international source.\r I agree completely that everyone in Scotland should be allowed to vote. This includes 16 and 17 years olds and EU citizens. and everyone who has chosen to make Scotland their home. However, it should be the home where they permanently live/pay tax/study. People who have second holiday homes in Scotland, and have therefore chosen to be based in another country, should not be able to vote in Scotland. Using a holiday home address to get a vote undermines the rights and will of the permanent residents. \r The people of Scotland are sovereign. But it is only the people who are *in* Scotland who are sovereign. This is very important.	I agree with all those categories, but there needs to be a very careful observance of the term 'resident', to exclude second home owners who have an address in Scotland, but who do not bide here. If they do not bide here, they are not sovereign.\r I express my very great concern at the rise in absent voting, both postal and proxy. From my discussions on doorsteps, postal and proxy voting raises concerns. They are both open to flagrant misuse and wilful manipulation, disenfranchising groups such as, for example, Asian women and the elderly living in care homes.\r The way to vote should be that you vote in person, unless there are very exceptional circumstances. It should not just be a tool of choice. All measures should be taken to restrict the categories for applying for a postal vote, which should be only awarded for exceptional of circumstances, as outlined above. \r 100% of identities need to be checked, whether they are proxy, in person or postal. This should not be presented as a barrier to enfranchisement, but as the norm, as a way of enfranchising - of allowing women or young people to vote for themselves, for example, rather than having the male head of the household vote for them. Again, I raise this as a matter I have found on doorsteps.\r I cannot stress enough how you need to crack down on postal and proxy voting in order to allow people to get out there and genuinely vote for their own preference in the privacy of a polling booth.	I agree with these changes.
5580	400175305	Lynn Rayer	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum.	There should not be another referendum.	There should not be another referendum.
5581	722534450	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Follow up point, the proposed question is biased. If it was appropriate not to have a yes/no question for the EU referendum, any future Scottish referendum should not have a yes/no question either. All available statistics indicate that a yes/no question is biased towards a yes result because people prefer to say yes rather than no. If the SNP are confident in their ability to present a cogent case for independence to the electorate, they should offer an unbiased question to that electorate.
5582	809692108	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	I believe there should be a minimum length of time people should have lived in Scotland prior to them being allowed to vote
5583	654636949	neil allan	Individual	Individual	The Scottish Government has no power to call such referendum (see the Scotland Act 1998).\r There is no point holding a referendum before knowing on what terms, if at all, Scotland would become a member of the EU. The significant issues would include a share of the British rebate, whether Scotland would require to join Schengen, and what currency would be used.	The franchise should include expats. who are British citizens born in Scotland, in view of the high integration of the underlying EU issue with free movement of labour.	No views
5584	367556261	Jane Drysdale	Individual	Individual	Waste of time and money. Unwinable. Scottish Parliament should govern and stop tinkering. Education and NHS come to mind	Agree but without the bullying at poll stations that occurred at last Independence Referendum	Postal ballot for serving forces should be able to vote
5585	850860838	Andrew Grant	Individual	Individual	The arrangements mirror previous arrangements and are suitable	They are satisfactory. Previous referendum showed that 16 and 17 year olds were perfectly capable of making their own minds up and not influenced by one party or another	No problem
5586	25500216	Neil Geddes	Individual	Individual	Do not want another referendum	Do not want another referendum	Do not want another referendum
5587	1000166277	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	All Scots, including the diaspora should be allowed to vote.\r Voting should be limited to adults, ie, those over 18	See response to previour question	Ok
5588	841282717	Brian jones	Individual	Individual	It's a complete and utter joke. Once in a lifetime, generation etc. The decision of the Scottish people should be respected. The SNP and its despicable leader do not speak for me.	It's a complete and utter joke. Once in a lifetime, generation etc. The decision of the Scottish people should be respected. The SNP and its despicable leader do not speak for me.	It's a complete and utter joke. Once in a lifetime, generation etc. The decision of the Scottish people should be respected. The SNP and its despicable leader do not speak for me.
5589	785872168	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My view is that there should be no arrangements for holding another referendum. By planning to have another referendum the SNP are ignoring the results of what they described as a 'fair and transparent referendum' which showed the clear will of the Scottish people.	I think that 16 and 17 year old people, who are quite often still at school and with a limited view of the real issues involved should not be eligible to vote in any election or referendum.	No comment.
5590	914009191	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree	I agree	I agree
5591	499232912	Dr Ewan Hunter	Individual	Individual	Agree	Seems desperate to ask younger people who aren't tax payers about such an important issue	No view
5592	734652322	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	I believe the government at Westminster is incompetent and a referendum should be considered on they basis they failed to deliver the promises made at the previous referendum. I also witnessed those who lost their vote due to their inability to access matters online. I am all for due process of law and Westminster is breaching the human rights of its citizens by exclusion of access to information and reducing policy decisions to such childish and shameful attitudes towards the electorate .Therefore the elected role body should ensure every citizen resident has a vote opportunity and a paper return at the post office to ensure they are registered. Housing know those their tenents so should ensure they are register per household . Not everyone is able or willing to use internet methods.	Agree
5593	848162150	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think it is in Scotland's best interests to hold another referendum.\rThe Scottish people voted to remain in the UK in 2014 which was quoted as once in a lifetime opportunity.	I do not think it is in Scotland's best interests to hold another referendum.\rThe Scottish people voted to remain in the UK in 2014 which was quoted as once in a lifetime opportunity.	I do not think it is in Scotland's best interests to hold another referendum.\rThe Scottish people voted to remain in the UK in 2014 which was quoted as once in a lifetime opportunity.
5594	352352822	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There has already been a referedum and Scotland voted to remain in the UK. This decision has not been respected by the SNP.
5595	199217175	Anne Black	Individual	Individual	Arrangements are in lne with all election requirements. I hope the age range woulld be the same as the previous referendum.\r Disappointed in this consultation. Media coverage implied it was to express opinions on the necessity and viability of a second referendum, not simply the mechanics of the procedure.	No Answered	Again in line with other elections.
5596	79337332	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no issue with this.	I have no issue though think it should be mandatory for all to vote.	I have no issue with this.
5597	513770431	George Thompson	Individual	Individual	The scottish people took part in a democratic vote for independence from the rest of the U.K. , the outcome by a majority vote was to remain part of the U.K.\rThis we were told was a once in a generation vote and that the Scottish government (S.N.P.) would accept the outcome of the vote. The people of Scotland voted to remain in the united kingdom by a majority.\rThis meant we remained part of the united kingdom.\rThe government of the U.K. then held a vote on the U.K. leaving the European Union and the majority voted to leave this included the Scottish voters as we are part of the united kingdom. \rThe Scottish government ( S.N.P.) then decided that they did not agree with this vote as they said that the majority of Scottish voters voted to remain in the European union. We are part of the U.K. even though the majority of Scotts voters voted to remain.\rThe Scottish government should accept the outcome of the U.K. vote as we are part of the U.K.\rThere is no need for another independence vote and the S.N.P. should accept this and work with the Westminster government to secure favourable terms for leaving the European Market.\rPerhaps the Scottish Parliament should concentrate on issues affecting Scotland and stop trying to force another indy vote upon us , then scotland would be a better place to live and attract more investment from companies.	The proposals are fine.	The voting age should be 18 as this is standard in the rest of the U.K.
5598	193619924	Alan Gordon	Individual	Individual	I am completely opposed to any referendum and therefore object to any proposed arrangements for managing this proposed referendum.	I oppose EU, commonwealth and Irish citizens who do not pay taxes be given the right to vote over expat scots who will at some point return to live in Scotland.	no comment
5599	211838648	James Barr	Individual	Individual	Forget about a second referendum. The people of Scotland voted by a majority to remain part of the UK. This must be respected. We are a democracy and must accept the result, whether we like it or not.	We must be careful to respect the people who were born in Scotland. Why should non Scots, by being resident, have a greater say in Scotland future without knowing what that our heritage is or has been.	No further comments required.
5600	867637146	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree with proposals. In 2014 they were praised by the Electoral Commission.	Agree with proposals	Agree with proposals
5601	862247584	Louise Chalmers	Individual	Individual	I agree	I am worried about how secure the postal and proxy votes are. I think that the application for postal and proxy votes have to be more robust to make sure that votes cannot be made fraudulently. More scrutiny should be applied to postal or proxy votes received from vulnerable people.	I agree
5602	491493619	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The people of Scotland voted to stay in the UK, the UK voted to t=remove us from the EU as a - small - part of the UK we exit the EU BUT stay in the UK, end of!	Lets fiddle while Rome burns shall we! You were elected - but not by a majority of the Scottish People - to run Scotland, get your heads out your bums and show proper leadership in Education, the NHS and transport.	Should stay the same as the 2014 Win for No
5603	799520466	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with these arrangements	I don't believe 16-17 year old are either interested in politics nor are they likely to vote, it's a waste of time and cost to,include this age group. I agree that 100 % of \rpersonal identifiers should be checked	Ambivalent
5604	876018040	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Already had this vote and the government stated once in a life time, when will you listen to the people of Scotland. We want to stay.
5605	903404336	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am not in favour of 16 and 17 year olds having a vote. They are not full tax payers and are therefore not necessarily cognisant of the full implications of independence, particularly in terms of economic impact.	No Answered	I agree that campaigners should not be involved in the counting process.
5606	1055073867	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Well we shouldn't even be having another one, I voted Yes in 2014 and unlike you I support democracy and your "Once in a lifetime" statement was apparently a complete fabrication so this entire bill is illegitimate .	Maybe as you don't respect democracy you should just let no voters vote, that would be more democratic than your current idea	As above considering your disregard for democracy you should be banned from a referendum
5607	518727692	Alan Wallace	Individual	Individual	I do not agree that the Scottish Government has a mandate to call a further referendum on Scottish independence.	L	I do not agree that the Scottish Go ernment has a mandate to call for a second referendum
5608	216433790	Andrew	Individual	Individual	Similar to the 2014 referendum would be suitable.	It is good that 16 year olds can vote but only EU nationals that have lived in Scotland for a certain amount of time (e.g. 5 years) should be allowed to vote.	No view.
5609	994797914	John Cross	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are OK.\rTHERE IS NO NEED FOR THIS EXERCISE. THE MONEY COULD BE SPENT MUCH MORE WISELY.\rHOW MANY TIMES IS IT REASONABLE TI RE-ASK THE SAME QUESTION BECAUSE YOU DO NOT KILE THE ANSWER!?\rPlease do let me know.	16 year olds should not be eligible to vote.	OK
5610	384649573	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The people of Scotland were asked in 2014 if we wanted independence for Scotland. We voted and the result was overwhelming that we wished to remain in the United Kingdom. No second referendum should be on the table again. I would much rather the Scottish Government spent time and effort in bringing jobs, addressing our health services, putting more resources into our education and helping the people of Scotland to be the best they can be and not waste tax payers money trying to push this Independence question through again.	The people of Scotland were asked in 2014 if we wanted independence for Scotland. We voted and the result was overwhelming that we wished to remain in the United Kingdom. No second referendum should be on the table again. I would much rather the Scottish Government spent time and effort in bringing jobs, addressing our health services, putting more resources into our education and helping the people of Scotland to be the best they can be and not waste tax payers money trying to push this Independence question through again.	The people of Scotland were asked in 2014 if we wanted independence for Scotland. We voted and the result was overwhelming that we wished to remain in the United Kingdom. No second referendum should be on the table again. I would much rather the Scottish Government spent time and effort in bringing jobs, addressing our health services, putting more resources into our education and helping the people of Scotland to be the best they can be and not waste tax payers money trying to push this Independence question through again.
5611	704615581	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In full agreement.	Agree with all the proposed changes, but particularly with schedule 3 rules 10 and 29.	Agree.
5612	995928884	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I strongly disagree that there should be a further referendum on Scottish Independence so soon after the "once in a generation" one held in 2014. I do not believe Scotland's vote to remain in the EU provides sufficient justification for a second independence referendum. I agree we should try to protect our interests in Europe, but not at the expense of risking our trade links with the rest of the UK.	See above	See above
5613	1057194711	Peter Diggle	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There was a referendum in 2014 - both sides said they would respect the result. It was agreed that it was a "once in a generation" referendum. The SNP need to move on and start running the Country - not dwelling on the past.\rA few statistics:\r1. The £15bn equates to 9.7% of GDP. Greece is on 3.4% - we are three times as bad as them. Scotland will never be allowed to join the EU as an Independent state. To be eligible the deficit must be below 3%. In addition Spain has said they will vote against such a move and it is highly likely that France and Italy would also vote against. \r2. Growth in the UK since 2008 is 24%, in Scotland it is 4%. The SNP are stifling growth in Scotland by creating this limbo of uncertainty.\r3. Scottish exports to the EU are £12bn, to England & Wales they are £48bn. Lets look after our major export market.\rThe SNP are currently the party of disruption. Anyone who supports Independence simply does not understand basic economics.\rDo Scotland a favour Nicola and move on.
5614	841107655	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	A referendum on independence should not be held so soon to the previous vote because by doing so the government would be acting in my opinion undemocraticly	Persons from Eu and Ireland resident in Scotland should not be allowed to vote in the ballot. Only British citizens living as main residence be allowed to vote
5615	916986705	Julia Cross	Individual	Individual	16 year olds should not be allowed to vote	Ok	Ok
5616	553168238	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There should not be another referendum. We voted NO
5617	996640726	Redacted text	Individual	Individual	I am totally against another Scottish referendum\rThe SNP are totally incompetent in running the country as shown re the NHS, Police Scotland, Transport, Education, the SNP have had 10 years to sort these issues, instead they have made things worse, all they are centred on is having another referendum, this is aparent in today's revelation from sturgeon re shelving another referendum in view of a soft Brexit. I think Sturgeon is beginning to realise that no to independence means no, she is now playing for time.	I believe Scottish people living / working in England Northern Ireland and Wales should also be eligible to vote.	I object to the overly excessive fees paid to those in charge of the voting system. Totally unacceptable .
5618	1055040661	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is irrelevant to me as I am absolutely against any further referendum on an independent Scotland. There is no need for a referendum. I voted against independence in 2015 and I voted for Brexit in 2016. \r It has been proved that Scotland is economically unfit to be independent and in all likelihood we could see a situation similar to that of Greece.\r The SNP should accept that there is no desire for a referendum and to get on with governing Scotland, dealing with things that really do matter such as education, health. I live in Aberdeen which has been badly affected by the downturn in the oil industry. My city is in effect in ruins. Perhaps if the SNP had helped us a bit more I would have looked favourably on them.\r Bottom line - NO REFERENDUM. NOT NOW NOT EVER. \r If a referendum is called and Scotland votes independence then my husband and I will seriously look at moving down south. We would not be able to see a future for ourselves in Scotland.	Does not apply. As stated above do not support a further referendum	Again as above
5619	489988630	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No thank you we have had our vote " once in a lifetime" do you remember that quote.\rHow much does a referendum cost the people of Scotland ? this money could be put to more good use elsewhere .	Again....We the people of Scotland have had our vote " once in a lifetime"	No thank you we have already had THE vote it was 48% to 52% against so any of the above is n/a
5620	663138675	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Totally unnecessary to have another referendum.	Too confusing.....too much jargon to understand	Do not understand this!
5621	782796471	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No referendum required
5622	436375786	Kate Legg	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	As I can see no other mention of the proposed referendum question, other than in this section, I wish to comment on the question here. As the 2014 referendum result showed a clear preference among voters that Scotland should remain within the UK, I believe that any future referendum should begin from the premise that this is still the currently held view. Therefore I believe that the question should be:\r"Should Scotland continue to be a part of the United Kingdom?" A simple 'yes' or 'no' answer should suffice.
5623	1038054070	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We have just had a referendum on independence and the matter should have been settled for a generation ( in my mind that is at least 25years). There is no mandate for another referendum.	My opinion 18 is the age when children become adults & that is the age they should take on the responsibility of deciding the countries future. 16 is too young.	I agree.
5624	921756664	Elizabeth Wright	Individual	Individual	I would like to see more independent and unbiased regulators present at the polling stations to make sure that all procedures are followed and , especially after the referendum in 2014, to ensure that all ballot papers reach their designated destination to be counted . \rPolling stations should make sure that there is security at all times. During the 2014 vote, my husband and I saw no police presence or any other security measures especially at such an important time .	No ballot papers especially if there are postal votes , should be "tested" by anyone to try and predict the outcome before the actual count . \rI feel that non national residents voting in Scotland should have a minimum amount of time living and working here before they are eligible to vote in such an important decision for this country. In my experience some foreign nationals do not put the best interests of this country first.	There should be more scrutiny and screening of the eligibility for anyone taking on roles which demand total commitment in ensuring that everything to do with any election is above board .
5625	573589871	Anne Mullin	Individual	Individual	Outside observers would be helpful ( e.g. UN) to engender confidence in the count. The postal count requires more stringent supervision	see previous answer	These proposals are satisfactory
5626	167433824	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If we have to have the Electoral Commission being responsible for the running of the referendum the SG should also have independent International Observers either from the UN and/or from the EU to oversee this referendum including Postal votes and the counting process .	I am happy with the emergency proxy vote restriction being amended.\r Still not happy with the Postal vote verification being robust enough to prevent many people who are not resident in Scotland voting in the referendum. It was very plain and indeed commented on by officials that they were unable to prevent people from registering to vote if they had a 2nd or holiday home address in Scotland. We should consider having no postal votes for this referendum, which by the way is not the same as a parliamentary/local council/EU/Scottish election. Or at the most revert to similar rules as the old rules for postal votes.	Fine.
5627	80480433	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There should not be a second referendum. The public voted to remain in the U.K. Not to keep having referendums in the hope of a different outcome
5628	801727127	Richard Canning	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The last referendum should last for at least a generation. The Scottish Governement should honour what they said.
5629	816161223	Christopher Dickinson	Individual	Individual	Agree with these	Satisfactory	Satisfactory
5630	893824097	Lorna woodley	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The referendum is unnecessary because Scotland has already voted on independence once already. The result should have been binding . It is unacceptable to disregard the nation's voting results!!!
5631	114274907	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am not convinced that Scotland would be better off economically if it were an independent country even if it were to be able to remain in the EU.\r If a referendum was to be held the sensible time to hold it would be after the UK has completely left the EU and operated an a single entity for some time, perhaps ten years, by which time the economic situation would be much clearer.\r This being the case there is no need put in place a management system which might have to be changed.	Anyone who has lived in Scotland for a considerable period, around ten years minimum, should be allowed to voted. Long term residency displays a commitment to he country and those people should be able to display that commitment through the ballot box.	Lobbying should not be discouraged. Those carrying out lobbying activities are usually well informed on the subject they are promoting and almost certainly know more about their subject than the person/organisation being lobbied.
5632	573598322	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	We, the Scottish people who Nicola Sturgeon claims to serve, have voted decisively to remain inside the UK. Like it or not, the people of the UK have voted for Brexit. This decision should not change the once in a lifetime referendum for Scottish independence. The reasons for the Scottish people voting against independence remain unchanged. The EU has given a clear message to Scotland refusing to endorse membership after the UK leaves the UK. It is my view that there should be no second referendum.
5633	832789179	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In my opinion there is no need for a second referendum given that there has been one in the last two years. I feel in this country we are fed up with continual elections and referendums particulary in my own case as I am resident in Dunfermline.\rThe country (Scotland) decided against independence and the UK decided to leave the EU a decision I was against but respect as it was taken by the whole UK.\rThe Scottish government seems to have all it's focus on Independence continually and needs more time spent on what can be managed.	I recognise that there is a desire to include younger voters although I would be of the opinion that their views are not reflected in the general population so would skew the result. Given that the majority of this group do not contribute anything to the public purse and are only being consulted for the future. By giving this group the vote we might as well disenfranchise over 75s as the EU referendum would not impact on them. I am an older voter and supported remaining.	My view is that all on the Electoral role should be eligible to vote given they have been contributing to the country's wealth.
5634	509777866	Joan Simpson	Individual	Individual	It all sounds good to me.	I'm glad to hear of the changes being made.	I agree all who live and work in Scotland should be allowed a vote.
5635	97623921	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Eligibility to vote should include everyone living in Scotland for more than 3 years. Becoming an independent country would definitely also have an impact on non-EU residents and non-Commonwealth nationals.
5636	387843883	Ian Foulds	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Postal Voting procedures need to be reviewed, as does the management of regulations by the Electoral Commission which seemed extremely weak, as viewed as an outsider at that time, in the previous referendum
5637	6913047	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The changes seem fair and logical.	The changes seem fair and logical.	The changes seem fair and logical.
5638	850426704	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements.	I agree with the proposed technical changes. ( I do, however, on a purely personal level have reservations on the eligibility of members of the House of Lords having a say in any future referendum.)	By Permissible Participants I presume this is meant to cover various lobbying groups, From my experience of the 2014 referendum it was clear to me that the No side had numerous well financed 'secret' and 'shadowy' lobbying groups which the Electoral Commission failed to identify or even allude to in their report. Hopefully the changes as proposed will mitigate in this area.
5639	276272073	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum. If it is forced on us we will have to accept the same arrangements as 2014	No Answered	Fine
5640	837177968	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	O.K.	Verification statements should be a requirement from all counting officers.	O.K.
5641	626656031	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They seem sensible and fair. Being open & transparent is extremely important. Some doubt seemed to creep in towards the end of the 2014 indyref in relation to postal voting in particular.	Good to see rules being tightened up where weaknesses were identified in previous referendum.	Approve of voting franchise generally but House of Lords members! So many of these individuals now, and their make up is not reflective of mainstream Scottish society.
5642	33046198	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy that this would be carried out in the same way as normal	No Answered	Remove the provision for postal voting to eliminate this avenue for potential voter fraud. All votes need to made in person or via a registered proxy.
5643	409192470	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We do not need a second referendum as the first vote was clear and carried out fairly. Only other comment was some if the SNP arguments referring to funding an Independent Scotland with oil were ill founded and over exaggerated.	Only people resident and actively participating in Scotland, I.e. Living here full time and supporting the economy, should be eligible to vote. People previously living in Scotland should not have a vote as they do not have to 'live' with the consequences of the outcome and will skew the vote with patriotic voting rather than logic and economic considerations.	No opinion.
5644	8012241	David Toshack	Individual	Individual	There should not be a referendum under any circumstances. We were promised in 2014 that the referendum would be a once in a generation thing. Instead it is showing that the Scottish government can not be trusted on what they say and taxpayers money should not be wasted on another particulary in view of he dismal condition of services in Scotland. (for example it take 5 weeks to get a appointment in this area with a doctor). If it takes place all costs should be met by the political party which wants it with no costs from the public purse.\r As much of the information given on both referendums held recently were blatant lies before any information relating to the referendum is published It should be verified as correct by an independent body.		persons eligible to vote should include Merchant seafarers living in Scotland but temporarily out of the country. These people are not service or crown employees but are only out of Scotland because it is a requirement of their jobs
5645	481352503	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No view.	Not happy about allowing children to vote as they lack the experience, knowledge and skills required to make a valid judgement to separate the truth from 'post truth'.	Permitting donors with self interest will not benefit the general public.
5646	143461659	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The exercise is a waste of public money. There is no need for a second referendum.	The exercise is a waste of public money. There is no need for a second referendum.	The exercise is a waste of public money. There is no need for a second referendum.
5647	866538098	John Duffy	Individual	Individual	I would prefer a system where votes are counted at the polling station, and are not transported to a central location. Other than that I have no issues regarding the proposals.	I agree with 100% checks on personal identifiers on postal votes, and also with the changes to emergency proxy's. My opinion is that postal votes should be discouraged where practical in favour of proxy.	No issues.
5648	653253896	Jane McTaggart	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals. However, I'd hope that full scrutiny of all involved persons will be in place and all processes scrupulously followed.	Following the 2014 referendum much was made of the potential for, and the existence of, ballot rigging. Whether factual or not, this is still a firm belief of many YES voters and activist. The postal ballots appeared to be the biggest source of mistrust in the system, especially as there appeared to be instances where the results of certain postal ballots were known in advance of polling day. I'd welcome any proposed changes that will fully ensure the security of the ballot.	I assume this proposal will go some way to preventing the shameful behaviour of certain appointees during the 2014 referendum campaign.
5649	899033706	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe that this is totally counter productive and that it would be more constructive if the Scottish Government concentrated on matters which actually impact on the daily lives of the public, such as the crisis in our education system, the problems in law and order as well as actually tackling the economy.	No Answered	I do not consider non U.K. Passport holders should have the right to vote. This is a contradiction to rights of the Scottish people.
5650	324030100	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The only views I have on any proposed referendum is that there should not be another referendum. The last one caused so much division, hatred and ill feeling which will never be repaired. You also do not have a mandate to call another referendum. It was not part of your manifesto other than just a passing reference. The last referendum was supposed to be a once in a lifetime. Do you intend to keep rerunning these things until you get the result you want? \r NO MORE REFERENDUMS.	I don't have a problem with them.	EU citizens and citizens of the Irish Republic should have no entitlement to vote in a referendum on Scottish independence. They can and will just move on and leave the rest of us with the mess created if their vote skews the result in favour of yes
5651	975640870	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum	i do not want another referendum	i do not want another referendum
5652	1048509885	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Proposal is logical.	100% is over the top for checking postal ballots and may even be seen as an ineffective use of resources.	No further relevant views.
5653	272666594	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A referendum was held in 2014 and the answer was NO to independence. Please respect this result and do not hold another Referendum on this. NO means NO. RESPRECT the vote.	NO second Referendum	NO second Referendum
5654	280770030	Terry ohare	Individual	Individual	Need more independent watchers	Postal vote needs more rigorous checks and counted in scotland with independent checkers, and open to any party to survey results	Ok
5655	379606886	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a referendum. It is divisive, counter productive and a political football being manipulated by the SNP for their own ends.	As long as the rules are impartially applied and are transparently enforced I see no issues.	It is my opinion that only those who are of legal age (18 years) should be able to vote.
5656	938548808	Randall Foggie	Individual	Individual	As the major arguments on this matter were fully rehearsed in 2014 there is no need for a 16 week precursor to this referendum, a 10 week precursor is all that is needed.\r Absent voter papers should only be sent to Scottish addresses.\r The Marked Registers should be made available after the event\r It should be possible with the advances in technology for the Scottish Parliament to produce Draft Bills in their entirety, perhaps with deletions in red and additions in blue, so that the exact wording to be enacted is available to consultees. Legislation by exception, as this Draft is, is a pernicious habit imported from Westminster and has resulted in there being no "fair copy" of almost every law of the land. We Scots can do better than this.	Eligibility to vote\rTo better ensure that only residents vote, absent voter papers should only be sent to Scottish addresses.\rAs 16 and 17 year olds are eligible to vote, the Marked Registers of this Referendum should be available to permitted parties as for a Scottish Parliamentary election\r Absent Voting\rTo better ensure that only residents vote, absent voter papers should only be sent to Scottish addresses.\rCare should be taken that in requiring 100% checking of PVS that those unable to give a comparable signature are not disenfranchised	It is not immediately obvious that an educational establishment that is a charity may "take part" in the referendum by giving lessons on or arranging debates about the participants and / or the ideas without falling foul of the permitted participant rules. Nor is their an easily visible exemption for them if they should carry out their educational purpose in an even handed way
5657	57260244	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	people born in scotland should be able to vote because it could undermine the scottish vote	campaigners should have a backround in economics and law
5658	111031553	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another independence referendum.	I do not want another independence referendum.	I do not want another independence referendum.
5659	176910735	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't want another referendum. We had one in 2014. Happy with that outcome. Concerned that changes seek to advance the SNP desired outcome of a further referendum.	Don't want another referendum. We had one in 2014. Happy with that outcome. Concerned that changes seek to advance the SNP desired outcome of a further referendum.	Don't want another referendum. We had one on 2014. Happy with that outcome. Concerned that changes seek to advance the SNP desired outcome of a further referendum.
5660	705035287	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would urge delaying another referendum UNTIL the currency issue (post independence) is securely settled! Last time the YES campaign failed màinly because of this issue.\rI, personally fully expect to take a financial hit with independence but I realise this view is not a popular concept. Honesty from Yes campaigners in presenting the Dowñside as well as the many Plusses would be appreciated by the thinking masses	No comment	No comment
5661	587809137	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	See my response to Q2 on eligibility.\r I do not understand how the Electoral Commission can approve the holding of a YES/NO referendum being held BEFORE the UK officially leaves the EU, since the economic factors which the UK would be subject to after Brexit would not be known. \r Hence the NO campaign would have very little scope to describe a "status quo" position, against which voters would be asked to compare the YES position. \r Equally, I am not aware of any published evidence to show that Scotland could inherit the UK's membership of the EU as an independent country, either prior to or immediately following Brexit. If no such evidence can be shown, then there is no advantage for the YES case in holding it prior to Brexit. \r The Draft Bill states that the intention is to present a fair and transparent referendum - however the timing of such a referendum will have a huge impact on the relevance of the outcome, since the voters most likely will not be in possession of enough accurate facts to form a reasoned opinion either way. Hence the "fair" claim made in the Draft Bill cannot be made if the referendum is held prior to Brexit.	The First Minister states in the Foreword - "But if it becomes clear that it is only through independence that Scotland’s interests can be protected, then the people of Scotland must have the ability to reconsider that question".\r The Draft Bill states - "The franchise for these elections most closely reflects residency in Scotland and has been chosen for that reason. The choice of this franchise reflects the internationally accepted principle that the franchise for constitutional referendums should be determined by residency.* \r The phrases "the people of Scotland" and "determined by residency" are misleading - anyone expecting this to mean that ALL residents of Scotland aged 16 and over at the time of the referendum will be able to vote needs to be aware of a significant group of people who are NOT mentioned in the Eligibility to Vote section of the Draft Bill. One such group is spouses or civil partners (from outside the EU) who have settled in Scotland after being granted "permanent leave to remain" status by the Home Office - this came with NO requirement to become a British citizen so long as their marriage to a UK citizen remains valid.\r Why are such people being denied a vote on such an important question for Scotland - the country they have chosen to settle in for the rest of their lives ? The Draft Bill proposes to extent the voting right to EU citizens living in Scotland at the time of the referendum, regardless of their future intentions to stay or leave - but by denying the same voting right to non-EU spouses who have made a huge commitment to Scotland, the Eligibility to Vote section of the Draft Bill cannot be seen as fair or inclusive.	Agreed
5662	589686951	Christopher Neill	Individual	Individual	Genrally good\rHowever\r I have serious concern bout the franchise. I ccept as sound the idea that ll those who chose to live in Scotland or have domicile here, despite temporary bsense should vote. However there are groups who qualify to vote who are not domiciled in Scotland in any meaningful way. \r Two groups spring to mind,especilly, although there may be others. One group is students who are resident for the duration of their course (and who may have registration in two places as well). Students from Scotland could vote on the basis of settled residence and home addresses. The other group is workers on short-term contracts, who are based in reality other than the area they work in. \r Such group are not necessaily committed to Scotland as their home and it seems inequitous that they should decide a nations future merely by reason of an extended visit.	No problems EXCEPT\rThere is a srong case for international supervision of the referendum. Regardless of any other matters it would guarrantee proper conduct. The referendum will be of international significance as well as impacting, massively upon the people of Scotland and what is left of the UK. It is important that the result is beyond question.\r It is important that the issue of prior opening of postal votes is tackled explicitly. Postal votes should not be opened ahead of the count and it was a surprise to many that they had been, and that some politicians were claiming to have advance knowledge of how the voting was going.\r There need to have eplicit provion against ministers and others using fluence in any purdah period ahead of the vote. One thinks specifically of the “Vow”, which was an attempt to intrduce new ideas mere days before polling, but there are other possibilities .	No problem
5663	10072641	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The Scottish people have spoken we do not want to stay in the EU nor do we want to leave \rleave the UK we are Scottish & British. Why cant you listen & stop pushing this down our throats.Please also take note everyone I speak too wants immigration to stop or be \rcut drastically our NHS & other services are suffering terribly, time you sorted this out first please.\rI,m also appalled you want to bring in people from other countries sure it,s good to help them, but not until all the homeless here in this country are housed first. \r2017 & Scottish people still having to sleep in the streets.	No Answered	Leave it as it is
5664	101566936	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Scottish nationals living outside Scotland should have a vote & other nationals living in Scotland should not	No Answered	Verifying every postal vote is an unnecessary expense
5665	944800614	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Any Referendum vote on Scottish Independence also affects Scots living outwith Scotland - in theory they could in fact have their nationality/passport arrangements changed without a say in the matter at all. In the last referendum our friends and neighbours in our street from Russia and France for example felt it wasn't their place to vote even although they were eligible to do so. This situation causes confusion and resentment. \rIn fact any referendum vote on Scottish Independence affects everyone in the UK and will have an impact on the lives of all UK citizens. The UK is a great nation and will remain so with Scotland being a part of that union. What right do we have as the Scots to break that up without the say/vote of the rest of the UK	Please see comments in question 1 where I think I have given more detail.	Valid as this is - it is not what I want to be commenting on. I am more concerned about the Scottish Government spending time, money and effort on another referendum when the people of Scotland already made their decision emphatically in September 2014. \rI would like the Scottish Government to get on with the job of improving education, NHS, police, transport and growing our economy throughout the whole of Scotland ( not just the Central Belt) all of which have deteriorated in the last 9 years.
5666	928960652	William colston	Individual	Individual	Worked fine before so would work just as well this time	No under 18 years old or Europe resident who have not lived here for more than5 years	No views
5667	877523826	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not Believe there should be a referendum. There was a democratic. Ore in 2014 and the Govt should abide by this vote	If there were to be a vote only citizens current living in Scotland should vote who are registered to vote who are on electoral roll.	Do not agree
5668	377312370	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	After the 2014 Referendum I was of the opinion that some postal votes were send down to England to be counted instead of them remaining in Scotland. My immediate feelings are of why have them counted south of the border, and question the security of these votes . \rI also dislike the idea that politicians & anyone associated with them, can have access to postal votes & sample them as per Ruth Davidson stated when she was able to tell us on TV that NO had won before the count had ended.\rI also question the chain of custody & security of the ballot boxes as they are being delivered from the polling stations to the hall they will be counted in & any that require to go to a central point for forwarding to another place to be counted. It was clear to me that some boxes were not sealed, some drivers had no escort.\rI have no other objection to pre vetted counting officers directed by a Chief Counting Officer.	I have no objection to any of this, but I would hope that a cut off date for qualifying as a resident in Scotland is made before a date of the referendum is made public. I would also like to see that non Scottish residents who own a holiday/second home in Scotland are not permitted to vote in this election.	Agree
5669	112223808	scott macgilchrist	Individual	Individual	Happy with these	happy with these	Happy with these
5670	498489196	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These arrangements are fine with me.	These arrangements are fine with me.	No problems with that.
5671	943358001	Paul Leighton	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There has been a referendum, in 2014, and a clear and unequivocal decision for Scotland to remain part of the United Kingdom was made. That decision needs to be respected. Referendums are either "once in a generation" or "once in a lifetime" events. There should not be a second referendum on Scottish independence before 2036 at the very earliest.
5672	464675180	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe there should be a second referendum.	Serving personnel within the UK armed forces that are either born in Scotland or live in Scotland, whether serving abroad or not, should be allowed to vote.	As above regarding serving personnel.
5673	266569575	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is satisfactory.	No Answered	I think only British people resident in Scotland and others who have been resident for at least 5 years should be allowed to Vote.
5674	688670087	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Yes it should follow the normal procedure for Election in Scotland, as happened at the last Scottish Referendum without any control how many people have to vote, % of Yes above the No votes for it be considered a Yes Referendum vote	Yes this may stop people think that the last Referendum was stolen from them with pictures of large amount of Yes on No votes shown on the internet after 2014 Referendum	yes looks a good change
5675	880892900	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Another referendum is not wanted !! 55% of an 84% turnout in 2014 should tell you that!!	Irrelevant. Another referendum is not wanted, The people of Scotland have told you that!	Irrelevant!! Another referendum is not wanted. 55% of the Scottish people have told you that!
5676	411719128	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with the proposed arrangements	Happy with the proposed arrangements	Happy with the proposed arrangements
5677	1073487013	Mairead Macdougall	Individual	Individual	Sounds fair to me.	Should it not be anyone living in Scotland? What about people who have moved to Scotland, intend to make it their home but are not yet citizens or are not from the EU or Commonwealth (although that pretty much covers the world). I would rather not see un-elected peers voting but if they live in Scotland, I don't suppose there's much we can do about it.	No view.
5678	512792165	Patrick McGilp	Individual	Individual	It is clearly laid out and looks to be a very well managed campaign	It is very easy to understand and it is excellent 16 and 17 year olds are accepted into society fully by giving them adult responsibilities	Again a good idea and a welcome change
5679	857960387	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no second referendum.	As above	Any participants should be 18+ years of age.
5680	107451069	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The people of Scotland voted no.	Ok if verified fair	Should be 18 years at least.
5681	274028240	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Any referendum should be the responsibility of the Electoral Commission. However government by referendum is a flawed and expensive way to govern. MPs and MSPs are elected to govern and should be better informed on the financial and long term consequences of major constitutional changes than most members of the public. Government shouldn't choose to have a referendum every time there is a difficult decision to make. The 2014 Referendum was , and should be a "once in a life time" poll . The country voted to remain part of U.K. and the UK subsequently voted to leave the EU. This should be the end of any discussion on Independence and all parties should work on this basis.	Proposed changes are reasonable	No comment
5682	565698973	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It's wholly unnecessary	They are wholly unnecessary	They are wholly unnecessary
5683	103433218	J. Richardson	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
5684	25125841	Stuart Goldie	Individual	Individual	This is too soon after the last "once in a generation" referendum, it is causing uncertainty again for businesses and families as to where the future lies, it should be scrapped for the next 10 years	If EU members get a vote, why do "ex-pat" scots not get that vote, many of who will be returning to Scotland.	No views
5685	1051175400	Brian John McGraw	Individual	Individual	Ok but I would like to see a more stringent approach to ensuring no possibility of tampering. There were worrying examples of slack security during transfer of ballot papers , doubts over false voting papers being used and giving rise to false counting. Whilst there may have been no credibility to these concerns, there was clearly significant suspicion aroused by the reports and videos posted after the referendum. I think it's vital that in any further referendums these concerns must be adequately addressed.	Yes, this needed to be sharpened up and I would hope there would be none of Ruth Davidson's previous shenanigans on getting access to postal voting returns	If it aides transparency that's good. We really need to be clear who is behind such bodies and organisations.
5686	372732571	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	That a referendum should not be held. I support efforts for Scotland to remain in the single market and for movement within the single market. Also for all EU nationals to be free to remain in Scotland. Our relationship with the rest of the UK is also important and after 2 devisive referenda the last thing we need is another one.	These are acceptable in the event of a referendum, though I do not support one being held.	Acceptable
5687	620198283	Alastair Murray	Individual	Individual	You lost,no referendum required.	You lost,no referendum required	You lost,no referendum required
5688	280338571	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the suggestions	I agree with the suggestions	I agree with the suggestions
5689	142701131	James McMullan	Individual	Individual	that if it is carried out as it was previously that it couldnt be any fairer or clearer	No Answered	the amendment to verification is a step in the right direction however counting should be recorded to clear up any speculation
5690	359563843	David Moxey	Individual	Individual	Accepted	I believe that this vote should be restricted to British people, and not the many immigrants to this country who are only resident by way of employment in Scotland\r Voters should be British passport holders	I believe that this vote should be restricted to British people, and not the many immigrants to this country who are only resident by way of employment in Scotland\r Voters should be British passport holders
5691	515254669	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	ok	ok	ok
5692	1058822532	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The question should be leave/remain and not yes/no. Both sides have acknowledged that a yes/no question favours the yes side. \r In order to change a matter of major constitutional significance, at least 60%of those who vote should vote for this. For example, in the commercial sector, this is 75%.\r Eligibility - Those born in Scotland or have Scottish parentage but resident outwith Scotland should vote. It is incongruous how, for example, members of the Scotland international football team have no vote just because they play for Hull City. \r Non U.K. Citizens resident in Scotland may vote after demonstrating three years residency. This is in line with, for example, rugby international eligibility criteria.	Eligibility - Those born in Scotland or have Scottish parentage but resident outwith Scotland should vote. It is incongruous how, for example, members of the Scotland international football team have no vote just because they play for Hull City. \r Non U.K. Citizens resident in Scotland may vote after demonstrating three years residency. This is in line with, for example, rugby international eligibility criteria.	No commemts
5693	947142021	Ewan C MacKessack-Leitch	Individual	Individual	The question should be changed to reflect the different nature for the proposed reason for calling. Leaving the UK with the intention of becoming a full member of the EU without knowing the regulations Scotland will be subject to: Euro currency, Schengen, etc. cannot be described honestly as independence. Thus the question must instead ask if Scotland should leave the UK.\rAs this is the case only UK, Commonwealth and Irish citizens should be allowed to vote in keeping with the Westminster franchise. The vote decides the fate of the UK, in all likelihood a vote will occur after negotiations to leave the EU have begun and the inclusion of EU citizens will affect the moral validity of the vote.\rNo constituent part of Scotland should be dragged out of the UK against its will, mirroring the request of the Scottish Government prior to the EU referendum. Scotland should not leave the UK unless all local council areas demonstrate a majority to leave. The Scottish Government must demonstrate and act on its principles, to demand such a situation prior to one referendum but then not implement it for a referendum over which this Government controls is hypocrisy and a betrayal of the modern Scotland that we all want to live in.	Only UK, Commonwealth and Irish citizens should be allowed to vote in keeping with the Westminster franchise. The EU referendum was decided on this basis and as this referendum is in response to that decision it must be held under the same conditions. The inclusion of EU citizens will affect the moral validity of the vote.	No objection, seem agreeable.
5694	990131729	David Raitt	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	One question is not being asked, namely "should there be a second referendum?" My answer is an emphatic NO. A referendum should not be offered unless and until there is a clear, overwhelming and permanent desire for independence. It should not be felt necessary to campaign in order to scrape a meagre majority.
5695	737534980	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think they are generally appropriate to protect Scotland 's interests in the current environment, in particular to protect EU membership and economical, social and ultimately political interests of Scottish population	these seem fair and appropriate	I think these are welcome and improves fairness, regarding the possibility of using offensive wording\rAlso increases transparency on campaign funds management
5696	556969112	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Forget it and get on with running the country	See above	See first answer
5697	381116470	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We have had the referendum, respect the result and get on with running the country.	We have had the referendum, respect the result and get on with running the country.	We have had the referendum, respect the result and get on with running the country.
5698	354761321	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	That a referendum at this time is totally inappropriate. No major decision should be taken until the negotiations for the UK to leave the EU are completed and the terms known.
5699	758325627	Margaret Martha Shankland	Individual	Individual	Mandate was not clear as I was voting on the promise that the vote was for a lifetime not for two years. It is not clearly stated why SNP wishes to leave a union, with all its flaws, which has worked well for Scotland for over 300 years to join a union which has many flaws and has not benefitted Scotland in any greater way.\rScotland has a small population in comparison with the rest of the UK but has significant influence on the outcome of decisions made at Westminster. How much influence would it have in a vastly greater EU Parliament. We would indeed be a very tiny fish in a great pond!!\rWhere would Scotland obtain any more funding?\rWho formulates the question so that it is not skewed either way?\rWhy would EU citizens have the right to vote as they are generally transitory and could affect significantly the outcome for generations to come? Surely only Scottish permanent residents should have the right of franchise.\rWho will form	It would appear to be a sensible suggestion.	I agree that this is a reasonable procedure.
5700	378751739	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum. We had one less than three years ago and the result was meant to be relevant for generations to come. The fact that Britain will be leaving the EU is no excuse to have another referendum. The real reason why more people in Scotland voted to stay in the EU was because the SNP were threatening to have a second referendum if Britain left the EU. Scottish voters were in effect voting to remain in the EU to prevent the possibility of a second Scottish referendum.	Scottish Elections (Reduction of Voting Age) Act 2015 should be scrapped. 16 and 17 year olds shouldn't be voting in important elections because at that age peer pressure has a significant impact on the choices that we make.	No second referendum.
5701	346572282	Robert Cotton	Individual	Individual	Postal voting should be stopped. \r The behaviour of Ruth Davidson during the referendum was sickening.\r Everyone should turn up with some sort of identification.	No Answered	During the EU referendum only those born in and still resident in the UK were allowed to vote.\r Only Scots born here , resident here and paying taxes here should vote.\r My father came from Bolton, but I'm sure he would understand.
5702	631632271	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This consultation is based on the assumption that there will be another referendum.\rThe first question should be " Do you want a second referendum on the issue of Scotland being an independent country ? "\rOtherwise the consultation only seeks the opinion of one portion of the electorate, and is therefore devalued from the start.	Not applicable.	Not applicable.
5703	117403004	responding on behalf of Scots living in the rest of the UK who want a vote	Individual	Individual	We would like a vote for the Scots who live outside Scotland. This is only fair We ask the Scottish Government to propose a Franchise extension of the Indy Ref2 to include Scots expats living in the rest of the UK a vote. Many of the Scots have lived and worked in Scotland at one time so have their ancestors, mothers, fathers and all other relatives\rat one time. Some Scots have been in Scottish Regiments. Ministers could say 'well\rit could be messy but all one needs is their birth certificate and some evidence. Present day Scotland is built on the backs of the people who came before. We have many books\ron Glasgow and Scotland and still buy Scottish newspapers so we know everything that\rgoes on in Scotland. We have never changed our Nationality. We feel Scottish speak with a Scots accent and people identify us as Scots and we fill in forms we are Scottish.\rDuring Indy Ref 1 all the people including British EU and Commonwealth citizens plus\rpeople from 19 other countries were given a vote. This means all these people would\rhave been able to COMMENT beforehand who should get a vote at Indy R ef 1. The\rexpats were blocked out a bit unfair as this vote could change Scotlands history and\rit will affect us.	The technical changes should include Scots expats in UK. I read the Scottish Government\rdecision about the form of the Franchise in the Scottish Referendum (Independence) Franchise Act was also informed by the responses to Your Scotland Your Referndum Consultation held in 2012. A majority of COMMENTS received were in favour of the\rFranchise proposed. The Scottish Government had no plan<s to propose an extension\rof the Franchise to voters outwith Scotland. So using my Scottish education I thought all these people from other countries were able to make a judgement that Scots Expats\rcould not have a vote at Indy Ref 1. Was that fair?	I do not believe there will be any technical changes to Indy Ref 2. Because how I see the world is all the people from different countries are all welcome in Scotland. Scotland has\rforgotten the good that many of the expats living in the rest of the UK has done for the country. Of course they will always remember the famous Scots who went to live in different parts of the world.
5704	349746812	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There shouldn't be a referendum. You had a shot once before and it was supposed to be a once in a generation thing. You lost. Get over it. Run our country please rather than spending your time on something that has already been voted on.	Fair enough.	Ok
5705	529042217	Stephen Berry	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	More confident in the process now that 100% checks will be in place \rStill concerned that postal votes must remain in Scotland after receipt and count
5706	403030166	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine but I don't believe that this is the time for another referendum \rAs a keen supporter last time my views have altered considerably in the interim - with the plummeting oil price etc and the possible loss of our biggest buyer of our exports it would be an unmitigated economic disaster \rSome of my friends who still want independence don't care about the economic consequences but just have the "dream"!! However many friends have also changed their minds in the last couple of years!	See above	See above
5707	971059112	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The counting reporting should be a single figure from the whole country, not broken down into electoral areas. \rThe previous referendum and the EU vote have shown to be divisive when counting is broken down into areas. Votes like this are based on what the whole country wants therefore to report local results is incitement to cause unnecessary division in the country.\rI am disappointed this question does not address the proposed question.\rThe question should be more like the EU referendum question asking if people want to Remain part of UK or Leave UK. The Yes/No question is loaded since Yes has a more positive connotation than No, while the Remain/Leave is a more neutral split.\rThe use of the Saltire shold also be banned by either side - it is not appropriate for the national flag to be hi-jacked by either side.	No comment on the technical changes.	No comment
5708	517536562	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	You need to ensure that there is no cheating this time.	Fairly satisfied.	Fairly satisfied.
5709	1007827553	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	A. Another referendum is profoundly undemocratic. A once in a generation referendum on Scottish independence was held in 2014 where Scots had the right to express their views. We cannot as a country revisit our decision to stay in the UK every time there is an imbalance in views on major subjects between Scotland and other parts of the UK (for example on EU membership). This would lead to constitutional chaos.\rB. Making civil servants spend their valuable time managing a second referendum is a poor use of public money. Politicians and civil servants should be focused mainly on improving living conditions for our most vulnerable citizens and not on how the country is governed. \rC. This consultation should be focused not on how we organise a referendum but on whether another referendum is appropriate.
5710	716926813	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm happy with these.	I see no reason for Commonwealth citizens to have this vote.	No comments on this.
5711	1003513281	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Although previously in the 2014 Scottish Independence referendum I voted "Yes" now I am totally opposed to yet another one any time soon - wait at least a generation and until things settle down, become clear and when perhaps Scotland's financial situation is better. Why on earth are the SNP not accepting "Brexit" and trying to ram this 2nd "Ref" down our throats and if it turns out "Yes" (unlikely at present) then hand over our sovereignty to the EU ? It defies logic. ( I used to vote SNP but not again while present policies prevail).	OK, fine but let's not have too many polls and votes and don't interpret this as being in support of a 2nd Referendum any time in the next few years at least because I for one am opposed to that and trust that others of my persuasion, though they may endorse the proposed polling / count arrangements, are then wrongly counted as favouring a 2nd "Ref".	OK - but all I have written in the preceding response applies in full here also.
5712	119651923	IAN AIRD	Individual	Individual	A FAIR AND TRANSPARENT REFERENDUM IN 2014 I DONT THINK SO TO MANY LIES FROM THE BETTER TOGETHER, AN INDEPENDENT PANEL SHOULD BE IN PLACE TO PULL UP ANY PARTY LYING. IT WILL HAPPEN UNIONISTS WILL AGAIN USE LIES TO GET PEOPLE TO VOTE THEIR WAY.\rIF I PURCHASE ANY GOODS WHICH HAVE BEEN SOLD BY LIES, I CAN TAKE THE PERPETRATORS TO COURT AND GET MONEY BACK, WHY SHOULD THE LAW BE DIFFERENT IN ELECTIONS WHERE MPS CAN LIE TO THEIR HEARTS CONTENT.	NO PROBLEMS WITH THIS	OK
5713	764132044	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think the Scottish Government should be proposing their own draft resolutions on the leaving the EU. I think this is totally the place of the United Kingdom's T. May's place to do so. Neither do I want another independence referendum for myself or any member of my united family. We all want to stay part of the United Kingdom. How many times must we keep saying NO. I am happy for Theresa May to negotiate her terms for Brexit and trust her wisdom to negotiate for all the United Kingdom. Most of my friends and family agree with this. We don't need another scottrish independence refendum to split our family members again. The majority voted to come out of EU so let's accept the verdict of the United Kingdom's people and not waste another £33.5 Million	I expect Theresa May to be able to adequately negotiate our leaving the EU in her own time and at the Uk Government's own pace in due course as the will of the people voted for.	I don't have any views on the Scottish Government's proposals. I only accept the United Kingdom's proposals for us to leave the EU. This is what we voted for and accept the will of the United Kingdom. It is a waste of Scottish money trying to force another Scottish Independence Referendum. We voted no and this has not changed one iota. We may be better off out of the EU so let's have patience to wait and see the result that we all voted for.
5714	936277439	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think this is appropriate as it worked last time.	I think all people born in Scotland (even if they do not currently live here) should have a vote. This should be conducted via internet registation, using passport and birth certificate evidence. Voting would also be carried out on line. Obviously, I am aware that tight, robust security of the site(s) would be required to stop misuse of the process or data.	All sounds common sense - once you get through all the gobbledeegook politics speak!
5715	745846481	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No change ncessary	Agree with proposed technical changes.	Agree with proposed changes.
5716	668030027	Eric Williamson	Individual	Individual	Not good enough. more cameras in counting halls to stop any irregularities	Commonwealth citizens resident in Scotland\rcitizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland. Should not be allowed to vote. For the very good reason they can pack their bags and go home the next day.	none
5717	218810218	Anice Gilland	Individual	Individual	They are fine	I don't know how the Scottish government can resist Parliamentary bounderies etc	Voting rights should NOT be given to those who are temporary residents in Scotland ie students, non-residents on short employment contracts etc, as they will skew results. Why should they be given the right to choose what happens in a country where they will not be residing?
5718	236382478	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another Scottish Independence Referendum for me or any members of my family living in Scotland.	I do not want another referendum. I regard it as a waste of our public money	I disagree with having another referendum at any time in the future, I voted No in 2014 and will do so again.
5719	161557	Lynne Devine	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements seem straightforward and fair.	I think it's right that anyone resident in Scotland should be able to vote. If the next referendum encourages as many people to be involved as last time, it may be difficult for the Counting Officer to avoid engaging people. However the caveat of 'not knowingly' is worth putting in.	These are fine.
5720	120771999	Jim Rennie	Individual	Individual	No referendum required	No 16 or 17 year old should be eligible to vote, If you are deemed not responsible enough to purchase alcohol or enter a bookmakers you are not responsible enough to vote.	No referendum required
5721	574747585	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	What referendum? The majority of people living in Scotland don't want or need another referendum. The last one did nothing but cause deep division between Families, friends and neighbours. Another referendum on Scottish independence will achieve NOTHING the result will be the same, but in the meantime Scotland and Scotland's businesses will suffer. Why do firms continue to try to drum up business with this constant mill stone around their necks. if I was an investor I wouldn't contemplate Scotland, whilst all this in fighting and uncertainty continues. Maybe the SNP should actually investigate trying to get on with the RUK instead of trying to cause divide both in the House of Commons, (badly might I add), and on the streets. Try governing Scotland and actually try to accept the result from 2014 instead of massaging your own ego's	see above	see above
5722	624501733	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't want another referendum. In my opinion this matter was settled in 2014, and the country voted 'NO' to independence.	I don't believe that people living in Commonwealth countries, e.g. Australia, should be allowed to vote.	N/A
5723	423862630	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	My view to all the questions are the same, they are irrelevant! \rThis referendum should not even be discussed, a once in a lifetime vote was taken and a result was obtained.\rHaving another vote just because it wasn't one that you liked is disgraceful. \rPlease do your jobs that you were elected to do, not causing Scotland to be the laughing stock of the world.
5724	910685953	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't want another referendum. I don't want independence.	Only individuals resident in Scotland should be allowed to vote. People overseas should have no say.	N/A
5725	439381726	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	All residents in Scotland including EU citizens must be included in the franchise	I agree with the proposals	I agree
5726	751624811	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do NOT want another referendum. It was agreed it was a once in a lifetime event last time. The vote was cast and the verdict clear. Subsequent polling strongly informs that more than 60% of Scotland does not want another referendum.	I couldn't care less. I do NOT want another referendum	Trying to get more YES votes by changing the participants in nonsense, There is NO case to change the participation from last time.
5727	351855737	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I voted NO in 2014 - AND ITS STILL NO!	I voted NO in 2014 - AND ITS STILL NO!	I voted NO. In 2014 - AND ITS STILL NO!
5728	829467630	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am in agreement.	I am in agreement.	I am in agreement.
5729	1007660228	Ed	Individual	Individual	There should NOT be a referendum	No view	No view
5730	421314402	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am content with these.	I am content with these	I am content with these.
5731	97631315	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I don't believe there should be another referendum as the people of Scotland spoke clearly in 2014 when they overwhelmingly rejected independence. There is clearly no appetite in the country for another referendum. The Scottish government should concentrate on running the country for the benefit of its citizens and improve areas such as health, education, roads etc and stop shoving the independence agenda down our throats.
5732	539582097	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for a second referendum. The nation has already decided as a whole they do not want independence they want to be part of the UK. The recent EU referendum has no bearing on the question of sovereignty as it was a U.K. wide vote and not a regional vote.	Scotland has already had referendum on independence the majority of Scots voted to stay in the UK and therfore, this consultation is pointless as the wishes of 2014 referendum should be respected. \r However, with regard to who get a vote it did seem very unfair that Scottish people living in the UK or aboard did not get to vote in 2014 and should have been included. If a future vote was to take place they should be included.	Scotland has already had referendum on independence the majority of Scots voted to stay in the UK and therfore, this consultation is pointless as the wishes of 2014 referendum should be respected.
5733	503982573	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Given the success of the running of the last referendum, I feel confident in the proposed \rArrangements.	These seem entirely acceptable and in line with current good practice.\rI am pleased, as before, that 16 and 17 year olds will again be eligible to vote in a referendum.	These changes pick up on recommendations made by the Electoral Commission. This seems the correct way to proceed.
5734	658071732	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposals for the method of execution of voting and counting sound transparent enough, the delivery of campaigning remains to be seen.	I do not agree that citizens other the Republic of Ireland and other EU citizens living in Scotland should be allowed to vote unless they also have UK citizenship. Because the current Scottish Government's view on the retention of EU membership, this group are likely to be biased in their view on independence towards that of the current Government.\r I also do not agree that under 18 year olds should be allowed to vote. If they are deemed not responsible enough to decide on whether they can smoke or drink, then they are not responsible enough to vote.	These seem reasonable.
5735	404882657	N/A	Individual	Individual	In my opinion there is absolutely no need for another referendum. The reasons given for one are not true today as many circumstances are different and lies or predictions have been exposed as being wrong in the latter 2 years. If as you have done in the past not listened then the SNP should fully fund this exercise and not pass it to the taxpayer. I don't believe that 16 year olds have earned the right or have sufficient life experiences to vote on this matter. I don't see why Scots in places other than Scotland who have property or other asserts can't have a vote as a birth right.	Voting rights, depends what you mean by resident. Students no, folks with an additional residence other than Scotland no. UK tax payer with NI number yes. No NI number no. 16 and 17 year olds no.	No taxpayers money to be spent on this proposed referendum. Independent auditors must oversee party treasurers accounts.
5736	519964605	Julie Christie	Individual	Individual	Agree	Groups allowed to vote = Agree\rExcept in cases of people owning second homes in Scotland. because they are NOT resident in Scotland i.e their residency is not permanent. \rIt was noticed by many of my acquaintances & myself, that in various rural areas throughout Scotland, that second home owners, appeared to take up residency in June, solely to vote in the Referendum.\r Eligibility of 16-17 yr olds to vote = Agree\r Absent Voting/Postal Votes/Proxy Votes: Draft Bill proposes to changes to the checking of Postal Vote Statements = Agree\r a) FYI and from my experience in 2014, despite cancelling my registration on 2 previous occasions with one Local Authority (and having voted in my new Authority as per my requested change in different elections), I received 2 Postal Votes for the Referendum. I voted only once. Later I confided to a friend what had happened. He confirmed he also received 2 votes.\r b) On 27th August, 2014, the day before I received my Postal Vote, I received a letter from the Leader of the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party. Enclosed was a Guide on how to complete the Ballot Paper. \rI quote: "To ensure that Scotland remains in the UK, mark an X next to NO." \rAt the bottom of the page a sample Ballot Paper had 'NO' clearly marked as a voting preference. I was deeply concerned and still am, that vulnerable Postal Voters would think that they should vote 'NO'. I believe this was the intention of the said Leader.\rFor the next Referendum, I think this blatant politicking should be disallowed.	Permissable Participants = Agree
5737	296625403	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This 'consultation' is pointless. We have had 2 "fair and transparent " referenda in the past 2 years and the Scottish Government has accepted the result of neither. We do not need another referendum.	This whole exercise serves only the needs of the SNP, an attempt to placate the rampant masses. Who is paying for the whole thing? It should be the SNP, not the Scottish taxpayers who spoke loud and clear in Sept. 2014 .	I can only reiterate my previous statements. This whole exercise is yet another pointless SNP vanity project. We do not want another referendum. 55% of the largest turnout in Scottish electoral history have made their views clear. This notion about a material change in circumstances is only a thinly veiled excuse for SNP to go back on their word . Nothing changes in that.
5738	79800717	Liz Marley	Individual	Individual	Must be fair and transparent - don't want a situation like the legal challenge from Gina Miller following the Brexit vote!	What about Scottish people living abroad?	Sounds reasonable.
5739	936628393	Malcolm McSwan	Individual	Individual	Poiitically unjustified but technically Content	Politically unjustified but technically Content	Content
5740	358198684	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The main issue is whether ther should be a further independence referendum because of the EU referendum result. At this stage I do not support a further referendum on indpendance	Polling and counting staff -Is there a definition of what is meant by ' involved in campaigning' ? An individual is entitled to exercise their democratic right to campaign provided they conduct their role as polling and counting staff impartially.	None
5741	289433767	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	As you mention in the guidelines above, a 'fair and transparent referendum' was held back in 2014. I therefore see no need for a second referendum. The democratic outcome of that referendum should be respected.\r A 'simple majority' is not appropriate for constitutional change. As in Australia, there should be a majority of 60% in favour of change. This would ensure that any change would be supported by a clear and decisive majority of the population, and hopefully prevent the divisiveness we have observed both in 2014 and after the UK's Referendum on leaving the EU.\r Eligibility to vote should only be given to British passport holders who reside in Scotland at the time of the referendum. EU and Commonwealth citizens should not be eligible.
5742	85928580	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel we need independent international overseers/observers to be present to monitor all parts of the process, ensuring that at no point could the ballot boxes and ballot papers be tampered with or manipulated in any way. There needs to be completely independent scrutiny of the whole process of voting and counting, to prevent any form of tampering at the polling station preparations, checking and sealing of ballot boxes, sending out of postal/proxy ballot papers, transportation of ballot boxes to the counting stations and the counting process itself.	I wholeheartedly agree with the suggested amendments to be made to the access restrictions to the postal/proxy ballot papers. If this is an area of weakness in the 'policing' of the referendum, than it needs to be severely restricted, as per the proposals in the draft bill. Anecdotal evidence coming out of the Argyll and Bute vote in 2014 suggests that this should be an area to which particular attention should be paid before another independence referendum. There has to be much more scrutiny of the scrutinisers.	Anecdotal evidence suggests that this is an area which should be given much attention to before the next independence referendum. If the proposals in the draft bill could be even more restrictive, I would be content.
5743	958678365	Graham Duncan	Individual	Individual	We don't need another referendum it was done in 2014 decision was made then.	Don't need new ones as this was done in 2014	We don't need any more changes as we don't need another referendum.
5744	691415893	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Satisfactory	I disagree with giving 16-17 year olds the right to vote.\rI believe that people of Scottish birth resident elsewhere should have the right to vote\rI believe that it is essential that the result should require a 66% majority of eligible voters in favour to be valid.	No particular view
5745	306626283	Stephen Hughes	Individual	Individual	Shouldn't be another one I voted no and that should be respected we were told once in a life time	Don't want another referendum	Don't want another referendum
5746	292272454	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements for managing the referendum fail at the first section of the Draft Bill, in that the proposed question -"Should Scotlend be an independent country" - is essentially meaningless in the context of the current EU membership battles. Separation from the rest of the UK does not necessarily make Scotland independent from the EU - indeed, remaining within the EU is a prime objective of the Scottish Government. The question therefore is open to contradictory interpretations, and therefore confusion of voters.\rIt would be more rational, also less subject to accusations of Yes / No bias, to pose the question as altenative options as in the EU referendum, on the lines of :\r"Scotland should remain in the UK:\rScotland should separate from the UK:"\r The other major problem with the proposed referendum is the lack of proper criteria for acceptance of a result in favour of constitutional change. In any normal private organisation, such constitutional changes require a significant majority of the total membership to be in favour, often 2/3rds, before the change is accepted. This is to minimise the risk of narrow-based activist groups taking short-term control and manipulating the organistion to their long-term benefit. Such a 2/3rds margin of "members" (electorate) would be totally impracticable for a public referendum, but at the very least this referendum should impose barriers of 2/3rds of voters and/or 50% of electorate in favour of change.\rIf such criteria had been applied to the EU referendum, the present Brexit chaos would have been avoided, and there is no reason not to apply at least the 50% of electorate one to the Scottish Independence question. Indeed, if it is not, it opens the referendum result to legal challenge, also the realistic possibility that Scotland itself could split.	Non-Scottish residency should exclude nominally temporary residents, notably students, who do not have a knowledge of or clear long-term interest in the status of their host country. \rThe corollary of this is that many Scots, who are residing outside Scotland for the time being for any number of reasons but may have every intention of returning at some stage, are excluded from having a say. This is a more difficult issue to resolve, but the lack of representation of such people is a basic defect in such a referendum.	No comment.
5747	408230469	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no second referendum	EU citizens and those of the Irish Republic should not be allowed to vote, they will be able to leave easily should there be significant issues after the referendum, whereas the rest of us will be stuck here. Incidentally, there should be no second referendum.	R.e. Donors. If a second referendum happens, there must be a cap on the amount individual donors can contribute. Multi-millionaires should not be able to finance huge portions of their chosen side.
5748	754051272	BOB CONWAY	Individual	Individual	Would like to see an exit poll	Yes more check on postal votes is needed	Fine
5749	107625842	Graeme Gilmour Crawford	Individual	Individual	I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed arrangements for managing a second referendum.	I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements.	I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
5750	739759526	Anne-Marie Sharp	Individual	Individual	I'm happy with proposed arrangements	Happy with proposed arrangements including changes from 2014 arrangements	Happy with these proposals
5751	533159593	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They seem fine.	All seems fine although personally I feel any hereditary peers should be excluded per se and only allowed to vote if they fulfill the same criteria as the rest of us.	Fine
5752	321039074	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I would like to raise an issue regarding eligibility to vote. The eligibility criteria presented in the Draft Referendum Bill currently excludes those people who consider themselves Scottish but do not currently reside in Scotland on the day of the vote. For example, if I was born and have spent my entire life in Scotland but move elsewhere due to work or study one month before the referendum, I should not have to forfeit my vote. Indeed, within the timescale of the next potential referendum there will be Scottish people who may temporarily no longer be living in Scotland but would have full intention of returning. I would hope that common sense would see that anyone born in Scotland should be eligible to vote, regardless of if they happen to reside in Scotland on the day of the vote.
5753	1004383640	John Mollins	Individual	Individual	No issues with this.	All vote counting should take place locally in Scotland, with every step taken to ensure a secure and true poll. I would like to see postal votes held securely and NOT interfered with in the same manner as we saw in 2014. We cannot suffer a repeat of the issues that affected the Independence Referendum.	No issues with this.
5754	454323584	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a referendum - it was sold as a once in a generation event and needs to stay that way.\rWe have voted and given a clear decision - the SNP need to abide by this and spend their energy and efforts in dealing with the numerous issues that the Country faces.\rIt is quite pathetic that the SNP are grasping at the brexit straw to continue to push their agenda.	See above	See above
5755	439544718	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Voting must be transparent. Can cctv cameras be in place in all polling centres, to monitor the boxes containing the voting papers throughout the day, and also in the counting centres? If so, that just leaves the collection and transportation of the boxes containing the votes from polling centre to counting centre - can this be made tamper-proof?	I approve of the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements. My only query is whether people who are currently in prison will also be able to vote. My feeling is that they should, if they are normally residents of Scotland.	I approve the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
5756	958764706	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements seem suitable and comprehensive	Technical changes improve checking requirements for voter elegibility	Follows changes recommended by the Electoral Commission
5757	710174481	Brian Moore	Individual	Individual	My view is there should be no referendum, once in a generation was what we were told.	My view is there should be no referendum, once in a generation was what we were told.	My view is there should be no referendum, once in a generation was what we were told.
5758	675681312	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Acceptable	Acceptable	Acceptable
5759	630330474	Alex Salmond	Individual	Individual	An affront to democracy.	Can the SNP count?	My dog could run the country better.
5760	684931459	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Any talks of another referendum need to be shelved as this is causing uncertainty with the Scottish economy. I totally oppose another independence referendum. In 2014 the majority voted in a 'once in a lifetime' referendum for independence and the majority wished to remain as part of the UK and this referendum should be respected.\rNicola sturgeon's remit is to run Scotland on a day to day basis and not to interefere in UK Politics. If she put as much energy into running Scotland as she does on carping about independence and brexit we would not be in the mess we are. \rI TOTALLY OPPOSE ANOTHER INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM	Only people who reside in Scotland permanently should be allowed to vote and over 18's as it always was.\r Though I TOTALLY OPPOSE ANOTHER INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM	I have no objections to the changes but still state it is not in Scotland's best interest to have another independence referendum. The FM is causing harm to Scotland's economy by continually harping on about independence.\r I TOTALLY OPPOSE ANOTHER INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM
5761	775640919	Gordon Spiers	Individual	Individual	We have already had the "once in a lifetime" referendum and made our decision. There is absolutely no need for another and we should not be wasting time and resources discussing the approach to a referendum that we do not need nor want. The Government is showing a disgraceful lack of respect for the democratic process and the intelligence of the Scottish people. Focus and energy should be targeted at improving our economy and helping our people, not on the SNP's determination to break up the UK at any cost to the people of Scotland.\r I cannot see a question that directly addresses the issue of whether the Scottish Government should have the right to hold a referendum whenever it sees fit, so I shall comment on this here. I believe that this would be a terrible idea and must not happen. This is primarily because the SNP would seek to use this option to hold repeated referendums as it cannot acknowledge that the Scottish people want to remain part of the UK. Preferring the SNP to other parties to represent Scotland in the existing structure is not the same as wanting to break up the Union, this needs to be recognised and the continuous, economically damaging statements from the Government about splitting out of the UK must stop. This uncertainty is limiting investment in our county and holding us back relative to other areas of the UK and Europe. The Scottish Government should be working to make the best of the very fortunate position that we find ourselves in, not to damage it and burden the people of Scotland in order to fulfill the SNPs own egotistical needs.	We have already had the "once in a lifetime" referendum and made our decision. There is absolutely no need for another and we should not be wasting time and resources discussing the approach to a referendum that we do not need nor want. The Government is showing a disgraceful lack of respect for the democratic process and the intelligence of the Scottish people. Focus and energy should be targeted at improving our economy and helping our people, not on the SNP's determination to break up the UK at any cost to the people of Scotland.	We have already had the "once in a lifetime" referendum and made our decision. There is absolutely no need for another and we should not be wasting time and resources discussing the approach to a referendum that we do not need nor want. The Government is showing a disgraceful lack of respect for the democratic process and the intelligence of the Scottish people. Focus and energy should be targeted at improving our economy and helping our people, not on the SNP's determination to break up the UK at any cost to the people of Scotland.
5762	975235818	Neil McKie	Individual	Individual	There are not enough safeguards built in to stop people or organisations making untrue arguments or promises which they are not qualified to make. For example A.Darling claiming a Scottish Government would not be able to pay the level of payments that Westminster does. Of course the Pension HQ can only pay out the extent of its fund which could be bigger or smaller outside Westminster. An out of office PM promises financial advantages to staying in Westminster when he had no power to influence this though he clearly was giving that impression. The Daily Telegraph should have not been allowed to sell Newspapers that contained the fabricated story about Nicola Sturgeon and a French Diplomat. There has to be power to remove such stuff from news stands.	I agree with this	I have not had time to fully digest this part.
5763	157162487	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Isn't it time that the whole Independence idea be put to rest and the Scottish Government get down to running the country. It was a once in a generation referendum that is turning into let's have a referendum until we win and, with the Scottish Government's appalling record so far, that could go on for decades. Forget Braveheart and the minority who can't say we lost and get on with improving health, education and all the other things that go with a grown up government.\rHow can you be independent if you belong to Brussels!	No problem with that.	Sounds fine.
5764	421819935	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Note should be taken of the gross overpayment made to CEO 's of local government they are paid well enough for the job that they have.\rWe must tighten up the regulations for Postal Votes and increase the vetting in case of voting fraud.	Emergency proxy votes must be looked at again as this figure leaves a bad taste . Also agree that all cheques must be on 100% not allowing for fraud to be committed.	agreed.
5765	924326267	Ally Christie	Individual	Individual	All good	All good	All good
5766	30837702	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In the main I agree with them but would like to see them go even further with rules.	I agree with them	Agreed
5767	342308811	Fraser Darling	Individual	Individual	I saw no evidence of The Electoral Commission's contribution during the 2014 referendum. There were a number of very clear breaches of what I believed to be proper during the 2014 referendum that The Electoral Commission took no action over. Examples were as follows:\r1) "The Vow": Promises made by the Better Together party leaders (Cameron, Miliband and Clegg) regarding additional extensive powers that were made during the purdah period and after the same parties had blocked a third option between the status quo and independence from being on the ballot. \r2) Gordon Brown's promises of Devo Max, Near Federalism, etc at the end of the campaign that were clear deception of the electorate, as a) it was during the purdah period and b) he had no authority to deliver on such a promise.\r3) Extremely biased coverage of the referendum by the BBC, the state broadcaster, against independence.\r4) Interrogation of postal votes by Better Together as admitted by John McTerrnan and Ruth Davidson on television.\r5) Postal workers (responsible for delivering ballot papers/cards and collecting postal votes) were put under pressure by their union the Union of Communication Workers who advised a No vote. Such persons with a clear role in the delivery of votes should have been free from any such influences from their union or other organisations.	Scrutiny of the ballot papers and counting thereof must be possible by both sides.\r Papers should be kept for a defined period so that they can be recounted.\r All ballot papers should be identifiable and voters should be able to check how their vote was recorded.	Has the legitimacy of Without Borders, prominent "participants" for the No campaign according to the BBC, been investigated.\r The BBC and other media outlets should be required to declare themselves as "participants" it they are going to follow an editorial bias. The BBC was very clearly biased.
5768	73756175	Bruce Skakle	Individual	Individual	I have been waiting for independence all my voting years, was born in 1947, and have only voted for SNP and independence, I fervently hope this comes around before I pop my clogs, I want my grandchildren to have a better, freer life with real prospects.\r Bruce Skakle	No Answered	It must be made sure that ALL postal ballots are retuned to the Scottish count without interference from parties outside the count process.\r Bruce Skakle
5769	341581779	Martin McMillan	Individual	Individual	No problem with that.	The postal voting system needs to be cleaned up; by the end of polling on the 18th Sept 2014, I personally was aware of two people I know, who had had their votes stolen. My brother's ex-girfriend turned up to the polling station, only to be told that she couldn't vote, as she had already voted two weeks prior by post, when; in actual fact she had literally never voted in her life. My father, who had my late grannie's proxy, as she was in a nursing home at the time was told the same thing. My grannie was blind, and couldn't have filled in a postal vote even if she had wanted to.\rHoliday homes; people that are here for a few weeks of the year, but otherwise live in other parts of the UK were voting in their droves, illegally. Some way of countering that would be good.	No problem with that.
5770	577023479	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Do not wish a further Indy vote. Happy to remain as part of UK.	No Answered	Do not agree that citizens of Ireland and other EU countries should have vote
5771	375376908	Ian Forrester	Individual	Individual	I strongly feel that the referendum question should be in two parts ...as follows \r" do you believe scotland should be an independent country ?"\rYes.....\rNo......\r"Should an independent Scotland be a member of the EU?"\rYes.......\rNo........\r This will give a chance to people who are in favour of independence but not membership of the EU to have their say!!!!	None	None
5772	565293103	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe that we should be having another referendum	I do not believe that we should be holding another referendum and would like to see the level of support for a further referendum being asked for as one of the questions in your survey,	I do not believe that we should be holding another referendum and would like to see the level of support for a further referendum being asked for as one of the questions in your survey, I do not believe that we should be holding another referendum and would like to see the level of support for a further referendum being asked for as one of the questions in your survey,
5773	709113266	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Absolutely furious that they are even thinking about another referendum	Waste of time	No thoughts
5774	998968220	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
5775	391732973	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Complete waste of money. Would rather see this spent on the NHS, Education and Infrastructure. \r Scotland voted as part of the uk, so the uk vote counts. The snp government needs to recognise this and accept the result. Business and workers are sick fed up about hearing the threats from a snp government around referendums. \r The whole thing is dragging the country down, both the uk and Scotland. It's also creating so much business uncertainty that companies will not want to invest in Scotland. Bottom line is that it's a joke.\r Even this consultation is another joke, with wasted money. Stop whinging about independence and start to invest in Scotland, rather than taking forward personal goals re independence.\r Scotland has already said no to independence, so accept that vote!	No comment	No comment
5776	313606597	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Please dont bother.	Eu Nationals should not be able to vote, due to the Brexit	No one should be able to partipate as this is a waste of funds in this trying time.
5777	1061189782	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Do not believe a second independence referendum is in the interests of the Scottish public. Get on with managing the country within the bounds of the UK.	n/a	n/a
5778	703078136	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	not interested in having another independence consultation. Although very much Scottish in nationality and will never say yes to "are you English", I do not believe Scotland has the finance and structure to stand independently. Get on with managing the country within the structure of the UK and you might remain in government.	n/a	n/a
5779	559262206	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Completely acceptable	Completely acceptable.	Completely acceptable.
5780	373633640	Craig Porter	Individual	Individual	Yet another complete waste of time and hard earned tax payers money!	16 year olds were only given a vote in 2014 to give the SNP a slim chance of a positive vote; thus, it does not surprise me that this has and will continue!	No view
5781	309471208	William Ivory	Individual	Individual	The proposals for the proposed arrangements for managing a referendum are unacceptable on the basis that the country give its decision on independence in 2014, although I am an SNP voter I believe Scotland is at this time stronger as part of the UK, and I believe the SNP government need to concentrate on running the country effectively rather than be side tracked by a second referendum. Should a second referendum be held and the result is the same as 2014, are the SNP going to take us into "neverendum", continually looking for the excuse to hold another ballot?	These proposals are acceptable, however my comments in response to question 1 apply.	These are acceptable, comments in question 1 apply however.
5782	220907328	Sharon MacKenzie	Individual	Individual	There should be a person double checking each voter ID when he/she comes in to vote. Some discrepancies were reported in the last referendum when some people were told they had already voted. Some doubling up of identification was reported. Also the ballot papers themselves should be double checked to see if there is a specific bar code on the back. My niece amongst others reported that their ballot paper was blank on the back. All reported in hindsite so to avoid this a neutral person could be appointed to make sure all is above board at the voting station	I am pleased that 100 percent of postal votes should have identifiers as there were so many postal votes last time that seemed to have a question mark over them. I remember seeing a filmed blog of a young man in America saying he sent 3 'No' postal votes. Also I remember Ruth Davidson admitting on television that she had seen the evidence of the no vote being ahead because she had already looked at samples. This should not be condoned or allowed to happen. She still has not answered to that. Did the Electoral Commission ever do anything about her admission?\rMy other question is the vulnerable in carehomes last time seemed to have their votes determined by whoever was in charge. Did they have a proxy vote?	Fine
5783	183763005	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Absolutely No!!! need for another divisive referendum - We need the Winging SNP to Respect the result of the referendum or stand down.	The SNP "Stacked" as much as they could in their favour a comprehensively Lost !!! - No!!! Need to waste more money than they have already done on tweaking until they get what they want.	Waste of time and money and if the SNP cannot respect the democratic desicision stand down and let another Assembly get on with Real issues.
5784	173745201	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I do not wish the Scottish Goverment to arrange a second referendum. If there is another referendum I will vote to remain in UK. I think the Scottish Government should get on wth governing and deal with current problems in NHS and education rather than spending time and resources on a second referendum.
5785	753759075	James Heron	Individual	Individual	None, we voted no , as far as I am concerned the vote was democratic. And still stands.	No Answered	My first answer requires no more questions.
5786	428096245	Jane Greenwood	Individual	Individual	Disagree	Disagree	Disagree
5787	705608683	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is fair to not change the the process for counting the votes.	acceptable	acceptable
5788	83799668	Willie Duncan	Individual	Individual	This consultation is based on the premise that a second referendum on Scottish independence is a good thing. This is completely wrong on so many levels. Scotland should remain an active part of the UK. This consultation should seek views on the desirability of holding a second referendum, and the answer to the question is a categorical no!! This answer will be provided to each of the questions and I would be grateful if you would register this view when assessing the responses to your consultation.	This consultation is based on the premise that a second referendum on Scottish independence is a good thing. This is completely wrong on so many levels. Scotland should remain an active part of the UK. This consultation should seek views on the desirability of holding a second referendum, and the answer to the question is a categorical no!! This answer will be provided to each of the questions and I would be grateful if you would register this view when assessing the responses to your consultation.	This consultation is based on the premise that a second referendum on Scottish independence is a good thing. This is completely wrong on so many levels. Scotland should remain an active part of the UK. This consultation should seek views on the desirability of holding a second referendum, and the answer to the question is a categorical no!! This answer will be provided to each of the questions and I would be grateful if you would register this view when assessing the responses to your consultation.
5789	469607399	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't have any comment on these arrangements	People born in Scotland and living elsewhere in the uk should be given the right to vote, just because they currently have to live outside Scotland does not mean they should be excluded and others who are short term residents get a vote, sounds like cooking the books in you favour	As above
5790	363294467	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Disbelief - I voted in a once in a life time referendum and do not expect the democratically elected government to keep revisiting a question which has already been answered. The country has many issues yet focus seems to remain on an area we have already democratically decided the answer - this shows a complete disregard for democracy and a self obsessed government not for the people but focussed on personal objectives, it is completely unacceptable.	I believe all proposed changes are deliberately aligned to support the cause of a government who will not accept the will of the people, they have already altered the system in their favour by allowing 16 & 17 years olds boost their voter numbers I do not trust anything suggested by this government in relation to a referendum on independence because they have already proved themselves to be liars.	I believe all proposed changes are deliberately aligned to support the cause of a government who will not accept the will of the people, they have already altered the system in their favour by allowing 16 & 17 years olds boost their voter numbers I do not trust anything suggested by this government in relation to a referendum on independence because they have already proved themselves to be liars.
5791	1025855927	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Seems reasonable	Seems reasonable	Seems raaonable
5792	371292459	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I thought the 2014 referendum was fair and transparent. No changes would be required.	As above I do not believe any changes are required.	These seem fair enough.
5793	589396152	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am opposed to a second referendum through present arrangements	No Answered	I am opposed to the underlying politics of a second referendum regardless of the voting mechanisms
5794	1033692205	Sandy Park	Individual	Individual	The Scottish people made their views quite clear in 2014. We do not need another Referendum!	N/A	N/A
5795	921219853	Stewart Campbell	Individual	Individual	There should be no second referendum.\rThe Scottish governments course of action has been embarrassingly obvious.\rIf anything in the current UK climate the proper route for the SNP should be to lobby a 2nd brexit referendum.\rThe UK market is more important to Scotlands economy than the EU and this fact is not being made clear.\rThe SNP appear to me to be trying to con the Scottish people out of the UK, this is not what a government should be doing.\rGet back to WORK.	No referendum.	No referendum
5796	543617821	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum.\rSince the last referendum (which was only 2 years ago) the economic facts since then and the state of the oil industry has shown that the SNP's predictions were totally wrong.\rCan politicians please focus on the job they were elected to do.\rOn such an important issue, any majority vote should be based on more than 50% of the electorate, and not just those that vote.	No Comment	No comment
5797	998215836	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no problem with the proposed arrangements for a referendum but I do not believe that another referendum should be called at this time.	I have no problem with the proposed technical changes but I do not believe that another referendum should be called at this time.	I have no problem with the proposed technical changes but I do not believe that another referendum should be called at this time.
5798	818523708	Tom McGivern	Individual	Individual	The first referendum was run on the basis that the SNP felt that by getting 16 year olds to vote would win the day for them. However the same party would be up in arms if it was proposed that 16 year olds were sent to fight and defend their country.\rVoting in any referendum should be on the basis of any other point of legal responsibility such as drinking alcohol or fighting in our armed forces.	The criteria for eligibility to vote should be: Residency in Scotland . Paying incomtax in Scotland or paying Council tax in Scotland.\rEXPATS should have no vote either should those who work and pay taxes abroad.	All funds should be desired from existing party accounts, there should be no donations purely for the purpose of the referendum. Public money should not be used for any part of the referendum including the count this should all be paid for by the parties. We have already paid to ask and answer this question, how many times does the tax payer have to pay for the SNP to get the answer they want.
5799	625004213	Robert Gordon Park	Individual	Individual	Agree with proposed arrangements	Every possible measure should be employed to ensure that \r1. Postal votes are legitimate and confirmation by closed loop communication that the voter has in fact personally completed and returned their vote \r2. Proxy votes are legitimate, consider removing proxy and using only postal vote with closed loop confirmation.\rAll proxy and postal votes to be subject to confirmation of voting intention. Some sort of matched numbering system or a two part form.\rOtherwise comfortable with proposed arrangements	Closed loop confirmation with named campaigners to ensure they are legitimate and are not being used as a front.\r All published campaign literature should clearly identify any links , connections or affiliations to any other body, organisation or individuals to ensure transparency of interest. \r Campaign literature should be independently scrutinised for misleading or false statements prior to publication. \rConsider including a reply from the other side on all published material so that both sides of the argument are presented to the recipients together.\rPublishing or presenting false or misleading statements should be subject to criminal proceedings.
5800	24468681	Mike Foster	Individual	Individual	I was a YES voter in 2014 but the actions of the government destroy any credibility that they can organise a drinking party in a distillery.	it worked very well in 2014 and I am suspicious of any changes as these would be the African dictators approaches designed to always keep the SNP in power and override democracy. the government's total contempt for the 1m voters who voted Leave in the Euro referendum as shown by their choice to completely ignore this significant minority is deeply worrying and exposes the real motives of the government.	No strong feelings
5801	699598650	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If the UK Government gives the Scottish Government the power to hold another independence referendum, then the proposed arrangements would be acceptable.	The proposed changes to polling & counting arrangements seem fair.	The proposed changes to these rules seem fair.
5802	435371905	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There referendum should be conducted as it was in 2014 but the franchise should be extended to be the same as it is for local and national elections.	I completely agree with the proposal outlined.	I agree.
5803	132493542	Robert Rennie	Individual	Individual	It is the same old arguments regarding independence. I would rather be part of the UK than part of Europe. It is quite obvious that the open door policy on immigration is not working and is an issue that the EU will have to sort out sooner rather than later. The policy worked when there were few countries in the EU but with the rapid expansion the mandarins in Brussels should have thought of the consequences. We do need immigration but it has to be controlled. I voted to stay in the E U but I will not vote for independence as it is a retrograde step in our development as a prosperous and open society free of predudice especially against other members of the U.K.	As it is such an important mater there should be an overwhelming majority for independence , say 60 per cent , otherwise we will end up with a deeply divided country. It is already a problem after the first referendum,	No problem
5804	149200858	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am opposed to holding a second referendum. It is an expensive and unnecessary diversion from the Scottish Government's role of governing the country and doing what's best for the Scottish people and people like me. I'm Welsh and came to live in Scotland in 1983. I do not believe independence is the way for Scotland to go, regardless of the vote to leave the European Union.\rThe last referendum created division and vitriol which continues today, with people still haranguing each other on social media.\rBritain as a whole (with Scotland still part of a United Kingdom after the 2014 vote) voted to leave the European Union. People in London voted to stay in the EU too, but it would be ludicrous for London to talk about separation, just as it is unjustified for the SNP to use the Brexit vote as a justification for holding a second independence referendum.	I am opposed to holding a second referendum.	I am opposed to holding a second referendum.
5805	332765551	Walter McLean	Individual	Individual	Fine by me	Time voting was brought into 21st century using internet and/or electronic voting.	Sensible.
5806	148655901	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No need for a second referendum. \rLost the first one , result should be accepted
5807	127736097	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel that the referendum should be monitored by an outside body, be open to all living in Scotland but not to people with holiday or second homes. The state broadcaster should be tightly regulated about what it can air also as I and a great number of people I know can see the damage they caused last time.	Bravo!	Fine with this.
5808	490853840	James Cassidy	Individual	Individual	I agree with the above	I raised concerns with the Electoral Commission in 2014 about the lack of any requirement for people to provide a secondary means of identification. The presentation of another form of identification, preferably photographic (Young Scot, Driving Licence, Passport, other approved ID) is vital to ensure the integrity of any vote.\r I attended the count at Ravenscraig and witnessed Better Together polling agents involved in counting the votes. Anyone involved in campaigning should NOT be involved in vote counting.\r Postal voting should be discouraged and should be permitted only for those who have proved they will be out of the country, serving forces personnel, those who are long term sick/infirm or incapacitated. It should not be a option of choice for those who are physically able to attend a polling place.\r Exit polls MUST be carried out.\r There should be two counts of votes. Votes should be counted at each polling place under supervision, BEFORE being transferred to any central count.	I agree
5809	887133232	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Appear to be as clear as possible. \r Hand counts I agree with fully, but the choice of counting officers I do not. I believe that these should not be affiliated to any council or party to prevent conflict of interest. The head counting officer Redacted text was Redacted textin charge in 2007 when there was a record number of spoilt ballots (evident in Scottish Elections since 2003) that she "missed" this huge amount and did not cast a recount (and did not lose her job) is, quite frankly, Shocking. \r https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/uk/2007/may/04/scotland.localgovernment&ved=0ahUKEwjknrXOr7LRAhXERyYKHaPjD98QFggdMAE&usg=AFQjCNEyEU65Rrsbcsu4e0sty6V7NTKK1g&sig2=CcJUsdChbfquF2tAEZbGYQ\r There appears to be no full provision for special vote or securing postal vote integrity, especially for the vulnerable (ie: those who are elderly, disabled, or have mental health issues. Given that these were recently part of police investigations, that concerns me.\r Also, no mention is made (as it states the same conditions will apply as in 2014) as to whether information or statistical requests will again be suspended (and discussing these) in the as was agreed in the terms of the Edinburgh Agreement in 2012 (see below) and prevented true information disclosure to the electorate and political discourse as is enshrined in Scots, UK, European and international law and democratic principle. Actually preventing full and honest disclosure about the state of the Scottish Oil Industry which was grossly and falsely misrepresented at the time as a direct result of this.\r https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0045/00457748.pdf&ved=0ahUKEwjS47-Is7LRAhUENSYKHZg-BbkQFggjMAE&usg=AFQjCNHgtxCyp0VZ1_oPfkVt3oOMrLHxig&sig2=bJniLcYwP1J6_r_zBwJAXg\r http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/scottish-independence/scottish-independence-what-is-purdah-and-why-is-it-important-9723201\r http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/SNP/11483905/Nicola-Sturgeon-admits-independence-oil-figures-were-wrong.html\r http://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/andrew-wilson-the-big-lie-about-north-sea-oil-1-3018609\r Nothing is stated about this. Will this be confirmed? I want debate, facts and information. How else can we make an informed decision? The SNP government signed this off when they had absolutely no right to do so. I expect freedom of speech and debate in democratic process. Not lies and illegal blocks. I expect Ms Sturgeon to change this (another 'Statutory Instrument' perhaps? Lost count of those too per chance?)\r https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh_Agreement_(2012)&ved=0ahUKEwj989bXt7LRAhWMLSYKHT25DjYQFggcMAE&usg=AFQjCNElrxA2tK1Wb1HrX4O4HpugxVjDUw&sig2=6sgXfg8XJAJDe0dTyW1TSA	I think this permise is fine, and I agree with the extra postal vote checks as these were previously marked as spoilt ballots. However, this doesn't go far enough in ascertaining the integrity of the postal/proxy votes in terms of identification. Individuals could still vote on behalf of vulnerable individuals. \r Also, personal identifiers being linked to an individual on the vote itself - no one should access that. There has to be a way to cover vote integrity and the privacy of the ballot.	Political campaigns officer and a treasurer in one role? The finances should always be seperate and distinct to prevent fraud. \r I also believe all donations should be declared. All amounts. Not just those over £10k. Again, fraud prevention is paramount. Corruption and laundering often occurs using name or company variations and small amounts of funds. Politics need to be transparent in democracy.\r I'd need more facts on how these changes influence both myself and due process in my country.
5810	578244155	Les Bremner	Individual	Individual	I prepared a short report, which I found difficult to read when I copied it to here. \rI will deliver a printed version tomorrow (9th January).	I am happy with this section, especially the requirement for 100% checking of personal identifiers in postal voting.	I have no view on this subject.
5811	624535148	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Acceptable	Acceptable	Acceptable
5812	531573077	Richard Evans	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I do not understand why this consultation does not include the wording of question(s) for a referendum. The wording in 2014 was controversial. What possible consultation is referred to in section 1.6? Why does it not include general consultation of the electorate?
5813	82935999	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements.	I am happy with the proposed arrangements, particularly with the adjustments to avoid employ of campainers in count staff.	I am happy with the proposed changes.
5814	230670713	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The votes should be counted as individual counts not going by the majority of votes for an area	eu citizens who do not have their british citizenship should not be allowed to vote in the referendum. My personal opinion is that they could differ the vote and then decide to leave the uk/scotland at which point it wont soley affect them as someone who has a British citizenship	Any money provided by the uk or Scottish government should be shared equally to both sides of the referendum and this money should be recorded as well
5815	938383689	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	I am very satisfied with these arrangements.	The technical changes will ensure a more robust and lawful procedure.
5816	52582418	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think that implying IDOX last time was a huge mistake, it was tampered with and unsurprisingly so, being Tory owned!!! \rYou would be wisest to have the UN involved in the actual provision of any software and be aware of all potential hacking from our friends at GCHQ. \rThe count should take place at each individual polling station DO NOT MOVE THE BOXES and then double certainty should happen with an online number of yes/no and a telephoned count of yes/no should be submitted to the main area in Scotland where the count is being handled. \rYes everyone 16+ should be able to vote who resides in Scotland.	I think that yes EVERY postal vote should be checked, as to the proposal of neutral polling staff I am not sure that there are enough people who could be seen as being truly "neutral" but if you can find a robust way of ensuring it then fine.	I have no problems with these changes
5817	366755236	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I understand the complications in detertimng which British citizens count as "Scottish" for the purposes of voting eligibility, and therefore the choice to base eligibility on current residence within Scotland. However, given that this referendum would have an unusually large effect on Scottish/British citizens living abroad, and particularly on those living in Europe following last year's Brexit decision, I urge the Government to expand voter eligibility to also include British citizens living abroad whose last UK residence, as determined by the UK electoral register, was within Scotland.
5818	720948941	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum. We had a referendum in 2014 and that was supposed to last a lifetime and / or a generation. Salmond and Sturgeon both signed the Edinburgh Agreement to honour the result of the 2014 referendum and that promise should be kept.\r There is no mandate for another referendum. The Scottish Government does not have the authority to hold a referendum.	No Answered	Only UK citizens should have the right to vote. Only people aged 18 and over should be allowed to vote.
5819	841532959	Allan Pearks	Individual	Individual	I am in full agreement with the proposals	I am in agreement with the proposed changes	Agree with
5820	727897743	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In favour	Voting should be open to all residents. Including all EU citizens (even if we have completed Brexit).	In favour
5821	958877442	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The Electoral Commission should be required to:\r 1) Clarify and modify the rules (especially financial) about campaign groups working together to avoid confusion. Many campaigners in 2014 worked for a number of different groups - and there was uncertainty about where costs lay in -eg distributing another group's literature\r 2) Clarify and modify the rules concerning donations from outwith Scotland and consider whether groups funded partially or entirely from outside Scotland should be able to become registered participants - eg Vote No Borders.	Concern was expressed after the 2014 referendum over the exceptionally high (record) turnout of postal voters in several areas.\r In order to allay any such concerns in future, further procedures should be implemented to ensure verification of postal votes in any situation where the number of postal votes returned is considerably greater than the national average.	No comment
5822	132248024	Anne Harris	Individual	Individual	I do not agree that all EU citizens over the age of 16 should have a vote.\rOnly EU citizens who have lived in Scotland for over 5 years and are working and contributing by paying tax and N.I. should have a vote.	I agree that polling/ counting staff should not be involved in campaigning	I agree with this
5823	279449542	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agreeable.	Do not agree with 16 & 17 year olds being allowed to vote. As in 2014, I feel this is simply a ploy to maximise votes in favour of independence.\r Do not agree with other EU citizens living in Scotland being able to vote. Presumably these individuals could return to their native country in due course, so why should they have a say in what would be a permanent change in our status in Scotland.	Agreeable.
5824	498682492	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am content with the current proposal to be applied	The changes, as proposed seem sensible - I have no added value comments to make	No added value comment - seems a tad technical and boring so no great feelings either way
5825	240534829	Christopher Macrae	Individual	Individual	This mooted referendum is unnecessary, insulting and dangerous in a number of ways. Firstly in reviving the deep and bitter splits that exist within Scottish society as a result of the first referendum campaign. \rSecondly because it undermines the validity of any vote by rejecting the result of its predecessor within such a short time and thereby eats away at the already-weak public acceptance of the need for, and efficacy of, our democracy. In other words, it is an attempt to gerrymander a second result favourable to the party in power, rather than that party accepting the views of the people whom they were supposedly consulting in 2014. \rThirdly, it exacerbates the effect of this by raising doubt among the majority of Scottish society who expressed the winning opinion in 2014 that, whatever they vote and however large their majority, the result will never be accepted and thus there is a permanent deaf ear to their majority opinion.\rThe damage that this proposed vote would cause to Scotland, its society, cohesion and its democracy - before we even begin to consider the practical and economic considerations - mean that whatever managing arrangements are laid down, they would always be inadequate.	It should be possible for anyone born in Scotland to vote, irrespective of where he or she may live. Residency should be only one measure of eligibility.	The power of financially strong lobbyists should be removed entirely through public funding of campaigns. Until that provision is in place all democracy is purchasable.
5826	295247908	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I DO NOT THINK THERE SHOULD BE ANOTHER REFERENDUM - SCOTLAND HAS ALREADY VOTED AND SAID NO. MONEY SHOULD NOT BE WASTED ON ANOTHER REFERENDUM.	THE PRESENT SYSTEM IS FINE AS IT IS.	THE PRESENT RULES ARE FINE, NO CHANGE REQUIRED.
5827	843811492	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't believe the country needs a second referendum	No Answered	I think this disenfranchises many scots, who live in London for exampl
5828	540822002	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree that if there is a referendum (and I don't think there should be a 2nd referendum) the arrangements for managing the referendum could be as outlined	I agree that if there is a referendum (and I don't think there should be a 2nd referendum) the proposed technical changes would be sufficient.	I agree that if there is a referendum (and I don't think there should be a 2nd referendum) the proposed changes on permissable participants would be sufficient.
5829	827640088	Gary Robertson	Individual	Individual	Fine but would suggest that following the 2014 poll where there was prejudice and intimidation - I suggest that a new law is in force to combat this and to make it easier to prosecute. Everyone has a right to their own opinions and beliefs. Not everyone agrees with staying with the UK Union and not everyone believes in an Independent Scotland.	May we suggest that we have Scottish Citizens residing in Europe who should be able to vote in this election also. They should be registered to vote in a Independent Vote as it reflects on them also.	We are fine with this.
5830	731317461	Ronnie Beveridge DipURP, MRTPI	Individual	Individual	We do not require another referendum on Scottish Independence. To do so does not respect the recent voting result, 2014. The context for any prospective referendum is provided with a slanted account that almost looks to there being only one inevitable outcome. Not so. Your consultation ought to have restricted to the 'how' factor since it states at the outset that the consultation is to be so restricted for us electorate/scots persons.	The definition of 'resident' is not clearly stated. For example if a person is not a citizen of this country but is resident here for only a few years does that mean they get a vote about our country's long term future? If so, then I maintain that is wrong and not in our country's best interests i.e. personal gain against national benefit. I therefore object to residents being qualified top vote. They must be permanent citizens and not short stay citizens.	NO COMMENT
5831	890530382	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Since the same rules as apply to elections will equally be applied here then I am happy with this arrangement	I am happy with the proposed changes	II am happy with the proposed changes
5832	597354410	Alastair Glen	Individual	Individual	These are sound proposals	Happy with these proposals	I suggest that those anticipating registration as a responsible person receiving donations including lage donations should have a well publicised response time for the registration process from the Electoral Commission.
5833	969235637	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The question assumes a referendum will take. This is a false assumption.	Same comment as above.	All this is administrative jumbo-jumbo.
5834	720821976	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Do not support a referendum	Do not support a Referandum	Do not support a Referandum
5835	510188113	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I see no relevance in this question. The vote against independence in 2014 was conclusive. Scotland does not need another referendum>	no comment	no comment
5836	629103228	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My views are that in general I am happy with the proposals but what concerns me is any hand counting of votes. We all saw the news clips with each side accusing the other of tampering, yes votes clearly on the no pile and vice versa. The technology exists and has done for many years for computerised counting of votes in the same way that application forms for financial services have been scanned.	agreed for the most part, I would however be wary of restricting access to emergency proxy voting as this could be abused, however it could be abused by either campaign so I suppose it levels the playing field. There was a surge of negativity towards the end which I suppose is what you are trying to counteract here, which is good. I think there should be much more 'auditing' of the polling and count staff, their accuracy and their numbers.	I have no particular views on these changes
5837	782861489	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe, and accepted at the time, that the last referendum wording was biased by making it a binary Yes or No campaign. The No campaign by definition became a "negative" campaign while "Yes" had the benefit of starting from a positive position. The EU Referendum overcame this by postulating the question in such a way that was more neutral - "Leave" or "Remain". I think a more neutral question would be fairer.\r I would also challenge the idea that the Scottish Government is defending the rights of Remain voter. Many of those voting Remain did so because they were as opposed to leaving the EU as they had been to leaving the UK, and saw the Yes campaign and the Leave campaign ploughing distinct furrows in the same direction. Some of us are as opposed to Scoot as we were to Brexit.	I think consideration should be given to allowing people who are Scots born and who are living elsewhere within the UK and possibly within the EU the vote.	No comment.
5838	707505232	Alex Smith	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed plans to manage the referendum.	I agree	I agree
5839	547688475	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As there was a clear majority in September 2014 for staying in the UK, there is\rno need to hold a further referendum. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed\rarrangements for managing any further referendum!	I have no views on a further referendum, as there was a clear majority for remaining\rin the UK as a result of the referendum held in September 2014!	I have no views on proposed changes to any rules on permissible participants, as a\rlarge majority of Scots do not wish that a further referendum should be held!
5840	239776762	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	See no need for a second referendum. Decision was taken in 2014.	See response above.	See response above.
5841	248936171	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No need for another referendum we made a decision in 2014 so the SNP should value this and spend the money sorting out the nation' s problems instead of wasting it on this unwanted document	As above no need for any of this	As above we made a decisive decision in 2014
5842	168779321	David Allan	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I think there is no need to hold another referendum as we had one 2 years ago and there was a significant majority voting to remain in the United Kingdom. Another vote would be a complete waste of money.
5843	975551678	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This seems to make sense.	I am surprised that up to this point that only 20% of identifiers were checked. That makes me think that the system was open to abuse.	It makes sense.
5844	812503090	Hugh Cameron	Individual	Individual	Subsequent research findings following the Scottish Independence Referendum in 2014 determined that non native born residents had made a crucial impact on the eventual outcome. I would propose that the Scottish Government, whilst being fair and reasonable in affording all residents the opportunity to vote in a new Referendum on Scottish independence, should take the chance of identifying the role played by those not of Scottish birth by issuing ballot papers of differing colours for each category ie (a) native born scots, (b) residents born in other parts of the UK and (c) those residents from the EU and elsewhere. I personally believe, as many others do, that such a crucial decision on a nation's independence should be decided by only the native born residents of that country. Surely, this is the essence of an independent nation. In the recent European Referendum only UK citizens were afforded the opportunity to vote. This exercise would at least yield valuable information for the Scottish Government.	Generally, I agree with the proposals listed notwithstanding my comments above.	As regards the technical changes proposed I don't have any objections but would reiterate my comments made in response to question 1.
5845	369386506	Drew Edward	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There is no need for a referendum.\rThe nation decided the position in the first referendum.
5846	1495476	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I do not trust the establishment within the UK. I would like to see external, foreign observers involved. I would also like to see supervision at all stages by representatives of both sides. This referendum needs to not only be fair; but must be indisputably demonstrated to be so. To achieve this I believe that the votes cast at a poling station should be witnessed by both sides. The empty sealed ballot box must be witnessed. The casting of votes witnessed and the sealing of the ballot box witnessed. My preference would be for these votes to be counted in the poling station immediately after voting concludes and the votes then sealed in their ballot box and sent on to a secure location. The result and counting should be witnessed by both sides and a representative of each side sign a summary sheet. A copy of the vote summary could then be forwarded to a central location to collate the results. The ballot boxes should then be kept for several years to facilitate error checking and academic research.\rPostal ballots should be revised. They should be sent to a secure location in Scotland. They should not leave Scotland. The arrival of postal ballots and subsequent storage should be supervised by representatives of both sides at all times. The postal ballots should not be touched at all. Verification and subsequent counting should not start before the poling stations have closed. Ruth Davidson should not be allowed to look at them. It is more important for the ballot to be seen to be fair and not tampered with than quick. All opening, counting and verification should be supervised by representatives of both sides. The postal ballots should also be kept for several years for error checking and academic research. The postal results should then be added to the poling station results to arrive at a total. This too should be witnessed by representatives of both sides.\rWhatever the result, both sides should be satisfied that it is a true and fair representation of the voting of the people that live in Scotland and chose to take part. Any discrepancies or anomalies could be double checked or investigated by experts in the field with the work being observed by representatives of both sides. Whilst the names of individuals should not be associated with their votes during counting, it should be possible to go back and cross check any one persons vote with how it was recorded, although individuals should not be able to request this be verified, representatives from each side should be permitted to do this, with the information remaining confidential.
5847	720738671	N/A	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements but disagree that there should be a referendum any time soon or within the next 15 years.	I agree with these changes but disagree that there should be a referendum any time soon or within the next 15 years.	I agree with the proposed changes but disagree that there should be a referendum any time soon or within the next 15 years.
5848	724177838	William Ritchie	Individual	Individual	There should be no further referendum. We have wasted enough taxpayers money and parliament time. The Scottish Government should get on with the task of governing properly.\r We the the Scottish people deserve better from our government. \r Just look at all the election promises, and how many have been broken by the Scottish Government. Just look at the state of our country, with poorer education, more state police and less local policing, poorer NHS, and lack of guts in solving the fracking issue.	Why don't we require all the people entitled to vote, to be required to vote by law. That way we will have a truly democratic result.	No problem.
5849	800575179	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not support another independence referendum	I do not support another independence referendum	I do not support another independence referendum
5850	374804423	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Nicola Sturgeon stated quite clearly that the 2014 referendum was a once in a generation event. The people of Scotland made quite clear their views then and nothing has changed in this regard - Brexit and whether the Scottish population voted to remain is irrelevant. \r Scot Gov should stop show boating to their SNP supporters, stop wasting precious tax payer resources and government time and energy and focus squarely on managing and running Scotland plc - most notably the increasing shambles that is the education system and the NHS. \r there has been more than enough diversion of effort away from their role of governing the county on the part of Scot Gov over the last 2 years.	There should be provision for the many Scottish people who live and work in RUK to be entitled to vote provided they can demonstrate that they have not been away from Scotland for more than say 5 years.	no comment
5851	179045572	George Ronald Campbell Wood	Individual	Individual	I hold no views for proposed arrangements for managing another referendum. The result clearly was for Scotland to remain as part of the United Kingdom, and there is no need to hold a further referendum.	No proposed technical changes are necessary, as the result was clearly to remain, and any further deliberations are simply a waste of time.	I hold no views on proposed changes to rules on permissible participants, as the result of the last referendum clearly showed that the majority of Scottish based Scots wished to remain part of the UK. Had Scottish Exiles, Anglo Scots, first generation ex pat Scots, etc been granted a referendum franchise, then the votes cast to remain would have been even more convincing....perhaps 75% Remain to 25% Leave....The Scottish diaspora is such that Millions of ex pats in Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, and elsewhere, would have had a profound influence in supporting the Remain vote.......
5852	401704397	Iain MacFarlane Brown	Individual	Individual	I am satisfied ,that they will, as before, provide a sound basis.	Full checking seems sound.	No comment.
5853	209939726	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not support second referendum.Scotland said No in democratic way-that will has to be respected.	Why does the tone/theme of this CONSULTATION sounds like any CERTAINTY?	See above.
5854	723416964	Not applicable	Individual	Individual	The proposed legal arrangements appear appropriate but I have already responded with my views about another referendum to which I would be extremely opposed.	I agree to these proposed changes. I do not agree that another referendum is appropriate or necessary as I am against Scottish Independence.	I agree to this as far as the voting process is concerned . I do not agree to another referendum on Scottish Independence.
5855	7818204	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the eligibility to vote and management and regulation proposals. All votes to be counted and processed in Scotland as local as possible. There should be measures taken to prevent possible fraud e.g voting using second and holiday home addresses. Independent international or EU voting observers to be drafted in to keep a check on the process.	I agree with the proposed changes. To maintain voting system integrity it is important to restrict access to emergency proxy voters those who are in genuine need of such a service. However I do not think the postal vote verification is robust enough to prevent fraud. Restrict postal votes to those in need e.g disabled, working abroad (after checks).	I agree with the proposed changes.
5856	1003781938	Charlotte Williams	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
5857	981592860	Alex reid	Individual	Individual	The referendum in 2014 was stated as being a once in a generation vote by the Scottish Government at the time. Why is there any need to waste valuable public money 2-3years down the line. Perhaps the Scottish Government would be better concentrating running the country, for example, stopping the downward spiral of health, education and police services in Scotland.	Refer response to question 1 above.	Refer response to 1 above.
5858	224673022	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	adequate	absent voters should include those born in Scotland but resident elsewhere	adequate
5859	1024789169	Ruiseart Alcorn	Individual	Individual	This is fine.	Good. Counting at the last referendum was dodgy to say the least!	Good.
5860	568850387	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The Scottish people have already told the government we want to be part of the UK and we do not wish to be part of the EU, unfortunately Nicola Sturgeon will not listen to us she has her own agenda & will not listen to anyone else we have rights too.\rImmigration is a major problem in this country yet she encourages immigrants to come here giving them benefits jobs use of all our services & most especially NHS which is struggling so badly.\rIf she really wants to help the poor, house the homeless who are living on the streets after all it is us & our taxes who are paying for all of this.	No Answered	same as before
5861	694429697	Sarah Fraser-Ballantyne	Individual	Individual	Answer: I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed arrangements for managing a second referendum.	Answer: I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements.	Answer: I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
5862	784747884	Lesley R. Keighley	Individual	Individual	I don't have a view on how a second referendum should be managed. I don't think there should be a second referendum at all. Scotland voted to remain within the UK. I understand that our sales within the UK are 4 times those with the EU. To me it is obvious.......scotland voted against leaving the UK.	I don't have a view on how a second referendum should be managed. I don't think there should be a second referendum at all. Scotland voted to remain within the UK. I understand that our sales within the UK are 4 times those with the EU. To me it is obvious.......scotland voted against leaving the UK.	To enter into debate about how it should be done, who is eligible etc presupposes that I think there should be one. I don't. Scotland has already voted substantially to remain in the UK.
5863	761529318	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A second referendum is not required. It has been voted by Scots to stay in the UK.\rWhy leave your biggest market and stay in europe? Stupid Stupid Stupid\rI voted to stay in Europe but will never vote to leave the UK.	Referendum not required	See above
5864	110501854	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum. This biased consultation is yet another disgusting waste of taxpayers money by the incompetent SNP.	See above.	See above.
5865	947681336	Robert Costello	Individual	Individual	The polling arrangements for the 2014 referendum were totally unsuitable .\rThere should be provision for exit polls this time \rThere should be a restriction on postal votes ,allowing absence or illness the only reasons for a right to have a postal vote .\rAll counting of postal votes should be done in Scotland \rThere should be international observers .\rThere should be secure arrangements for transfer from polling stations to counting stations .\rIn the draft it states that there was a very high satisfaction rate in 2014 we do nit believe that this was the case . Thee figures are wrong and should be corrected .\rThe British government should not be allowed to participate in any form of campaigning or financing of the referendum.	Only Scottish citizens in the armed forces should be entitles to vote as the bulk of them ,although technically resident in Scotland are not there of their own free will. This is an area that could be manipulates by the Westminster government .	No comment on this section.
5866	928623133	David Prentice Howat	Individual	Individual	There is absolutely no need whatsoever for another referendum as a decision was made a couple of years ago. \r This Consultation is a farce as it only addresses the process and fails to address the initial false assumption that the people of Scotland want another referendum after we were promised that the last one would be 'once in a lifetime'. \r To have a consultation as this is is rather like asking a condemned man how he would like to die before a trial has even taken place.	Acceptable	Acceptable
5867	203061660	Ross Lowe	Individual	Individual	I wonder if it would be possible if foreign nationals who have lived here for a certain amount of time (say for 10 years continually) could also be able to vote.\r I do have reservations on the actual count. \rThere where anomalies which only came to light after the last referendum and stronger restrictions should be in place this time around.	With the exception of foreign nationals who have lived here for 10 or more years be included and given the vote.	Agreed
5868	188424238	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These are fair arrangements for conducting an election/ referendum.	Except for the EU citizens being allowed to vote in a Scottish Independence election. All the rest seem fair	Ok
5869	181046478	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No vote required stay in the UK.
5870	121539981	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am against the running of a second referendum at this time	I have no views on this subject	I have no views on this subject
5871	895584591	Gus Gomez	Individual	Individual	Agree	agree	agree
5872	584713071	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No issue	No comment	No Issues
5873	1062479116	Brian Morton	Individual	Individual	This is completely unnecessary as, at the time of the 2014 referendum, it was known that a referendum on continued EU membership was about to take place. Votes were cast in full knowledge that the actual outcome was a possibility. To suggest otherwise is an insult to the intelligence of the electorate.	I do not think that EU nationals should be allowed to vote now that we are leaving the EU.	These seem to be in order.
5874	916585187	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no objection to this, though the referendum question needs to be far less loaded than last time	This is all reasonable. so long as all reasonable steps are taken to prevent electoral fraud, these arrangements are sensible.	No comment
5875	109036396	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My views on this procedure are irrelevant, as I do not approve the holding of another referendum on Scottish Independence for another generation, which is generally held to be 20 years.\r The last referendum was expensive and divisive and threatened to wreck the cohesion for which Scottish society is known.\r The arguments for remain part of the UK mirror almost exactly the arguments for remaining part of the EU. The Sottish Government cannot logically advocate the latter without supporting the former	As per Answer 1	As per Answer 1
5876	607575163	Robert mc ghee	Individual	Individual	Don't want one	Nothing changed then .	Nothing changed then
5877	949769183	Mr Martyn Watkins	Individual	Individual	As there has already been a referendum which gave a clear and fair majority of votes against Scottish independence, there is no need to have another. Your overview is completely misleading, you do not have a mandate to hold another referendum. This government was elected to govern Scotland on behalf of the people of Scotland, not to promote the philosophies of the SNP. The government should be doing it's job of governing and representing all of the people of Scotland, the SNP would do well to remember that they are not Scotland but just elected representatives.\rI disagree with the proposed split of responsibilities, the management of any poll and count should be as stated however the Electoral Commission should report to the UK Government In Westminster as they are the higher power and would have to give permission for any referendum to take place in the first place. 16 year old people should not be allowed to vote, the qualification age should be 18.	As stated in my answer in the section above, I believe that the Scottish Elections (Reduction of Voting Age) Act 2015 which reduced the voting age is wrong and was put into law to help the SNP to skew the voting in future polls/referenda to themselves. I believe it is a scam dreamed up by the former leader of the SNP	No comment apart from the fact you seem to be confusing a Referendum with other electoral processes. As a Referendum there would only be a vote on an opinion, not to elect someone or a group to a representative position. Why are you talking about " if the campaigner proposes to register a name which is obscene or offensive or includes words the publication of which would be likely to amount to the commission of an offence". A referendum may be called say "the yes or no " sides of the referendum but there would be no name to register.
5878	245682902	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We have had our "once in a lifetime" referendum.	We have had our "once in a lifetime" referendum.	We have had our "once in a lifetime" referendum.
5879	732783320	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If a referendum is to be held then the arrangements used at the 2104 vote are fine.	The changes outlined here seem sensible, my only query would be that the checking of personal identifiers for absentee voters does not allow the privacy of how an individual cast their vote to be made known.	I do not understand this technicality.
5880	757019008	Bob McPherson	Individual	Individual	Needlessly expensive and complicated	EU members residing in Scotland should not be able to vote.\rMy Daughter & Son in Law residing in England are not allowed to vote	NK
5881	379521391	Rory Winter	Individual	Individual	My main concerns refer to Section 2 of the Consultation Paper regarding the conduct of a Second Referendum.\r After the First Referendum there was a lot of popular concern that there had taken place several irregularities in the conduct of the referendum which, when taken collectively, amounted to rigging.\r My main concern refers to Postal Votes and their vulnerability to tampering. A paper has been published about this, The Postal Ballot at the Scottish Independence Referendum - Fraud? which can be found at the following link: \r https://consult.scotland.gov.uk/elections-and-constitutional-development-division/draft-referendum-bill/\r In this Report the writers summarise by saying, "We are now convinced that the Postal Ballot (PB) at the Scottish Referendum was compromised by a UK Government agency, and consequently that the ballot result is not democratically valid."\r I am assuming that this Report was submitted by its writers to the Scottish Government. It appears that these complaints have been ignored by the Scottish Government which appears to be preparing to make the same mistakes all over again which were made in the First Referendum.\r The Scottish Government should, long ago, have held an inquiry into the running of the First Referendum where complaints should have been registered with an independent inquiry to look into them. The fact that this did not happen leads me to believe that the Scottish Government was, in effect, party to the above-mentioned irregularities and colluded to election rigging by the UK Deep State.	The technical changes do not address the real dangers of ballot-rigging as appear to have taken place in the First Referendum. See for example, The Postal Ballot at the Scottish Independence Referendum - Fraud?\r https://consult.scotland.gov.uk/elections-and-constitutional-development-division/draft-referendum-bill/	No views.
5882	779474645	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think there should be another referendum. If it goes ahead it will be a scandalous waste of public money that should be spent on public services. There was one in 2014 and a decision was reached not be become independent. Not to respect this decision makes a mockery of democracy. People voted to remain part of the UK and the UK voted to leave the EU.	No Answered	I do not think it is right that
5883	142486792	Carolyn Green	Individual	Individual	Think arrangements are satisfactory	Agree with above.	Agree with the above.
5884	625075022	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If a referendum is to take place, I seen to need to change the arrangements.	If Brexit proceeds EU citizens should not be allowed to vote. Commonwealth and Irish Republic citizens should not be allowed to vote either. Although this is a long-standing arrangement it is more justified in a general election than it would be for a referendum which is a longer term commitment. I suggest that expatriate Scots who have left within the last five years or so should be allowed to vote as they may well be away for a specific purpose (eg studying), retaining their links to Scotland, and may be planning to return.	No comment.
5885	258170334	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agreed	I would like a second body to verify and scrutinise the electoral commission and the tallying of votes. The previous referendum left doubts of validity due to videos of ballot papers being mismanaged and found hidden in street bins..	Agreed.
5886	916244796	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The question should not be quite a yes or no answer as this is unfairly biased. I also think an independent fact checker would be useful for providing correct information to voters.	No Answered	I do not think it is appropriate to allow under 18 year old to vote as they are not able to vote in UK government elections. Moreover, they can to easily be swayed by parental chours.
5887	580587824	Ken Johnston	Individual	Individual	I am in agreement on managing the proposed referendum.	I am NOT in agreement with the current rules.\rOnly citizens who reside in Scotland permanently should be eligible. \rBy this I mean citizens born here, and only those who have been resident here for say at least, 4 or 5 years. ie. People who have put down roots and probably intend to stay, at least for a fair time.\rAt present, you only need to present yourself for registration 12 days before the voting day to be eligible.\rNOT students who are only passing through. NOT people with holiday homes, and we have plenty of them. NOT people on working holidays, people working in agriculture and the fruit industries. People on short- term work placements. \r In most counties of the world, you need to be a citizen, resident in that country or state, and show ID, frequently with photo. In our near neighbor, the Republic of Ireland, one needs to produce a passport and proof of residency, utility bills, say, to be eligible.\rObviously, this would not do for holiday-homers. Utility bills for an extended period, showing fair consumption would suffice, as HMRC and councils require at present in disputes.	I agree with the provisions.
5888	730252412	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the electoral commission managing this. I think that they should also report to the UK government, as well as to the SNP/Scottish Government, to avoid any issues where there is a feeling of bias in terms of decisions being made.\r I am concerned that the previously used question was not balanced, and allowed one campaign to promote the other as negative. I would recommend using the question used in the EU Referendum o for Leave/Remain to be more impartial/less leading.\r I am very concerned that the SNP have the power to call more referendums until they get the 'right' result. I think that some constitutional checks and balances should be put in place to protect against this in future.\r I'm worried about the level of factually incorrect information which is being spread by parties and on social media. As a good example, during the referendum there were a number of pro independence blogs posting factually inaccurate statements about the economy (e.g Whisky export duty, EU exports going 'through England', Scottish money being diverted to HS2) that are widely still believed by portions of the voting public. Similarly at the top of the Yes Scotland Facebook page is a video telling us that the NHS would be privatised if we voted no, and I was handed a number of Yes Scotland leaflets with factually inaccurate statements about the USA 'controlling' the targeting systems on Trident. Many of the above examples are regularly retweeted by SNP MPs.\rOther major issues like EU membership, and currency, the Yes campaign stated as fact when they weren't certain, and on the currency they now appear (after the referendum) to have conceded. \rSimilarly I know that there were a number of concerns that Yes Scotland had about the reliability of information coming from the No campaign.\rAlso in light of experiences with Brexit, I'm concerned that the lack of reliable information for voters, and proper agreements about what a yes/leave vote would mean, could lead to chaos after the vote. The White paper was after the fact discovered to have been largely a dodgy dossier/party produced, rather than a reliable and unbiased plan.\r Before any future referendum I think that a cross party group of MPs and appointed independent experts should produce a White Paper/plan, and agree to a set of statements about how independence would happen, and what is known/unknown. After that the electoral commission should hold political parties to account for any statements of 'fact' which contradict these agreements.	I have serious concerns about the voting franchise excluding a large number of Scots that are affected by the result. I believe the principle should be that anybody whose citizenship/passport would be changed as a result of a Yes vote should have a say.\r In particular I'm concerned about those working in the military (e.g Navy or Air Force personnel who live at a base in rUK like Portsmouth), students studying at an English university, Civil Servants posted elsewhere in the UK, new graduates working for a year or two in London etc. \rWith the EU referendum voting was not based on residency. Whilst I appreciate that it might be complex, and that there might be concerns that said voters may vote either way, it's important to make sure that it's fair to everyone impacted. \r I also think it's important to take some steps to not release information on voter demographics post referendum. Some of the attacks on the elderly, or English in Scotland, as being to 'blame' for the No vote after the result were very concerning.\r I would make it a legal requirement that all campaigners for a registered campaign should provide information on registration to voters regardless of their states voting preference. I've heard of a number of occasions where camapaigners at the door asked how they were voting, before refusing to answer/help them to register if they have the 'wrong' answer.	I'm concerned that the campaigns appeared to fracture into a large number of organizations that were still ostensibly controlled by the central team. This should be heavily regulated to make sure that their spending comes out of the central pool.\r I'm also worried that there were arms reach organizations pretending to be more than they actually were. A good example of this was Labour for Independence, which appeared to be mostly made up of SNP members. Also Business for Scotland was given parity to the CBI, despite having (from what I can tell) close to no major businesses supporting it. There should be tighter regulations over official campaign groups with misleading names.
5889	243171979	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think that 16 and 17 year olds will have difficulty making an informed choice in this matter. I support 18 and over.	No opinion. It looks OK.	Sounds ok.
5890	62774685	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Content.	Eligibility to Vote.\rit seems to me that the votes of many, or even the majority, of those in the category 'Citizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries' cannot be reliably based on a considered assessment of the long term best outcome for Scotland. There are simply too many conflicts of interest ranging from anti-English sentiment to the knock-on effects on their own country - which should not be factors in the decision being made.\rI stress I have absolutely no objection to these people being here: I simply feel that in the circumstances of this vote they should be ineligible to participate.	Content.
5891	156835107	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am fed up hearing about a second referendum! I wish Nicola Sturgeon would start addressing the problems in Scotland and stop trying to annoy the rest of Britain with all her threats! What are her advisors doing?\rDoes No not mean NO!!!	No second referendum! PLEASE	Drop it.
5892	490034844	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My view is there should be no referendum in Scotland until Brexit is over and done with. Now is not the time. I have been an SNP supporter since the 70's but I cannot believe we are being dragged back into another referendum that no one I know is in favour of. Voting to stay in the EU is NOT a mandate for Independence.	No views	No views
5893	543487389	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I see no need for another referendum as it already took place last year. However the proposed arrangements are sensible , and seem to be more secure.	The changes seem to make the arrangements more secure and ensure validity	I think the changes are fine and should ensure transparency
5894	677774985	James Grieve	Individual	Individual	Happy with the proposed arrangements	I have no issue with the proposed changes	I have no issues with the changes
5895	1048835635	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is absolutely no need for a second referendum. The nation voted recently and the result stands.	Anyone living, working and paying tax or having retired having paid their taxes living in Scotland should be eligible.	Fair, though there is no need for a further referendum on Scottish independence
5896	755494731	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't think there should be a further referendum so the means of managing this very expensive and disruptive exercise is not relevant.	The polling and count proposals are acceptable but the people have already spoken and no further poll is required.	No further comment
5897	698591993	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fully agree	Fully agree and support	Agree
5898	812994531	Roland Watson	Individual	Individual	My main concern is the timing of any referendum. Voters should be in full possession of the facts as to \r a. The final form of Brexit negotiations.\r b. What the conditions the EU would apply for Scotland's membership of the EU.\r I say this because Scottish voters voted to to stay in the EU based on the *current* form of EU membership - which is fair enough since that is what they are familiar with. Brexit may change the terms of a Scottish EU membership - such as mandatory adoption of the Euro.\r These things have to be made clear to voters prior to any referendum.	Eligible voters should have been resident in Scotland for a certain number of years. I don't think people who just arrived to work and cannot give a commitment to staying in Scotland should have a vote.	No comment.
5899	327394597	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Any referendum should not be down to a simple majority vote. There should be a minimum number of registered voters voting in favour of independence before such a major constitutional change could be approved.	They all seem fine. However, Scottish born individuals not currently resident in Scotland should be given a vote. Independence is not like a local or Parliamentart election situation and needs treated according to its very special and one-off nature	No view
5900	583670218	Alan dunlop	Individual	Individual	I don't want a referendum. Scotland is a region of The United Kingdom and should remain so.	Foreigners, especially citizens of other EU countries should have no vote, it is none of their business. and those under 18 should not have a vote. Nor should scots living overseas	I'd prefer the Scottish so called government would get on with trying to run the country. This issue was decided in 2014.
5901	31378744	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am not interested in another referendum - we need to stay with the rest of the UK even if that is outside the single market. It is not sensible to turn away from our UK market and have tariffs with the UK, there's no way we should be in the Euro, what contributions would be required to remain in the single market?? and who would pay them?? free movement of labour to Scotland would need border controls with England etc etc all totally impracticable and unaffordable - we need to stay with the UK where we belong!	No comment other than to say get on with the real job of governing rather than wasting time and energy on a fruitless political campaign that the majority do not support.	No real issues - no referendum please as no mandate.
5902	715450181	James Mcdonald	Individual	Individual	Its a waste of money that could be better spent moving forward from this 'one sided' political stagnation.	No cares.	No comment.
5903	213097896	Jim McCracken	Individual	Individual	It lacks the fundamental right of self determination and that is the creation of a fully consulted and debated constitution, debated with public input and offered to the "indigenous population" of Scotland via referendum on a simple yes or no vote for acceptance of the constitution! The right of self determination is set out in various UN articles and which should be divulged in their entirety to all interested Indigenous people of Scotland - and that includes ex-patriots who are still being charged UK tax on their pensions. The Scotland act indicates "the right to free Elections". As I am a UK Tax payer and ex-pat, subsidising government pensions why am I being denied the right to vote? Incomers and residents are not readily qualified as Indigenous population so why are they allowed to vote? http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/DRIPS_en.pdf	Your Cessminster imposed "franchise" is illegal as it breaches the UN Articles on self determination, that clearly state that the input of the Indigenous population is paramount to qualifying the right of "self determination". Who was consulted to formulate the Government imposed Franchise? Please provide a list of indigenous people involved in this legislation? \rOn 14 December 1960, the United Nations General Assembly adopted United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1514 (XV) under titled Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples, which supported the granting of independence to colonial countries and peoples in providing an inevitable legal linkage between self-determination and its goal of decolonisation, it postulated a new international law-based right of freedom also in economic self-determination. Article 5 states: Immediate steps shall be taken in Trust and Non-Self-Governing Territories,[7] or all other territories which have not yet attained independence, to transfer all powers to the peoples of those territories, without any conditions or reservations, in accordance with their freely expressed will and desire, without any distinction as to race, creed or colour, in order to enable them to enjoy complete independence and freedom.\r On 15 December 1960 the United Nations General Assembly adopted United Nations General Assembly Resolution 1541 (XV) under titled "Principles which should guide members in determining whether or nor an obligation exists to transmit the information called for under Article 73e of the United Nations Charter in Article 3", provided that "[t]he inadequacy of political, economic, social and educational preparedness should never serve as a pretext for delaying the right to self-determination and independence." To monitor the implementation of Resolution 1514, in 1961 the General Assembly created the Special Committee referred to popularly as the Special Committee on Decolonization[8] to ensure decolonization complete compliance with the principle of self-determination in General Assembly Resolution 1541 (XV), 12 Principle of the Annex defining free association with an independent State, integration into an independent State, or independence as the three legitimate options of full self-government[9] compliance with the principle of self-determination.[10][11]\r "National aspirations must be respected; people may now be dominated and governed only by their own consent. Self determination is not a mere phrase; it is an imperative principle of action. . . . "\r — Woodrow Wilson in his famous self-determination speech on 11 February 1918[12] after he announced his Fourteen Points on 8 January 1918.\r By extension the term self-determination has come to mean the free choice of one's own acts without external compulsion.[13][14]\r The UN Charter\r In 1941 Allies of World War II signed the Atlantic Charter and accepted the principle of self-determination. In January 1942 twenty-six states signed the Declaration by United Nations, which accepted those principles. The ratification of the United Nations Charter in 1945 at the end of World War II placed the right of self-determination into the framework of international law and diplomacy.\r Chapter 1, Article 1, part 2 states that purpose of the UN Charter is: "To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace. "[22]\r Article 1 in both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)[23] and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)[24] reads: "All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development. "\r The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights article 15 states that everyone has the right to a nationality and that no one should be arbitrarily deprived of a nationality or denied the right to change nationality.\r Indigenous peoples, also known as first peoples, aboriginal peoples, native peoples, or autochthonous peoples, are ethnic groups who are descended from and identify with the original inhabitants of a given region, in contrast to groups that have settled, occupied or colonized the area more recently. Groups are usually described as indigenous when they maintain traditions or other aspects of an early culture that is associated with a given region. Not all indigenous peoples share these characteristics.[clarification needed] Indigenous peoples may be either settled in a given locale/region or exhibit a nomadic lifestyle across a large territory, but are generally historically associated with a specific territory on which they depend. Indigenous societies are found in every inhabited climate zone and continent of the world.[1][2]\r Since indigenous peoples are often faced with threats to their sovereignty, economic well-being, and their access to resources on which their cultures depend, a special set of political rights in accordance with international law have been set forth by international organizations such as the United Nations, the International Labour Organization and the World Bank.[1] The United Nations has issued a Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to guide member-state national policies to collective rights of indigenous people—such as culture, identity, language, and access to employment, health, education, and natural resources. Estimates put the total population of indigenous peoples from 220 million to 350 million.[3]\r United Nations\r In 1972 the United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations (WGIP) accepted as a preliminary definition a formulation put forward by Mr. José R. Martínez-Cobo, Special Rapporteur on Discrimination against Indigenous Populations. This definition has some limitations, because the definition applies mainly to pre-colonial populations, and would likely exclude other isolated or marginal societies.[11]\r Indigenous communities, peoples, and nations are those that, having a historical continuity with pre-invasion and pre-colonial societies that developed on their territories, consider themselves distinct from other sectors of the societies now prevailing in those territories, or parts of them. They form at present non-dominant sectors of society and are determined to preserve, develop, and transmit to future generations their ancestral territories, and their ethnic identity, as the basis of their continued existence as peoples, in accordance with their own cultural patterns, social institutions and legal systems.\r The primary impetus in considering indigenous identity comes from the post-colonial movements and considering the historical impacts on populations by the European imperialism. The first paragraph of the Introduction of a report published in 2009 by the Secretariat of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues published a report,[12] states\r For centuries, since the time of their colonization, conquest or occupation, indigenous peoples have documented histories of resistance, interface or cooperation with states, thus demonstrating their conviction and determination to survive with their distinct sovereign identities. Indeed, indigenous peoples were often recognized as sovereign peoples by states, as witnessed by the hundreds of treaties concluded between indigenous peoples and the governments of the United States, Canada, New Zealand and others.[13]\r In May 2016, the Fifteenth Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) affirmed that indigenous people' (also termed aboriginal people, native people, or autochthonous people) are distinctive groups protected in international or national legislation as having a set of specific rights based on their linguistic and historical ties to a particular territory, prior to later settlement, development, and or occupation of a region.[14] The session affirms that since indigenous peoples are vulnerable to exploitation, marginalization, oppression, forced assimilation, and genocide by nation states formed from colonizing populations or by politically dominant, different ethnic groups, special protection of individuals and communities maintaining ways of life indigenous to their regions, are entitled to special protection.	The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights article 15 states that everyone has the right to a nationality and that no one should be arbitrarily deprived of a nationality or denied the right to change nationality. By denying me the right to vote you are depriving me of the right to "Nationality" This means that your policy is illegal!\rAny proposal you make MUST be in conjunction with the indigenous population of Scotland, please provide the vetting system used, the number of indigenous participants outwith local government, a list of all suggestions by active participants and details of the remit of all Crown employees in every stage of consultations. http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unpfii/documents/DRIPS_en.pdf
5904	670860269	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	I believe that EU citizens who are residing in Scotland should not have a vote on this issue . Scotland is part of the UK and the UK is exiting the EU so why should they have a say .
5905	421148037	Wendy houldsworth	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum	NO REFERENDUM	NO REFERENDUM
5906	1069995047	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I see no need for a further referendum. Mr Mackay claims there has been a constitutional change : there has not, as the United Kingdom still includes Scotland, and the United Kingdom is still a full member of the EU until such time as the Article 50 negotiations have been completed and the UK has actually exited the EU.\rMr Mackay's claim that the decision to hold a referendum lies with the Scottish parliament would seem to be at variance with the constitutional precedent, where the UK parliament had to give agreement to holding the 2014 referendum. However, should agreement be given to hold a second referendum, then the poll and counting management, if carried out as in normal elections, will be acceptable.\rThe campaigning of the SNP in the 2014 referendum was frequently unacceptable and should be better regulated. In particular, the use of the civil service to promote the SNP objectives was completely unconstitutional, and was seen by many impartial commentators to be completely wrong and an abuse of power.\rEligibility to vote should be extended to Scots who, for professional or employment reasons, may be temporarily non-resident for an extended period (e.g. several years ) which might include any proposed referendum. This has been a major omission both from the conduct of the 2014 referendum, and previous referendums on devolution prior to the setting up of the Scottish parliament.	The relaxation of criteria for eligibility for postal voting has now lead to widespread electoral fraud in certain areas. It is therefore reassuring that applications for postal votes would be more rigorously checked.	No comment.
5907	844278651	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am totally opposed to a new referendum and therefore have very negative views on any proposed arrangements for 'managing the referendum'	This is abuse of your status and a waste of time and effort by all. Ihave voted for the snp in the past. I voted to remain in the UK. I also voted to remain in the EU. Stop using my vote to remain in the EU to provide a mandate to the snp to hold a further referendum. Business and progress in Scotland has been on hold now for over four years due to referendums. We do not need another one. I wish to remain in Scotland and in the uk more than ever now.	Abusive use of government and a waste of time & resources.
5908	624368933	Peter Hynd	Individual	Individual	I agree with these proposals, with one vital addition\r That all eligible voters have to show Identification prior to voting, to prove they are who they say they are - eg. Photographic proof of ID like passport, driving Licence, Bus pass, etc. as well as the relevant polling cards. I believe that this is already planned for trial elsewhere in the UK.	I highly recommend that we move with the times and change the voting arrangements entirely to electronic online voting using a clear, verifiable system. This is perfectly possible.\rFailing that preferred option - \r I am in agreement with the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements, but for full publicly acceptable transparency of polling and counting I recommend the following additional arrangements be made.\r 1 - Postal votes to be held in publicly known secure locations locally in Scotland while waiting to be counted. Postal votes never to leave the country (Scotland) in any circumstance. Postal votes to be opened and counted in publicly scrutinised locations (counting halls) along with all other votes. \r 2- All polling stations and counts to be scrutinised by independent scrutineers from other countries in sufficient numbers to ensure total transparency. \r 3- All counting halls to be suitable for purpose and independently & publicly verified as acceptable venues.\r 4) Transportation of Ballot Boxes to be clearly, carefully and transparently monitored. Ballot Boxes to be transparent - Clear plastic or Toughened Glass. The number of votes in each ballot box to be tallied as count progresses and tally with other recordings of votes.\r 5) No Private Companies to be used for Administration, counting, handling and collating of the Ballot.\r 6) Clear Plans made for exit polling from all polling stations by independent polling organisations.\r 7) That voting must be carried out clearly in Black Ink, so the mark is permanent. No Pencils allowed. Therefore, less possibility for tampering.\r Please note: There was very widespread dissatisfaction re the polling and counting arrangements in the 2014 referendum with innumerable instances of alleged discrepancies - to the extent that a significant number of people came to the conclusion that the result was invalid and should be re-run. These proposals will help to minimise this.	I agree with these changes to rules on permissible participants.\r In addition, I recommend that only persons resident in Scotland and eligible to vote in Scotland in the Referendum should be permissible participants in campaigning. This would rule out any Politicians from other parts of the UK who are not resident in Scotland for example from being campaigns officers and other office bearers.
5909	442463924	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't want 16 and 17 year olds given the right to vote, nor those who remain here as eu citizens.\r I think the electoral commission should report to the electorate not the parliament.	I agree that those who have been campaigning should not be eligible to be involved in polling or count.	agree
5910	365238154	Brendan Hamill	Individual	Individual	I agreewith the proposed arrangements	I agree with the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements	I agree with the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants
5911	27782372	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is illegal for Scotland to hold a referendum without the approval of the UK parliament. If a referendum were to be approved by the U.K. Parliament, then a mJority of 60%+ should be resulted for a change.	The referendum should include those born in Scotland and now living in the rest of the UK.	None
5912	838028220	Marsha Scott	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Current rules for voter registration force many women experiencing domestic abuse in Scotland to choose between voting and safety. We know that the system for anonymous voter registration (AVR) is not working for women – last year in Lothians fewer than 10 women applied. If women experiencing domestic abuse are to be allowed to participate in democracy then a different approach is required, one where local Women’s Aid groups can support women in their applications rather than requiring police or social work involvement. AVR should last for longer than one year.\r In addition, one of the most exciting aspects of the 2014 referendum was the extraordinary high level of voter registration. I would encourage the government to consider options for facilitating easy, accessible, and family-friendly registration processes that would signal to those who have not voted recently that their voices count.
5913	167930908	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I do not think there should be a referendum. I think Nicola Sturgeon should get on with the job she is paid to do. Namely governing the country. The people have already stated that they do not want another referendum. The NHS and Education need attention urgently. Get on with it and stop trying to BULLY the country into your opinions.
5914	718229363	Andrew Dalziel	Individual	Individual	I don't think there should be a referendum at all. Scotland decided by a clear majority in 2014 to remain part of the UK. The UK decided as one nation to leave the EU in 2016. Both results should be respected by the Scottish government.	I am ok with all of that.	Ok with that.
5915	163516137	Graham Strawbridge	Individual	Individual	Another waste of time we had a referendum in 2014 and that should be the end of the matter. Hence I did not waste time reading your consultation paper. You manifesto also said you were going to run the country efficiently. Do that first and when we are in a world leading position maybe and only maybe then we should start this none sense again.	N/A	N/A
5916	1047771688	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Something as important as this should not be based on a simple majority of those who can be bothered voting. It must take account of the overall voting population, and those who don't vote should be counted as "no" votes.	No comments	No comments
5917	128245106	Thomas Paiva-Pennick	Individual	Individual	I find them acceptable.	These changes make sense.	I find these changes acceptable.
5918	288318780	NEIL BOYLE	Individual	Individual	NOT IMPRESSED	MUCH MORE IMPORTANT ISSUES CURRENTLY THAT REQUIRE TO BE ADDRESSED\r FOCUS ON RUNNING THE COUNTRY RATHER THAN PUTTING FORWARD A CASE FOR HAVING A REFERENDUM THAT YOU LOST ONLY TWO YEARS AGO	AS PREVIOUS ANSWER
5919	259972989	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Content with management though not with the rules regarding thresholds for turnout and majority. As we have seen with the EU referendum, for constitutional change a higher bar should be set to move from the status quo. Apart from anything else, this helps to ensure that a significant part of the population is behind the change and will work to make it successful.	Content with these	Content with these
5920	243719657	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The only points I want to make regarding the proposed referendum is that it is a total waste of time and taxpayers money. The Scottish people voted democratically and fairly to remain part of the UK and as such we have chosen to go with what our fellow British voters decided in the Brexit vote. It is a futile attempt on the First Minister's part to use Brexit as a means to get the outcome that SNP hoped for in 2014 but it needs to be underlined that the Scottish people have voted and that needs to be respected otherwise you are making a mockery of democracy. It is making people angry to feel like they weren't listened to and ruining the credibility of the First Minister and the SNP. I love my country but I do not feel independence from the UK is good for Scotland and now the Scottish government should be putting the time and money spent chasing this referendum on important matters like education, the NHS, policing. Whether or not we agree with Brexit this is what the majority voted for and now it is time to work together to ensure security, prosperity, stability and positive relations with other world leaders. However the First Minister is making Scotland look like a sulking child to the world and this is not the time for that.	No Answered	I feel lowering the voting age is wrong and yet another trick to try and get the vote the SNP want. I don't feel people this age are mature enough to vote. More education is needed so that an informed decision can be made, not just drawn into voting for whoever has the most appealing campaign. Perhaps politics and current affairs should be increased in schools if younger people are being asked to vote.
5921	191254386	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	I would wish a tighter control on postal voting, anacdotal evidence would sugest that property owners letting out , still register themselves for postal voting whilst not being resident.	I have no problems with the technical changes
5922	486618161	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements are the most appropriate.	The technical changes proposed are fair and just. It is quite correct that the people who make up Scotland today are those who have a say in its future. \r In particular, ensuring that EU citizens resident in Scotland is appropriate. Hitherto, many such persons would have considered taking the step of becoming naturalised British citizens an unnecessary one as we are all citizens of the European Union. However, the outcome of a referendum on Scotland's independence will also dictate whether Scotland remains in the EU; a decision which directly affects whether Scotland can remain home for such citizens and their families.\r Provision in relation to 16 and 17 year-old voters is doubly appropriate. First, Scots law presumes that at 16 one is able to make most decisions for oneself. For that reason the franchise has been extended and it would be ridiculous to make different arrangements for this referendum. Secondly, a referendum on Scotland's independence is inherently a decision about the future of Scotland and it's future citizens; one which is naturally of particular interest for our younger people.	These proposals are wholly appropriate.
5923	497588452	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not wish a second referendum and therefore have no views on this issue.	I do not wish a second referendum and therefore have no views on this issue.	I do not wish another referendum and therefore have no views on this issue.
5924	326294744	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I suggest that the Ballot Paper Question is wrong. We need to change the goal posts for the Unionists who are determined to prevent our Independence and we should start by acknowledging that Scotland is already recognised by the UN as a separate country with economic and political links to the UK. A more proactive question should be tabled e.g. "As an already separate country recognised as such by the UN, do you want Scotland to divorce itself from the economic and political contract it has with Westminster" \r Given the perceived problems relating to the First Independence referendum - and the apparent level of self-satisfaction that was expressed by the Electoral Commission - despite many claims being made across the country of "anomalies" I believe that an Independent Auditor (e.g. Norway or Denmark) should be invited to oversee all of the arrangements and to ensure that the whole process is robust and verified this time around.	I believe that tighter control should be placed on the postal vote and that these should only be allowed if the voter is incapacitated or has a bona-fide reason for being unable to attend the polling station.\r A change to the system would allow 100% audit / reconciliation of postal votes with the name of the registered voter and I would also like to see some form of personal identification being part of the postal vote ballot paper - e.g. where the voter could sign - or initial a box.	OK
5925	789407581	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are fine but a referendum at this time would be a desperately bad idea. There is no question of Scotland as an independent country within the EC governing its own affairs. It would have to work within the constraints laid down in Brussels and these can include very substantial and damaging financial controls. Look at Poland, Italy and particularly Greece.	Fine but the referendum should not be held.	No objections in principle but a referendum should simply NOT be held at this time.
5926	85964860	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The Scottish people have already voted on the referendum and it was decided we stay as part of the UK. I do not believe we should be even considering another referendum.	The Scottish people have already voted on the referendum and it was decided we stay as part of the UK. I do not believe we should be even considering another referendum.	The Scottish people have already voted on the referendum and it was decided we stay as part of the UK. I do not believe we should be even considering another referendum.
5927	802518837	J W Brown	Individual	Individual	Have an independent international body in place of the Electoral Commission, or at least to give a second check on how the the campaign is run by both sides - particularly regarding straight untruths from one side or other, but also how the media reports untrue facts without any checks being made.	No Answered	The postal vote arrangements should only be for those who cannot get to a polling station on polling day by reason of infirmity, distance from the polling station etc.
5928	23242129	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Scotland has made their views very clear at the last referendum. This should be respected . We do not require another referendum . We do not need more money wasted on this subject.\rI am completely opposed to a further referendum. Written and verbal promises were made during the 2014 campaign , including "Scotlands future" both by the then and current first ministers, it was a once in a lifetime or generation opportunity. The vote was desicive .	I do not wish another referendum . It was divisive and what is need now is a healing of our country.\rDo not hijack my "Remain” vote in the UK referendum as a reason to hold another Scottish referendum !\rThe Scottish people made their decision in 2014 .	I can't understand why the SNP government would entertain having rules dictated by the unelected in Brussels rather than our own members in Westminster where you have a large influence ?
5929	73231045	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The logistics seemed fine however I disagree with the eligibility criteria.\rAnyone born in Scotland should have the opportunity to vote should they wish.	As mentioned above, I disagree with the eligibility criteria which currently excludes Scottish born UK residents who currently live in other parts of the UK and indeed the world.\rFor many they have been forced to look elsewhere for work but may wish to return to Scotland on a permanent basis in the future.\rIf this is such an opportunity to decide Scotland 's future then surely these people should have an opportunity to contribute to the decision if they wish.\rIt seems slightly unfair that an EU citizen who happens to be in Scotland at the time of the vote but has no intention of staying permanently is eligible and yet the group I have mentioned already are not.	I have no strong opinion on this area.
5930	415426375	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements look the same as the arrangements for the referendum in 2014, which I believe was delivered fairly and transparently.	I'm happy with the proposed changes as they affirm the rights of 16 and 17 year-olds to vote in this referendum.	I have absolutely no issue with the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
5931	680702915	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A waste of time, you asked before and got your result. Do not waste more money on this and Govern our country	No Answered	Waste of time
5932	109757599	Alastair McCall	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	We have already had a full consultation at considerable expense which delivered a clear answer. A further consultation will be a complete waste of money. I any case, why does this SNP government continue to advocate Scotland to have her own voice apart from UK when they appear quite happy to devolve even more to Brussels. It is interesting that this Holyrood government appear to wish more centralisation ( Eg Police) in Scotland but, at the same time , want to give more say away to Europe. We already have a fair say over our own affairs; it only wants to be used a little (or a great deal) more wisely.
5933	452192721	Callum McNicoll	Individual	Individual	If there is to be another referendum the electoral commission must commission an independent review of the pros and cons of remain in uk/ independence from EU/independence from both EU and UK so that voters are basing there decisions on independent assessments. The Electoral Commision or some other independent analyst should also comment on the contents of published manifestos and statements so that misleading post-truth information such as appeared in the previous independence referendum and the EU referendum are minimised.	No Answered	In major referenda on constitutional issues, voting should be compulsory and over 50% of the total electorate should have to vote for for a change. This is a methodology adopted elsewhere for constitutional level referenda.\r A time limit should also be imposed as to how long must elapse before another referendum on the same subject can be held
5934	789055209	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Eligibility - closer scrutiny of voting registration of dual/multiple home owners to identify "flipping" for purposes of voting in an Independence referendum where the property in Scotland is not truly the prime residential address. \r Consider use of exit polls and properly non-UK Government aligned independent monitoring of all stages of progress of ballot papers from polling stations to count locations, including closer scrutiny of count process.\r Access to postal votes was alleged before the actual polling date and this may have been an influencing factor for some. There needs to be clarity to the public over what is and isn't permissible in terms of access to votes before the official vote is concluded.	Approve wholeheartedly these changes. I had grave concerns over the numbers of postal votes and the actual verifiable validity of them. All efforts should be made to ensure that only genuine votes are permitted and although not foolproof this goes a long way to improve the situation.	Fair enough.
5935	445785854	Robert Roddick	Individual	Individual	I would prefer that responsibility for counting was carried out by body which could not be perceived to have an interest in the result.	Sounds correct. Will perhaps help to allay the fears raised following 2014.	Billionaires from outwith Scotland should not be permitted to fund campaigns.
5936	419392909	Robert Taylor	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I do not think it is required.
5937	622051346	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Management arrangements seem ok.\r However , I feel that any plans to hold a new referendum on independence should be scrapped. I live and work in north east Scotland where the local economy has been devastated by the drop in the price of oil. The revenues predicted at the time of the 2014 referendum were vastly over estimated , at around $113 per barrel . With the price now hovering around $47 per barrel , the current predicted revenues would be much lower , but this does not appear to be taken into account yet. The proposed Scottish Government budgets do not seem to accept this.\r Thousands of jobs have been and still are being lost , and talk of another Referendum will simply destabilize any recovery.	Proposed changes seem ok.	Proposed changes seem ok.
5938	624565486	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum. The decision was made.\rThis would be undemocratic.	There should not be another referendum. The decision was made.\rThis would be undemocratic.	There should not be another referendum. The decision was made.\rThis would be undemocratic.
5939	676468328	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No need for another referendum.	Only Scottish born and resident in Scotland be allowed to vote.	No need for change
5940	227021351	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum.	I am happy with the technical changes in particular the permanent change to allow 16-17 year olds to participate in the vote and that a 100% identity check on postal votes will be mandatory.	I am happy with these proposed technical changes to procedure.
5941	165983419	David J Halliday	Individual	Individual	I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed arrangement for managing a second referendum.	I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the united Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements.	I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
5942	251837348	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't believe there should be another referendum. The 2014 result was consistent with current feelings in my area. It is the Scottish governments only ambition to have independence based on a skewed view on the result of the uk vote for eu membership. It wasn't a Scottish only vote. Another referendum will be a costly affair. There should only be another referendum if the snp agree to stand down when the people vote against the governments ambitions. Enough is enough.	No views	I don't believe 16 year olds have enough knowledge or world experience to vote on such an important event.
5943	33266627	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Having had a referendum in 2014 it is to early to have another one.	agree with what is proposed	Agree with the change
5944	171626893	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think to keep things fair any referendum, should one go ahead, should be run as close to the 2014 process as possible. I do see the benefit of asking the Electoral Commission to regulate and report to keep things as transparent as possible. Especially as if a refendum goes ahead there will be the sam ebad feeling ans divisions, if not worse, we had in 2014.	All would seem inclusive. I am glad to see that Scots resident outside Scotland are not included though as the decision should be down to those who it affects the most and not just due to a Scottish connection.	I agree that all dealings should be transparent and open to public scrutiny. Participants should also be encouraged to be non-partisan and should encourage tolerance rather than the divisivness that both sides where guilty of last time.
5945	808523008	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree that there should be a second referendum on Scottish independence. We had our vote in 2014 and a decision was reached which all parties agreed to accept. \rThe way the referendum was managed in 2014 seemed perfectly fair and reasonable to me.	As intimated previously, I do not agree that there should be a second referendum on Scottish independence.\rI welcome increased scrutiny of postal voting and have indeed been to see my MSP to express concern about the integrity of our current personal polling arrangements. We need to be sure that results are not skewed by electoral fraud and I would advocate that ID be shown when going to vote.	Please see the above response i.e. I do not accept that there is a case for a second referendum on possible Scottish independence.\r The changes as suggested are acceptable for future elections.
5946	190838742	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	there should be no future referendum	N/A	N/A
5947	900197137	John Mitchell	Individual	Individual	Arrangements seem fair but much depends on the wording of the referendum. That used in the last referendum was totally biased.	No Answered	Fine.
5948	769916398	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No second referendum should be allowed. \rWe said no and that needs to be respected.\rBrexit and Scottish independence are unrelated.	No comment as per first answer - this should not be required as as a country we said no. This needs to be respected.	No comment as per first answer - this should not be required as as a country we said no. This needs to be respected.
5949	548154814	Nigel Ellis	Individual	Individual	No strong views on the arrangements for managing the referendum.\rUnhappy that another referendum is taking place ignoring the will of the majority of Scottish voters at the 2014 referendum and using Brexit as an excuse.\r Scotland did not vote to stay in the EU.....it was a UK vote with the 2014 independence referendum defining subsequent national elections by Scots voters exercising their rights as UK voters, just as Londoners voted for Brexit as UK citizens not Londoners.	Satisfied with the proposed changes, but not really the important issue at stake here.	Supportive of the technical changes to the rules on permissible participants should this referendum take place.
5950	559835474	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is all ok, however I feel that the lack of a comprehensive exit poll last time was a real mistake. It meant misinformation from both 'Yes' and 'No' sides (on Facebook graphs were circulating showing that younger people voted yes and older people didn't , as well as graphs showing that there was no age separation- both can't be right!) In the current climate of fake news a properly conducted impartial comprehensive opt-out exit poll would be really helpful I think.	I wish that anyone resident in Scotland would be entitled to vote (e.g. US citizens living here, refugees building a life here). \r I am very happy this is done on residency, it is the only way to do this- anyone who says we should look at Scottish nationality etc. or that English people can't vote is frankly needs their minds changing. \rIn that spirit, if the referendum goes ahead- please publicise WHY residency is the only progressive way to do this- educate those who want to disenfranchise UK citizens from voting- at least into keeping their opinions to themselves!	I'm sure this is fine I don't really understand it
5951	898436514	John Parham	Individual	Individual	I have no views on this matter. \r The Scottish electorate voted by a majority of 55% to 45% to reject Independence in 2014. At that time the Scottish government conceded that no further referendum would be sought for a generation. There is no justification for reneging on that pledge.	I have no views on this matter. \r The Scottish electorate voted by a majority of 55% to 45% to reject Independence in 2014. At that time the Scottish government conceded that no further referendum would be sought for a generation. There is no justification for reneging on that pledge.	I have no views on this matter. \r The Scottish electorate voted by a majority of 55% to 45% to reject Independence in 2014. At that time the Scottish government conceded that no further referendum would be sought for a generation. There is no justification for reneging on that pledge.
5952	888684079	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not accept there is any need for a 2nd Referendum. A clear majority 55-45 for NO\rwas made in September 2014. The SNP clearly stated that the result would be respected\rand there would be no further referendum for a generation!! Therefore I have no views on proposed arrangements for managing another referendum.	I do not accept there is any need for a 2nd Referendum. A clear majority 55-45 for NO\rwas made in September 2014. The SNP clearly stated that the result would be respected\rand there would be no further referendum for a generation!! Therefore I have no views on proposed technical procedures	I do not accept there is any need for a 2nd Referendum. A clear majority 55-45 for NO\rwas made in September 2014. The SNP clearly stated that the result would be respected\rand there would be no further referendum for a generation!! Therefore I have no views on proposed changes on permissible participants
5953	595241418	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As the management and regulation of the referendum are referenced against the previuous referendum, Scottish Parliament and local elections, as well as using the Electoral Commission to report to the Scottish Parliament, I find these arrangements acceptable.	The changes encompass inclusivity rules and safeguards to ensure a fair referendum.	Acceptance of the Electoral Commission’s report on the 2014 referendum have been taken in to account with these changes to increase safeguards, which I find very acceptable.
5954	6636934	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	doesn't seem to be any section for outlining views on principle of holding a 2nd referendum in first place, does this mean that a 2nd referendum is a foregone conclusion?\r on this matter while there was an unequivocal vote to stay in eu there was also an unequivocal vote to remain in uk, this would have been in full knowledge that decisions would be made that affect UK as a whole which seems to be totally ignored here. I'd question why the 1st referendum is being ignored and whether it is in best interests of country to move into more periods of uncertainty and division until it appears that we get a result that those in favour of independence are satisfied with.	no issues	no issues
5955	182780378	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As far as I am aware the Electoral Commission is not answerable to the Scottish Parliament.	Stricter criteria should be applied to those eligible to vote. For example, students from elsewhere in the UK (normally resident at their parental address, for example)should not be permitted to vote. Second homes owners should not be permitted to vote at that address. There are circumstances in which members of the Armed forces may be viewed in a similar way to students (i.e. the sudden registration of thousands of new members of the Armed Forces not previously resident would give rise to concern).\r Postal voting is thoroughly unsatisfactory and insecure. The right to secure such a vote should be severely curtailed in all but extreme cases. The procedures should be tightened up considerably (e.g. they should not be opened or counted until polling day). They should not be submitted until the last possible moment (i.e. a few days in advance). They should be subject to spot checks after the count.\r The Counting Officers must be held accountable for their actions. All election officials should be asked to submit in writing their declaration that they are not members of political parties and that they were not involved in campaigning. Penalties should apply for false declarations.	It will be very difficult to prevent limitless expenditure on one side. The media can , more or less, say and do whatever they wish. In electoral campaigning terms that is worth millions. Expert think tanks can produce press releases and reports to order. I am not sure that that is controlled by electoral law. The official campaigns are a small part of the real expenditure (e.g. it is quite clear that in 2014 UK government departments devoted many resources to political campaigning).
5956	1059526196	Robert Gillespie of Blackhall	Individual	Individual	In order to win a leave vote, the referendum should be a double vote for leave the union + stay in the community.\rI would rather be Scots and European than an isolated Englishman.	It would be a shame that as a Scot born, but non resident, I woud be excluded from voting.	No opinion
5957	59877143	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	It is about time Qeen Nicola gave up trying to be a state like politician & got on with the job she was elected for. The SNP have been in power for nearly ten years & have missed every target set out in thier manifesto. If you don't believe me read the Scottish Daily Express today (9.1.2017) Give up the indyref2 blakmail threats & work with Westminster instead of blaming them for everything. We are one nation & long may it remain so. Most of the people I speak to are fed up to the back teeth with the continual threats of another referendum when it was supposed to be once in a lifetime. Nothing especially has changed that scenario other than the majority of the electorate wanting, quite rightly, to get out of the corrupt, unelected European Union which within the next 5/10 years will have completely collapsed. Britain is far stronger than the combined EU & Scotland, if it were independant, heaven help us, would be broke within the first 12 months & Queen Nicola would have to tax us into oblivion to make ends meet. GIVE IT UP & ACTUALLY START TO GOVERN THE COUNTRY FORR THE BENEFIT OF THE POPULATION.
5958	940739783	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Scotland does not need another referendum, therefore there should be no need of 'proposed arrangements'. This is a loaded question to infer there is a mandate to hold a second referendum.	Given the UK's impending departure from the EU (I voted to remain) it is inequitable for ROI and other EU citizens to hold a vote when, for example, non-resident Scots do not	No comments
5959	310085759	Iam H Buchanan	Individual	Individual	I have no issues on the management of any referendum.	Technical changes are sensible.	Again, changes appear sensible.,
5960	453382178	Antony Harrison	Individual	Individual	The Scottish Government is breaking the Edinburgh Agreement by pushing for a second independence referendum. It has no mandate whatsoever to hold one, and is going against the democratic will of the people of Scotland, when a decision was made in 2014 to stay in the UK. If, however, it continues to ignore public opinion and brings a Referendum Bill before the Scottish Parliament, I recommend the following:\rVoters should be able to go to the polls feeling confident that they are making an informed decision based on facts. I believe that an independent 'Truth Commission' should be set up that both sides respect, as a fact checker to review areas of dispute.	I welcome the continued inclusion of 16 and 17 year olds.\r The wording of the referendum should be reviewed. 'YES' can seem more positive than 'NO', and lead to an unfair advantage.	I believe describing the UK Parliament as the Westminster Parliament (paragraph 3.1) is a deliberate attempt by the Scottish Government to make it sound remote and undermine its legitimacy in Scotland. The Scottish Government should refrain from doing this.
5961	74371724	Mrs Barbara Prettyman	Individual	Individual	I concur that the management should mirror that of the 2014 referendum.	All changes made are of a sensible and positive nature to close all possible loopholes in the system.	These changes are necessary to ensure transparency and accountability for all future elections.
5962	436034187	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Steps should be included to ensure that management of a referendum is not only independent, but is clearly able to be seen as open and transparent. However, no referendum should be held, as the 2014 referendum result remains valid.	Agree the proposed changes, subject to there being rigorous checks in place to ensure that they are fully and properly implemented. However, no referendum should be held, for reason as above	No comment, as no referendum should be held for reason as above
5963	476260063	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think it was badly managed last time. To prevent allegations of vote tampering, there should be a lot more security in place and use an international electoral commission with all voting also registered electronically and easily accessible to members of the public who can check on their own vote. It was too open to manipulation.	The act specific mentioned above is 2013. Since there was incredible allegations of fraud, tampering, boxes being exchanged before getting to the counting offices and many more, I doubt it is secure enough. It should be changed to be more accessible and accountable in the event of further allegations.	Seems fine
5964	90611783	PAUL PRETTYMAN	Individual	Individual	IT MAKES SENSE THAT ELECTIONS OPERATE TO THE SAME RULES AND REGULATIONS AS THIS WILL CUT OUT ERRORS THAT COULD OCCUR IF DIFFERENT SYSTEMS ARE OPERATED	16 & 17 YEAR OLDS ARE NOW IN THE SYSTEM AND NO FURTHER LEGISLATION IS REQUIRED. I LIKE THE TIGHTENING OF ID CHECKS ETC WHICH WILL CLOSE LOOPHOLES IN POSTAL VOTING. I APPROVE OF THE NOW RULES FOR PROXY VOTES.\r THE NEW RULES FOR POLLING/ COUNTING STAFF ARE SENSIBLE.	ALL ELECTIONS MUST BE TRANSPARENT & PEOPLE WORKING IN THEM SHOULD BE \rFULLY ACCOUNTABLE.
5965	731694581	Graham Murphy	Individual	Individual	The SNP should drop any proposals for a new referendum for the seperation from the UK. It is not the wish of the Scottish people as evidenced by the 2014 referendum. They do not have a mandate to push for a referendum. We chose to remain within the UK in 2014 and latest polls suggest the majority of Scots would still prefer to remain within the UK than severe our historic ties and be governed by bureaucrats in Brussels. The SNP should stop wasting valuable time and resources on a centuries old notion of independence and start working to build better and stronger Scotland within the UK.	See previous question.	See question 1.
5966	500041591	John Oldham	Individual	Individual	Overview\rThe preamble to the consultation states that: " The current Scottish Government was elected with a clear mandate that the Scottish Parliament should have the right to hold an independence referendum if there was clear and sustained evidence that independence had become the preferred option of a majority of the Scottish people – or if there was a significant and material change in the circumstances that prevailed in 2014, such as Scotland being taken out of the EU against our will." \rThe first part of this conditional statement (that a referendum may be held if there is clear evidence of a majority wish of the Scottish people) is sufficient. The second part (OR if there is a material change) suggests that a referendum may be held even if there is no clear evidence of a wish for it on the part of a clear majority of the Scottish people. The available evidence (from opinion polls) is that there is no majority wish for independence. The SNP have recently tested the opinions of up to a third of the population on their views. The mechanism and raw data from that exercise should be offered to a truly independent third party organisation to test the validity of the questioning and, if found to be acceptable, to analyse the raw data to test whether there is a wish for a referendum on independence by a clear majority. Only if there is unequivocal evidence of a majority wish of the population to proceed to a referendum should one be held (with all of its consequential costs).\r The Question\rThere was concern during the 2014 referendum that the phrasing of the question was not as well balanced as it might be. Inevitably a vote for 'Yes' sounds, and potentially feels, more positive than a vote for 'No' simply because of the nature of the words 'Yes' and 'No'. I suggest that, if there is to be another referendum, the wording is changed to:\r "Should Scotland:\rRemain within the United Kingdom or\rBecome an independent country"\r A Simple Majority\rI do not agree that a referendum on constitutional change of the magnitude of independence or not should be decided by a simple majority of those who elect to vote. Reductio ad absurdum would allow, by this approach, the future of a state to be decided by one individual if she or he is the only one who turns out to vote. \rFew, if any, major companies would allow major constitutional change without a very clear majority of share-holders (two-thirds or three-quarters would be normal). The outcome of the 2016 EU referendum in the UK shows clearly the damage to cohesiveness that can arise when a minority of the electorate, but a narrow majority of those who voted, elects for a major change. \rWhatever the precedents in the UK and Western Europe may be lessons should be learned and, at an absolute minimum, a requirement for a MAJORITY OF THE WHOLE ELECTORATE be required to decide a referendum on independence.\r Proposed split of responsibilities\rThe suggestions are appropriate\r Eligibility to vote\rI remain surprised that we give the responsibility to determine the future of a state to those who we do not trust with appropriate judgement to buy alcohol or cigarettes.	Apart from my reservations on voting age (see response to Question 1) the arrangements seem to be appropriate.	The arrangements seem to be appropriate.
5967	506113108	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum.	There should not be another referendum.	There should not be another referendum.
5968	929541867	Anne Loney	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I do not feel that another referendum is necessary. Firstly the Scottish people have already said no to an independent Scotland and should not have to vote again, a few years later. Secondly, we don't know what will happen after the Brexit negotiations. Another referendum is just not justifiable in my opinion.
5969	568712440	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There are so many unknowns in what 'Brexit' will actually look like that it is WRONG for the SNP (under the guise of Scottish Goverment) to make it more difficult for electors (particularly, but not exclusively, those that live in Scotland) to think clearly about all the options that have to be considered by introducing the additional complication of Scottish Independence.\rDo not muddy the waters further. Wait until the details of Brexit are known (and preferably in place) and then decide whether to proceed with a second Independence Referendum.
5970	884355369	Paul Brownsey	Individual	Individual	A referendum with a threshold of 50%+1 is no way to determine the settled will of the Scottish people. To claim that the Scottish people are in favour of a certain course of action when just 50%+1 of those voting are in favour is unreasonable. Such an outcome can reflect all sorts of accidents or temporary factors. That is why organizations often require a two-thirds majority for major and irreversible constitutional: if two thirds vote for something, that is a good sign that it does not represent merely a passing mood but reflects a deeply held and very widespread view.	No Answered	Eligibility to vote should not be confined to Scottish residents. It is manifestly unfair that people who have not made their home outside Scotland but are temporarily resident outside Scotland because they are, for example, students or on some work secondment programme, should be denied in a voice in the future of the country they regard as their home.
5971	397930893	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed arrangements for managing a second referendum.	No referendum is necessary therefore no comment. The government should utilise scarce and expensive resources to manage the country rather than persisting with dogma.	No referendum is necessary therefore no comment. The government should utilise scarce and expensive resources to manage the country rather than persisting with dogma.
5972	35453310	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am in agreement	I am happy with them	I agree
5973	261159251	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In agreement as set out above.	Agree with the proposals.	Agree with the proposed changes as set out above
5974	577976830	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The power to hold a referendum on independence is not delegated to the Scottish Parliament.. the electoral commission would be acting outside of the law.\rThis consultation looks primarily at process. It should include information on the powers of bodies to hold a referendum. \rIt should also cover whether this is to be a secret ballot. Comments by the previous First Minister, and analysis of the ballot seems to indicate that this was not the case in the previous ballot.\rThere is no mention of a 'qualifying majority'. Practice, even in 3rd world counties, is that a majority greater than 1 (usually 10 to 15%) is required for constitutional change.	The franchise should include Scots resident elsewhere in the U.K. Many people are driven South to take up jobs, given the poor economic performance of Scotland over the last 5 decades. The Nation should decide, not just those within the geographic boundary, many of whom have few historic ties to Scotland.\rAlso everyone voting, or proxy voting should be required to present identification equivalent to that required of a person collecting a package from the post office.	These rules refer to elections. A referendum is a plebecite. Only individuals should be allowed to contribute. Only 2 groups should be allowed to campaign.
5975	164861239	Kelvin McFadyen	Individual	Individual	I do not believe there should be another referendum, therefore my views on the arrangements are not relevant. The holding of a referendum will not achieve anything but more uncertainty. If independence is achieved there is no guarantee that Scotland will be accepted into the EU. We would need to meet the entry requirements, which is not certain and could take many years, leaving us in a wilderness. Would one of the entry requirements be our having the Euro as our currency? An independent Scotland in the EU with the rump of the UK out will adversely affect our trade, which is currently significantly greater with the rest of the UK than with the EU. We would be looking at having customs and immigration controls with the English border. Our road borders are impossible to police effectively without more resources. Independence would necessitate establishing more government departments to assume the responsibilities of those still centralised. This could lead to the loss of experienced staff currently based in Scotland who view their career paths nationally, let alone the problems of recruiting competent staff for the new departments. There would also be the need for a massive legislative programme to enact the protections current UK legislation provides.\rI voted to remain in the EU but do not think another independence referendum will get Scotland back or keep it in. The last referendum was very divisive and another so soon after could be more so. The Scottish Government should concentrate on sorting out all the other problems we have with the health service, police etc etc.	See 1. above.	See 1. above
5976	624620487	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We should NOT be having another referendum, we, sorry, the Scottish Government under Alex Salmond stated that the 2014 Referendum would be a once in a lifetime opportunity. That should be rigidly stuck to!! The Scottish Government should be doing what it was elected to do and that is make Scotland stronger, not fight against the Tories or anyone else for that matter.\rI voted for Independence in 2014 I won't if this unneeded Bill progresses.	None	None
5977	670466578	Redacted text	Individual	Individual	As a Scot I voted to remain in Britain in September 2014 and in June 2016 I voted for Britain to remain in the EU. In September 2014 Scotland decided decisively to remain in Britain and in June 2016 Britain voted narrowly to come out of Europe. I would have preferred Britain to have voted to remain in the EU but this is a democratic country and I respect the rights of the majority. Yes, there are areas of Britain where the majority vote was to stay in the EU. Likewise, there are areas where the majority wished to leave. They just happen to outnumber those wishing to stay. That is democracy! Either you believe in it and practice it or who knows what the future will hold for us if every time we don't like the outcome of a referendum we keep rerunning them until we get the result we want! With this in mind a Draft Referendum Bill is undemocratic and unnecessary.	N/A	N/A
5978	477063057	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If a referendum does take place, the proposal for which I strongly oppose, the proposed management arrangements are adequate. However, since the root cause of the need for a referendum is the Brexit vote, the discrepancy between age eligibility to vote (16+) in these arrangements does not sit comfortably with the age eligibility to have voted in the EU referendum. In other words, voters will have the opportunity to influence the Scottish outcome when they were denied this in the UK vote. This does not provide a democratic mandate.\r In addition, since the current Scottish government clearly has a difficulty comprehending the definition of 'constituency' in relation to the EU vote (i.e. the UK as a whole) will reporting the count by local government area similarly give rise to the ability of some localities to claim they are not part of the overall result if they have voted contrary to the national outcome?	The discrepancy of 16 and 17 year olds being eligible to vote in a Scottish referendum when they did not have that opportunity in the EU referendum is not acceptable.	No comment to make.
5979	416074040	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Those who were born in Scotland should have a vote in this referendum. Absurd that EU residents who happen to be in Scotland at the time of the vote and English residents who happen to be students at a Scottish University at the time should vote. They have no long term stake in Scotland.\rThe wording of the question should not be the same as in 2014 as that already has an in-built bias towards 'Yes'.\rFor such a change which cannot be altered in the future either 50% of the electorate or at least 60% of those voting should be required for any change in the constitution. There is no precedent for a referendum on such an enormous change so intense debate is required. I find the narrow questions asked are not a proper consultation. Also I object to the statement that the result of the Scottish Goverment election gave a mandate on holding a referendum under certain circumstances. I must remind you that SNP do not have an overall majority and did not even receive as much as 50% of the vote	No Answered	My views are as above. This is sich a huge constitutional change [ for ever into the future] that the rules should reflect those who have a very long term stake in Scotland not a short term 'residency'
5980	822296308	Eric Thain	Individual	Individual	Place it in the archive file for attention by the next generation in 25 years' time. This generation has democratically rejected the idea of independence, and the Scottish Government categorically accepted the result and this consequence. Seeking a pretext to reverse that is effectively a breach of trust.	Any major constitutional change requiring a referendum, whether concerned with independence or some other change, should require a two-thirds majority to approve the change. This fraction has traditionally worked well for legal changes in companies and other organisations, requiring a clear enough majority to avoid interminable marginal disputes.	Only individual tax payers (income or property) who are British Citizens and are and have been continuously resident in Scotland during the previous three years should be authorised to vote in any constitutional referendum, plus their spouse.
5981	719108529	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	I want any question to be clear and I question whether we could be clear as to the underlying facts in any Pre -Brexit referendum	Only British citizens resident in Scotland eligible to vote.
5982	257166555	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Necessary legislation in view of the situation we currently find ourselves in and the out ome of which we know little about at the present moment in time.	I would include a safeguard for voting on behalf of other people which is of course illegal, which I have witnessed.\rAs an agency healthcare worker working in multiple Nursing Homes across the Highland area in 2014, I was horrified to witness verbal coercion by managers, relatives and carers.\rThis was done 'on behalf' of residents who had moderate to severe dementia and I can catagorically confirm that they had no understanding of the facts and had been assessed by doctors as 'not having capacity'. \rManagers of those Homes , having already pressured their staff, to vote NO, by way of job threats,were now asked to pressure residents. It should be made very clear in any future referendum, that if you have been deemed not to have capacity, then you should not vote and your relative or staff cannot vote 'on your behalf ' and and that you are committing fraud and will be prosecuted.	Fine
5983	237358220	William Grant	Individual	Individual	OK	OK	OK
5984	229318549	Alistair Gray	Individual	Individual	Agree.	Agree.\r I remain concerned about the possibility of postal votes being abused. There is evidence of this in UK General Elections, and the level of turnout for postal voters in the 2014 referendum was so high (I believe 97% in some cases) as to raise suspicions that it was artificially inflated.\r My general view is that postal voting is hard to police and should be done away with, except in restricted circumstances (personal immobility, service men and women overseas, etc.).	Agree.
5985	847145105	Robin Thomson	Individual	Individual	Agree	No Answered	Agree with residency qualifies voter to vote. Also that 16 and 17 year olds should have a vote.
5986	977377073	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe an independent Scottish Parliamentary body should be set up to run and regulate any future referendum. Vote boxes need to be double sealed and fully tamper proof, an opportunity passed by in 2014 by the Yes campaign. This makes sure all votes are safe and there can be no interference.	There must be extra provisions put in place to safeguard the integrity of postal voting, as it is became clear that in 2014 postal vote applications were being applied for and actively filled out by No campaign volunteers for individuals who were deemed as supporters. almost 25% of all votes cast were in the form of postal votes - a disproportionate amount.\r Also, the counting of postal votes should be done the same evening as the main vote count, as in 2014 it was broadcast on TV weeks before the vote that the No campaign knew they were doing well because early samples of opened postal votes suggested so, with Ruth Davidson even being investigated by the police for knowing the result of these votes before the vote had even been finalised.	I feel the one change needed for any future referendum is that rich individuals with a clear bias should not be permitted to participate or campaign. There should be two campaigns and registered supporters of said campaigns - not individual additional campaigners.\r As we saw in 2014, lots of "grassroots" campaigns popped up at the last minute and were advertised by the media as being independent and run by ordinary people, when it turned out they were fronts backed by rich individuals with no real ordinary members or grassroots operations.
5987	363289638	Oliver Drake	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
5988	898967974	David Nicol	Individual	Individual	I agree with the split of responsibilities, and support the proposal that eligibility to vote should be the same as for Scottish Parliament and local government elections.	The proposed changes in respect of emergency proxies, checking of personal identifiers and the rules on polling and count staff are all sensible and proportional measures.	These changes are sensible
5989	120463544	gavin weir	Individual	Individual	I am happy that the proposed referendum will be on the same grounds as the previous referendum.	I am content with the proposals.	I am content with these proposals.
5990	238212200	Bruce R Ewen	Individual	Individual	It is my view that referenda of this constitutional magnitude require special provisions and should NOT be managed and regulated in the same manner as Scottish Parliamentary, European and Local elections. That is to say that a "simple majority" may not deliver a clear decision and can lead to a divided nation as evidenced in the outcome of the 2014 Scottish Independence referendum and the 2015 European Union membership referendum. \rI am firmly of the opinion that a two thirds majority should be required. Moreover, for such a referendum, consideration should be given to a requirement for compulsory voting for all registered electors. If this is a decision for the "people of Scotland", then all eligible voters should vote.\rMoreover, in the 2014 Referendum, 4,283,392 were registered to vote. 3,623,344 valid votes were counted. Had the outcome been 1,811,673 versus 1,811,671 in either case, would 2 votes have constituted "a majority"? Would such a result have been accepted by the Chief Registration Officer as a valid decision? Within the unavoidable counting errors, what constitutes a majority? This was not explained at the time of the referendum nor since. Having a higher qualifying majority eliminates such a question. \r An alternative approach would be to set the qualifying majority at 50%+1 of the number of registered electors. In the case of 2014 such a qualification would have required 2,141,697 votes or 59.1% of the valid votes cast.	No Answered	Given that the second, proposed referendum could result in separation of Scotland from the United Kingdom, and despite the logistical difficulties, the franchise should be extended to include all Scottish born UK residents. Their opinion (vote) should be included.
5991	814465426	Wilma Hughes	Individual	Individual	Given that the local councils manage the counts, transport the ballot boxes, what steps are being taken to prevent the various anomalies that occurs in the 2014 referendum. The councils were at that time Unionist councils. We do not yet know who they will be at the next referendum.\r Anomalies - \rThe seals on the boxes not being verified on departure and arrival at the counting station. Boxes travelling unaccompanied.\r There must be NO opportunity for the ballots to be tampered with at any stage. Representatives from both sides of the campaign must accompany the boxes at all times.\rIn addition, there must be the possibility of recounts to prevent counters moving ballots from one bundle to the other as happened in 2014. Video evidence clearly showed this occurring. Yes ballots being moved to No bundles. There must be constant and close observation by independent non uk personnel.	The eligibility to vote excludes Scottish nationals currently living abroad, but includes EU nationals currently living in Scotland. This I believe needs to be tightened up. I was born and lived in Scotland, to Scottish parents for 55 years of my life. I have no vote because I currently live abroad. I still pay tax into the UK on my pension. Yet I have no say in the future of my country. However, in general elections, I can register to vote within 15 years of leaving UK. In this case the elected body is only there for 4 years. In the case of the referendum the result is forever. \r Conversely, a young student from my village in Bulgaria went to Glasgow University to study, he had a vote, yet he has no links to, or loyalty to Scotland. Indeed he has said he wants to go to England to work after he attains his FREE degree in Scotland. There are also many English living in Scotland, and allegations in 2014 that many were renting apartments a few months before the referendum in order to register and obtain a vote, and vote No in the referendum.\rIn the draft bill I see no change to try to prevent both of these things occurring. There should be a minimum residence time imposed for those non Scottish nationals who wish a vote, and it must be years, not months. In order to get on the electoral register you should have to provide proof of residence for say, 5 years.	No comment on this section
5992	970071371	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This consultation does NOT include an ability to comment on the fundamental question "Should Scotland be an independent country?" In my opinion the phrasing of this question leads the responder to believe that sovereignty over the affairs of Scotland will be controlled by the Scottish parliament. As the Scottish government insists that an independent Scotland remains a member or becomes a member of the EU then sovereignty will be passed to the EU. Unless all prospects of an independent Scotland becoming an EU member are dropped then the question should include reference to an independent Scotland also being a member of the EU.	The eligibility to vote should be the same as if it were a general election. A second independence referendum could cause profound constitutional changes to the UK including Scotland and only British citizens, qualifying Commonwealth citizens or citizens of the Republic of Ireland, not subject to any legal incapacity to vote must make this choice.\r As the ability for 16 and 17 year olds to vote has already been enacted into Scottish legislation they will be allowed to vote. Although I disagree with this provision.	No comment
5993	604161759	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is an irrelevant question as the SNP were not elected with a clear mandate that the Scottish Parliament should have the right to hold an independence referendum if there was clear and sustained evidence that independence had become the preferred option of a majority of the Scottish people – or if there was a significant and material change in the circumstances that prevailed in 2014, such as Scotland being taken out of the EU against our will. None of these questions were asked or presented in the elections. If they were, where are they?	Disagree, 16/17 year olds should not be eligible.	No opinion.
5994	292235270	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fully agree with the arrangements.	No Answered	Fully agree with the changes
5995	218444280	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would support the same arrangements as set out for the 2014 referendum	I support the residency concept and that 16 and 17 year olds should be able to vote	These proposals seem acceptable.
5996	681302516	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	they are nonsense. There was a referendum two years ago and the result is clear. At the time of the referendum the scottish people were aware that the conservatives planned an EU referendum. The referendum question made no mention of the EU. The Scottish National Party said there would not be another for a generation. The attempt to hold another one is deceitful and dishonest. Everyone know it apart from the nationalists who ignore all the facts except those that support their extremist views. They are basically undemocratic fascists.	waste of money that should go into the NHS	I would not trust the Scottish Government to run a childrens birthday party game without trying to fix the outcome
5997	984137533	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	1. This consultation is deficient. It ignores the real issue, which is "Should there be a further independence referendum at all?"\r2. The answer to that question must be "No". That being the case, the process issues set out in the consultation are irrelevant.\r3. The result of the 2014 independence referendum - that Scotland will remain within the United Kingdom - was to be valid 'for a generation' (as indicated by the then First Minister). A generation is commonly regarded as being 30 years.\r4. The Edinburgh Agreement, signed by the then First Minister, stated that the parties would respect the outcome of the referendum. \r5. By proposing, or planning for, a second independence referendum, the First Minister is wilfully disregarding the will of the Scottish people. \r6. The First Minister now says that the will of the Scottish people expressed in the EU referendum to remain in the EU must be respected - how can she say this when she disregards the will of the Scottish people as regards the 2014 independence referendum?\r7. All voters knew at the time of the independence referendum that there was to be a referendum on EU membership in 2016. The eventual result was always a possibility, and is not, therefore, a material change in circumstances.\r8. A majority of Scottish voters favoured the UK's continued membership of the EU, but the First Minister must not assume that these voters now want independence. Many Scots voted 'No' in the independence referendum, and 'Remain' in the EU referendum. They respect the result of the EU referendum, but do not wish Scotland to leave the UK.\r9. The government must understand that the majority of Scots want it to set aside its constitutional obsession and concentrate instead on running the country.
5998	924410887	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine	Postal voting should be kept to a minimum.	Fine
5999	657375080	Jean Park	Individual	Individual	These arrangements are fair. By and large, there is trust in Scotland for the officials who manage/run our elections and democratic processes. It is also fair that all those who would be affected by the outcome of the referendum should have a vote, including young people (16-17 year-olds) and, in present circumstances, EU citizens. Is there any reason why other foreign citizens who have rights of residency in Scotland, eg through marriage or employment, should not have a vote?	Why are British citizens registered to vote in Scotland but currently resident elsewhere, for whatever reason, not allowed a vote?\r Given the controversy (justified or not) over postal votes in the last referendum, close scrutiny of these is essential.	Fine.
6000	512583326	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	My purpose in responding to this consultation is simply to express my unqualified opposition to a fresh referendum. In light of my principled opposition I feel it is not appropriate for me to express views on the proposed arrangements.\r My vote in the 2016 referendum relating to EU membership, was in favour of the UK leaving the EU, and that remains my view. Those who voted were not expressing an opinion relating to Scotland and the EU. They were expressing a view relating to the UK and the EU. The present Scottish Government ignores that simple and salient fact. No great insight is needed to know why that is! In this whole exercise the Scottish Government is pursuing its narrow nationalist agenda, demonstrating its contempt for the result of the 2014 referendum, and its scant regard for the welfare of Scots.
6001	844534427	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	would like to see referendum in 2018	No Answered	Questions should be simple to answer.\r16 to 17 year olds should be able to vote, and also other Europeans who live and work in Scotland
6002	829398335	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Postal Votes should remain in Scotland to be controlled/counted. Media reports state they went to England ?	No Answered	"British citizens resident in Scotland" only if resident in Scotland > 10 years. The burden of proof lies with that individual. Evidence to be submitted to local electoral staff.
6003	202032061	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Appropriate measures	No Answered	Great to see 16-17 year olds included,
6004	377451797	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't think we need another referendum. The result was clear and I see nothing new to make me vote yes.	I disagree with the inclusion of 16 & 17year olds in any election. I was involved with the SNP at that age, persuaded by great spokesmen, however, with the benefit of maturity, realise just how subtlety my thinking was manipulated.	I agree the whole process needed to be tightened up.
6005	915455462	William Gibson	Individual	No Answered	Individual	I would like to see an exit poll taken as is normally carried out at election polling	chapter 3 states that\r3.8 It is not proposed that there should be any grants of public money to those who wish to campaign.\r This should include the UK goverment using public money to send mail shots and any other campaigning carried out at the publics expense.
6006	826021175	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be international observers from the UN and/or from the EU especially in the counting process of votes and postal votes and to ensure that postal votes are not opened in advance of the polls closing. \rIt would be preferable to have no postal votes at all as that seems to be where problems arise. Proxy voting should be encouraged for absentee voters.	Second home owners from outside Scotland should have no opportunity to vote.	Acceptable
6007	988657648	Ewan Scott	Individual	Individual	I support independence, immediately.	II support independence,, immediately.	The English should not be allowed a vote.
6008	105407857	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals	I agree with the proposed changes	I agree with the propose changes to rules
6009	934513212	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposals for the management and regulation of the referendum align closely with the arrangements used successfully to deliver a fair and transparent referendum in 2014.	No Answered	I agree that 16 and 17 year-olds will, as was the case in 2014, be able to vote in this referendum if they have reached the age of 16 by the day of the poll.
6010	300594957	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I misunderstood the purpose of this consultation. I do not want or support another referendum.
6011	261028060	David Skene	Individual	Individual	Happy with these proposals.	Happy with these proposals and delighted to see 16 and 17 year old voters able to participate without the need for separate registration.	Happy with these proposals.
6012	213422894	Mrs J Nowicki	Individual	Individual	As long as paper ballots can be recounted if there is any doubt, I have no other comment to make.	It seems fair enough - I still don't understand how you can verify a postal vote.	I can't see any problems with the above.
6013	674194199	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements seem sensible and in line with good practice although additional measures to ensure the referendum is conducted fairly by all participants would be welcome, particularly in relation to activity covered in Chapter 2.	No Answered	The proposed changes fall short of what should be required. A referendum on the country's constitutional future is not the same as a periodic election and so I believe the franchise and procedures for voting should be subject to additional requirements and safeguards to ensure trust and confidence in the vote and therefore the outcome.\r Eligibility to vote\rThe franchise should extend to everyone aged 16 and over permanently resident in Scotland and should not be restricted to UK, EU, Irish or Commonwealth citizens. Citizens of other countries who have made their homes in Scotland should have a say on the country's future. However, eligibility should also require additional residency criteria. A concern about the franchise in 2014 was that holiday or 2nd home owners, temporary residents or others adopting 'accommodation addresses' were able to vote even if they were not, or did not intend to be, permanently resident. Whether a real or perceived issue, this could be addressed through additional criteria to ensure that the franchise includes habitual residents as completely as possible but limits opportunities for temporary residents and multiple home owners to vote if their habitual and permanent residence is elsewhere. Habitual/permanent residence could be determined on the basis, for example, of a Scottish tax code, or a minimum duration of permanent residency (in Scotland, not necessarily at the same address) prior to a referendum date being set. Neither measure would exclude people working or studying temporarily outside Scotland. \r Special arrangements would be required for individuals who would find it difficult to produce proof of residence eg homeless people, students or those in care homes. Here, the provisions of the voter identity scheme used in Canada could offer a useful model.\r Adopting more a more robust residency test would increase the confidence of voters that the outcome of the referendum accurately reflected the will of permanent residents of Scotland.\r Absent voting\rPostal and proxy voting should not be available on demand and instead only be open to voters genuinely unable to vote in person. Proxies should be voters eligible to vote in the referendum. I support the requirement to check all personal identifiers. Attention should also be given to handling postal votes handed in to polling stations on polling day to ensure these are as rigorously processed as those delivered direct to the Electoral Registration Officer.\r Voting in person\rAt present neither polling cards nor any form of identification is required for casting a vote. The Electoral Commission's recent reports (Jan 2014 and Dec 2015) on preventing electoral fraud recommend the introduction of voter identity schemes for EU and English local elections not later than 2019. An appropriate scheme, such as that currently operating in Canada which requires both photographic ID and proof of residence, should be introduced for the referendum.
6014	284447894	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel that there should NOT be another referendum as in 2014. The electorate voted then and it seemed to me after that result the SNP party would try to have as many referenda as possible till they got the result THEY wanted. \rLISTEN TO THE PEOPLE\rThe money saved by not having yet another referendum could be put to better use.	See above	Registered voters who have been resident in Scotland for more than 5 years or voters born in Scotland should be only people eligible to vote
6015	697786290	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with these proposals.	I agree with these proposals.	I agree with these proposals.
6016	163854216	Derek Morison	Individual	Individual	I think it's essential the arrangements are the same as in 2014.	That all seems fine.	OK
6017	452024794	Robert	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agreed	Agreed
6018	507131600	dot will	Individual	Individual	dont,	Most sixteen year olds dont know the Prime Ministers name let alone what they would actually be voting for. Give them a chance to grow up	Waste of time
6019	149817019	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am OK with this provided postal voting has greater scrutiny.	OK with this.	If you are on the electoral role,you get a vote but any donors to political campaigns must also be on the electoral role.
6020	305566935	Michaal Taylor	Individual	Individual	Reasonable.	Agreed, save that we need still stronger rules on postal voting to discourage its use unnecessarily, and to ban campaigners for one side or another from handling postal voting papers. \r I would also like to see more active prosecution of abuses such as early reports of postal voting trends.	No further comment.
6021	559081727	David Thompson	Individual	Individual	None - Please note that I am very much in favour of having this on the statute book.	I have cause for concern about Postal Votes. Particularly in the Highlands and Islands, there are many second and holiday homes and many folk are registered to vote at both their main home, out-with Scotland in the UK, and also their holiday/second home (by postal vote). Most can probably easily be identified via the Council Tax records. Whilst it is an offence to vote more than once in an election or referendum in the UK, i.e. voting at both your main home and holiday/second home address, there is no offence in voting once at your holiday/second home in a referendum which is restricted to Scotland, if your main home in the UK is not in Scotland! A mechanism must be found to ensure that UK residents domiciled out-with Scotland can only vote in a Scotland only referendum if they have regularly voted at their Scottish holiday/second home in other Scottish or UK elections. Otherwise, wealthy, non-residents of Scotland will have an unfair influence on the future of Scotland.	None
6022	832048900	Iain McDonald	Individual	Individual	Agree fully with the proposal.	Agree with the proposal, in particular that the franchise for the referendum should be residency in Scotland.	Agree with the proposal.
6023	140461881	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	OK, except I was not satisfied with the performance of the Electoral Commission that last time (2014 referendum). I think the rules concerning what it can and cannot / must and must not do need review, and subsequent tightening.\r I am not sure if it was the responsibility of the Electoral Commission (but I suppose it was) to ensure that the purdu period immediately prior to the vote was fully respected, during which no new elements were allowed to be introduced into the respective cases being put forward by the main participants. If so, I think they did not do this as well or as strictly as they should have done. I do not know whether this was because the rules concerning that period were too vague, and therefore ineffective, or because the Electoral Commission did not apply them fully, or properly. Either way - whatever the case - it seems to me that this aspect of the matter should be investigated and the rules made much tighter for the next referendum. There should also be better ways whereby the Electoral Commission can be held to account for the way it applies, or fails to apply the rules concerned. \r By the way, I have a feeling I already responded to this consultation, but I am not 100% sure. I am responding now in case I did not. If - as I suspect, but I am not sure - I already did respond, please accept my apologies and stick with my original answers. I don't think they will be substantially different from these ones anyway.	I feel that the rules about postal voting are not sufficiently strict. It should be COMPLETELY IMPOSSIBLE for anyone to acquire a postal vote based on an address in Scotland that is registered as a 'holiday home'. Anyone who attempts to do so should be charged with electoral fraud. It should be very easy to check and apply this, simply by checking the 'holiday home registers' that every local authority in Scotland surely holds, for council tax purposes.	OK
6024	1026920951	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with these proposed arrangements.	I agree with these proposed arrangements.	I agree with these proposed arrangements.
6025	876124012	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	It is unfortunate that a natural born Scot, who pays income tax and would continue to pay tax in an independent Scotland, would not be able to vote if they are resident abroad i.e. for work or family obligations for covering the period of the referendum. This is in contrast for those individuals who may be registered as residents while on short term assignments in Scotland and have no intention of remaining there after there assignment and could be on the voters role in another part of the UK who will have a vote. Perhaps those who pay tax at a point in Scotland as indicated above should should have the same rights as those who don't regard Scotland as their home and there during the referendum by chance.
6026	611638897	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are adequate.	The changes are reasonable.	I agree with the changes.
6027	651340906	William Purves	Individual	Individual	O.K.	O.K.	O.K.
6028	662413680	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements are acceptable	Arrangements are acceptable	Acceptable
6029	678041519	Douglas Lockhart	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Polling staff: How will this be enforced? I knew of several at the count I attended at indyref1 who had been engaged in campaigning - including my wife!\r The new requirrement on verification is welcome. I was refused information on the extent of failure of a reconciliation count at indyref1 when it was clear from the reactions of staff at the counting table that the discrepancy was very material. In spite of this the count went ahead.
6030	203801334	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangement to mirror the 2014 vote is satisfactory	No Answered	I strongly support the extension of the franchise to 16 & 17 year olds.\rI also strongly support the principle that it should be based on a residency criteria, in particular that EU citizens resident in Scotland should have a vote as was the case in 2014.\r I have concerns over the potential for the misuse of postal votes and therefore am supportive of steps to increase scrutiny.
6031	586293748	joyce lawson	Individual	Individual	needs a lot more security than in 2014	No Answered	i would like to be reassured that the postal votes do not leave Scotland for any reason. At polling stations every box must be sealed and accounted for at main count before being opened.
6032	630230989	Robert Moffat	Individual	Individual	I thought the arrangements for the 2014 referendum went very well and would approve of using them again.	I am wholly in favour of the eligibility to vote previously used. The outcome primarily affects those choosing to live in Scotland whatever their origin and they should all have a say. I am especially in favour of 16 and 17 year olds voting as young people have more at stake than anyone.\rI have some misgiving about the extent of postal voting -- I remember when you had to have a good reason to apply for a postal vote -- but I realize that applies to all elections and so long as it does I imagine the referendum would have to use the same rules. I believe the theory was that postal voting would encourage higher turnout, but I am not convinced that it has had that effect. The high turnout at the previous referendum was due to voters being engaged with the issue at stake.	I see no reason to shorten the "referendum period" of rules on campaigning and spending. The 16 weeks previously applied seems fine. The 28 day restricted period I presume is what is known as the "purdah" period, and is also very important. I do not believe it was honoured last time by the UK government (the "vow"), but there seems to be no way it can be enforced.\rGiven the change in the law the proposed changes regarding donors and participants seems only sensible.
6033	348672578	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with this.	I agree in principal with this but given Ruth Davidsons comments at the referendum in 2014 I believe there needs to be greater scrutiny with regard to postal voting and the counting and processing of them.	I agree in principal. However can something be done at the time about false or incorrect statements on campaign literature.
6034	690443743	Alan Barrett	Individual	Individual	In line with Scottish government	In line with Scottish government	In line with Scottish government
6035	40820669	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the arrangements proposed in the consultation paper. I am very pleased to see that the franchise is based on residency in Scotland	Checking 100% of the postal voting statements will require greater effort but as it helps ensure the votes are legitimate, it an effort worth making.\r Adopting recommendation 19 of the Electoral Commission's Report on the 2014 referendum is a good idea.	I accept the changes proposed.
6036	144018834	James Mckay	Individual	Individual	I would hope that a proper exit poll will be conducted this time, and that none of the ballot boxes should be taken out of Scotland.\r I am also concerned that certain politicians and political party grandees were able to pronounce on the postal ballot count prior to the time for the ballot to be closed, and that they would appear to have had access to the count of those ballots prior to the final count being made public.\rI hope that all of these procedures will be tightened up and made "tamper proof"	No Answered	I was concerned to hear rumours that certain political party activists were reported to have canvassed old peoples homes and care homes with a view to assisting those old people to complete their proxy voting forms. If true, this could be used to abuse the voting system by unscrupulous people. I hope that suitable safeguards will be put in place to avert any abuse of the proxy voting system.
6037	891899036	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	ok	important that postal votes are validated	ok
6038	967857056	Mungo	Individual	Individual	International observers ! No postal votes ! No sending postal votes to England. No involvement by any U.K. affiliated organisations. \rThe British GOVT will steal this referendum given any slight chance to do so.	Happy with all of that I think.	Seems ok
6039	666704733	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Regarding eligibility to vote and residency requirement. I feel that only those who have been resident in Scotland for a minimum of 5 (possibly more) years should be permitted to vote. This would prevent those who are only "passing through", (eg "foreign" students, short-term workers etc) to determine the futures of those for whom Scotland is their present and future home. \r Members of the archaic, anachronistic House of Lords should not be permitted to vote.
6040	1014454508	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The previous referendum appeared to be well organised and managed, so no concerns over ability to make it work fairly and effectively next time.	No concerns over any of this	no concerns
6041	138112778	Private Company	Individual	Individual	There should be no second referendum. The SNP made a "vow" to the Scottish people that the last referendum would be a "once in a generation" event. The hypocrisy of the SNP around this is nothing short of astounding.	The fact that public time, effort and money has been devoted to this reflects the SNP's drive to achieve an ideology rather than governing our country sensibly.	It is clear the SNP will make whatever changes to permissible participants that they feel will give them the greatest chance of achieving a victory.
6042	818957588	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want any arrangements made for a second referendum	I think 16 and 17 year olds are only included in the hope that they will vote Yes	SNP campaigners were witnessed bullying and harrassing during last campaign.\rThis behaviour should be banned
6043	905066669	John Latham	Individual	Individual	I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed arrangements for managing a second referendum. \r Scotland did not vote to remain in the EU (that question was never asked). Scots voted along with other UK voters in a referendum, the result of which was to chose to leave the EU.	I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements.	: I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
6044	237717942	John McIntyre	Individual	Individual	This appears to be a fair and transparent methodology to engage with the electorate	Aggree	Aggree
6045	113148711	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements for the last referendum seemed fair, and also to work well. Using similar management arrangements for the next referendum seems highly appropriate.	Involving 16 and 17 year olds is important. A vibrant democracy can only remain so if the opinions of all citizens are sought, and seeking to encourage young adults to become involved is very important.\rAllowing all eligible residents to vote is also good. Since the outcome of the vote will have a significant impact on Scottish citizens, it is right to allow all eligible residents to vote, rather than limiting participation by nationality or origin. We all have a stake in the future of the country, and should all be able to voice that opinion in the ballot box.	This seems fine.
6046	832998334	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	All postal votes should be counted in Scotland and not before the close of polling on the day of the poll.	No Answered	Residency requirement. Only those who have been resident in Scotland for a minimum of 5 years should be permitted to vote. This would prevent the likes of "foreign" students and short-term workers etc to determine the futures of those for whom Scotland has been and will continue to be, their permanent home. \r Members of the House of Lords should not be permitted to vote.
6047	102859957	Muir Anderson BSc	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The details of the conducting of the proposed referendum are totally trivial. The issue is that there should not be a second referendum. We voted just two years ago to stay in the UK. \rThe chaos caused by the most recent referendum (brexit) should be a warning to any politician, to stay as far away from referendii as possible.\rLeaving the UK now would be even more foolhardy than it would have been in 2014.\rI think you will have my opinion by this time. I DO NOT WANT ANOTHER INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM.
6048	137405965	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If this were there was ever to be another Referendum - I really don't see a real reason for this at all - ever!!!!\rThen I guess management would be ok - but stress there is NO reason for this to happen!	There should be NO changes, and I don't agree with the proposals!	I don"t fully agree with the changes.
6049	449051450	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A question with a yes / no answer is not legitimate as was decided in the brexit referendum. If we must go through this again a fair question has to be decided on.	No Answered	participants should be uk citizens who reside in Scotland these are the people who have Scotlands best interest at heart.
6050	551576201	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	I agree that 16 and 17-year-olds should be included. I also believe that only people resident in Scotland, registered to vote before a certain date, should be allowed to vote. The franchise should not include Scots living abroad or outwith Scotland.\rI agree that non-UK EU citizens should be allowed to vote.
6051	804429331	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Basically fine. Given persistent rumours of fraud relating especially to postal votes in 2014, it would be wise to arrange for some form of international election observation/scrutiny.	Sounds all good.	Sounds all good.
6052	735435970	Adrian Farquhar	Individual	Individual	Seems fine to me. If you live here then you have a stake in the countries future.	16 to 18 year olds should have the right to vote. I also agree that postal votes should be properly checked.	fine.
6053	492787857	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would suggest using exit polls at the next Indy Ref, and also more stringent over-seeing at the counting stations.\rAt the 2014 referendum(which was a YES vote), I know its easy to say that, but too much was at stake for the future of Scotland and it was treated like an episode of some talentless talent show, hence the stories that went around regarding private taxis delivering boxes of polling slips e.t.c.\rCertainly all citizens of Scotland should be allowed to vote, but only if they have an S on their tax returns or benefit registration, (I believe this is the case for Scottish citizens), although I may be wrong.\rI would strongly advise on NO second home votes or people with holiday homes, I new many people who owned the above and got a vote at the last referendum, who had no interest in Scotland apart from making money to feather their nests in England, some even got the vote then sold their homes a month later and moved back down south.\rLandlords who have more than one property, should also only be allowed one vote, it may take more time setting up the referendum, but too much is at stake to be robbed again.\rI reckon a minimum 10 years residency for anyone who does not meet the criteria set above.	I think I have more or less given some ideas in question 1\rA postal vote should only be used if the person cannot physically get off their backside , but must show proof of their travel arrangements or inability to get to the polling station, again at the last one underhand procedures went unchecked(at least that's what I heard) .	As a population of approximately 5 million up against approximately 53 million, it will always be an uphill battle, I can almost guarantee the Unionists will pour more money into opposing Scottish Independence.\rIt would be impossible to do but I would ban the BBC from any form of reporting on the next Indy Ref, also a blanket ban on the gutter press.\rAs above the English based media tore up the rule book before, so I would ban them from any reporting on the issue.
6054	496815645	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed arrangements for managing a second referendum.	I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements.	I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
6055	282091984	Martin Semple	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum.	I agree with the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements.	I agree with the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
6056	826069178	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It would be prudent to have external observers from the European Council at the count and the opening of the postal votes. Further confirmation that the voting boxes are sealed when they leave the polling stations and on arrival at the counting station. This important because there huge amount at stake for Scotland and it extremely important the the RUK because of past British History.	Section 2.11-12 Eligibility to vote\rWith reference to Eligibility to vote in the previous Scottish referendum, in instances people arrived at polling stations to find that they had already cast their vote.\rIt would be prudent in this instance the voters should porivde proof of identity as addition coberation. Not just the polling paper that is sent to their address as proof and people that don't have either should not beabketo vote.	Section 3.4 PPERA rules\rAll UK parties involved in the referendum must abide by the PPERA 28 days rule legally not to just agree!!! It was felt by a great many people that some parties abused this rule and brought new material to the 2014 Scottish referendum in the last 28 Days.
6057	779098123	John Porteous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	A close scrutiny, particularly of the postal vote, is a must.
6058	27444019	James Hartley	Individual	Individual	I believe that international observers should monitor the Referendum, that postal voting should only be allowed if proof given that person cannot vote in person. The Electoral commision being part of the British Establishment should have no role and a residency rule should be applied, perhaps say 12 months before vote.	No Answered	There should be a residency rule that to be eligible to vote you need to have stayed in Scotland for previous 12 months.
6059	880715254	John Docherty	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements.	I agree with the proposed technical changes.	I agree to the proposed changes to the rules on permissible participants.
6060	56128629	George Latham	Individual	Individual	We Scots voted, in 2014 55% to 45%, against Independence for Scotland. There is therefore no need for a further referendum	We Scots voted in 2014, 55% to 45%, against independence. There is no need for a further referendum	We Scots voted in 2014, 55% to 45%, against Independence. There is absolutely no need for another referendum.
6061	612554282	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This may not be the place for this comment but\rthe purdah period was ignored in 2014 and UK civil servants were employed by the UK govt to disrupt the pro independence campaign.\rShould this happen again there should be a option to re-run the referendum.	No Answered	Restrictions should be put on non Scottish voters. I believe the majority of Scots people voted for independence but polls suggest English, Welsh & N.I. born voters residing in Scotland swung the vote against independence (perhaps 500,000 non Scottish UK citizens).
6062	556160728	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am in favour of the management and regulation being the same as in 2014	I support in principle the eligibility criteria as set out for 2014 but have reservations about people having eligibility to vote who may be temporarily living in Scotland for a short period of time. \rI support the changes as outlined.	These changes seem sensible.
6063	8070006	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No comments.	Good to see improvements in this area. I met someone recently in London who does not live in Scotland but managed to vote in the last referendum. I assume this individual mist have been on the Electoral Register twice, one in Scotland the other in England.	Would be great if BBC bias against independence could be tackled somehow. I felt in the last campaign that they were running an anti-independence campaign using my licence fee money. I do feel the Scottish Government needs to do more to tackle this issue.
6064	834526204	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Unnecessary as I do not believe we require another referendum. Scotland voted to stay in the U.K. and and we clearly voted as citizens of the Uk not as a separate country - that proposal was lost before the vote.	Not required see above	Not required
6065	241894785	Chris Knowles	Individual	Individual	Arrangements should follow the 2014 independence vote	No Answered	Voter eligibility should be as per 2014 independence vote
6066	926799454	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These would appear to be fair and appropriate.	This seems fair and well judged.	This is appropriate.
6067	64187363	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As I was satisfied with how the referendum was organised and run last time, I am happy to see the same or similar rules applied in any future referendum.	As an EU citizen who has considered Scotland her home since 1994, I am very happy that I will once again be given the privilege to take part in the decision about the future of my country. I also feel that the inclusion of 16 and 17 year-olds who are otherwise considered mature enough to make wide ranging decisions about their own lives will be afforded the chance to have a say in a decision which will also affect their entire future. \r My oldest child, who was 16 at the time of the last referendum took this responsibility seriously and felt deeply appreciative to be allowed to take part in the referendum. Depending on the actual timing of the next one, my middle child born in 2002 may be included, too, and I would be happy to know that he had a chance to shape the future of his nation (whichever way he decided). \r The proposed changes and the adjustments of rules to reflect already existing practice seem sensible and should allay the fears and suspicions some people expressed after the last referendum. I did feel satisfied that the referendum procedure was fair and conducted in accordance with the rules both locally and nationwide, but others were not. I hope that these proposals will address their concerns.	These changes seem entirely reasonable and in line with the importance of the referendum.
6068	292669897	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The Scottish People voted No in 2014. There is no need for a second Referendum.\r The Scottish people cannot afford this expensive exercise.	No objection to to Eligibility criteria used when people vote in Scottish Local Government and Scottish Parliament Elections. I do not want a Second Scottish Independence Referendum.
6069	992060274	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Lessons do not appear to have been learned from registration difficulties over the last few elections.\ra. Questions about postal voting have led to loss of confidence in its use by political parties. Postal voting should be significantly reduced to only those who CANNOT attend in person. \rb. Registration difficulties should have led to the conclusion that AUTOMATIC registration to vote for all those who come into contact with Local Authority or Scottish Government services would lead to less disengaged electors who cannot participate on the day.
6070	169596764	John McLeod	Individual	Individual	These arrangements are satisfactory.	These technical changes are satisfactory.	These recommendations are sensible.
6071	317991361	Colin West	Individual	Individual	Agree.	Proxy / Postal Votes - Remove completely. Add ability to register for an Early Vote instead. This vote should be cast in person at specific Locations up to 10pm on the day prior to the Count. For those requiring an Early Vote due to Medical Reasons who are unable to physically attend the specific location, An Electoral Officer should arrange a visit (Hospitals / Care Homes / Registered Disabled etc.) An Emergency Early vote will be available only to those admitted to Hospital in the week prior to the Election.\r Presiding Officer for the Polling Station will be provided a full list of those registered at the Station who have been confirmed as having cast their vote early and should note those electors as having voted with an E by the voters name in the register prior to the poll opening at 7am on the day of the vote.\r If you register for an early vote but do not cast it, you can still vote in person on the day of the poll as normal.\r Intention of above is to ensure, as far as possible, that only the registered elector is able to cast their own vote at all times in the process.\r -----\r Separate to this idea, voter security could be improved by requiring the elector to show photographic proof of identity prior to being issued a ballot but there are many issues with this both from a Technical point of view (Many Voters simply would not have this unless they currently hold a Photocard Driving Licence or a Passport) and also due to personal liberty concerns from the public if a new scheme was introduced	Agree
6072	336004031	Thomas McDonough	Individual	Individual	There should be no role for any element of the UK Establishment including the Electoral Commission. We must ensure impartial UN or EU involvement in all aspects of the process with sufficient representation "on the ground" to prevent either side from being able to cast doubt. Cost should not be an issue in a matter of this importance !	Content with proposals	Content with proposals
6073	1019188377	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements.	I agree with the proposed technical changes.	I agree with the proposed changes to the rules on permissible participants.
6074	14864691	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don not believe that there is a need and a mandate for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. There was a clear majority on the first referendum in September 2014 for a No vote against separation and this has been completely ignored by the Scottish Government. In fact the consultation paper does not make any reference to vote in September. The SNP has broken their commitment that the referendum result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. The SNP also assumes that those who voted to remain are in favour of independence, which from many polls has should to be totally incorrect. Therefore I have no views on the proposed arrangements for managing a second referendum.	My coments on this question are the same as Q1, except that I do not believe that citizens of Ireland or EU countries should not be able to vote. I would also strongly recommend Sottish citizens who were born in Scotland but don't reside in Scotland can vote	My coments on this question are the same as Q1
6075	596214360	Redacted text	Individual	Individual	This assumes that we want a further referendum. A majority did NOT want Scotland to leave the UK and that still holds - even moreso now 60 to 40. So what gives you ANY mandate to start a new referendum? \r Over a million Scots voted to leave the European Union. And made the difference to the overall UK vote to leave. These votes are not being respected. \r The argument for a new referendum does not take into account serious issues that have NOT been addressed by any standards: \r a) What happens to pensions? For those working many years and contributing to NI, this is an issue that is subject to 'negotiation'! There is no clear plan for such a gigantic public liability should that become the Scottish goverenment responsibility. \rb) The premise for a prosperous Scotland was that North Sea Oil income would provide a surplus for years to come. That has not materialized and instead the answer to the question of an £8 billion annual deficit has not been provided. Notwithstanding the £20 billion clean up and de-mob of the rigs. You have no solid financial plan on which to base making Scotland independent. \rc) You ignore the fact that UK provides 4 times the amount of trade compared to Europe. Why are you ignoring this so blatently? \rI could list the issues surrounding this, but I'm sure you are all well aware of them...while ignoring education, health and security, you are tearing around Europe seeking answers to something that should be coordinated with Whitehall.	I agree that the identity of anyone voting should be verified. I don't agree that European nationals in the country can vote.	No views.
6076	245182979	Alan	Individual	Individual	Approved. We should hold as close as possible to 2014 rules. No more moving the goalposts.	Approved.	Approved.
6077	819184866	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the proposed arrangements are well thought out and I agree with them.	I support the proposed technical changes.	Fully support them.
6078	515320240	*Iain Cormack	Individual	Individual	The voters should have to have photographic i.d.	This is a good measure.	Good.
6079	251938559	Derek Morris	Individual	Individual	Referendum should be restricted to UK citizens only.\r "Closely mirror" is not the same what it is not clear what is different.\r Call referendum within 6 months.	how much will all this cost and how will it be paid for?\rHow would polling staff and count staff be validated?	It is not clear what the before and after situation is,.\rAre all the changes truly nutural
6080	296051194	Karen Fisher	Individual	Individual	There was alleged vote rigging last referendum including comments from independent witnesses who thought that some processes were not secure. ie ballots not barcoded \rSecurity tabs not in place or put into place when no second person to witness \rTransport of ballot boxes in unsecured manner, no escorts or chaperone to count centres \rNo exit polling \rNo possibility of recount because the ballots were destroyed immediately after the counts results delivered \rPostal votes counted outwith Scotland \rCounts disrupted multiple times and building evacuated (partially) video evidence of people shuffling piles of ballots whilst count evacuated. \rUse of new transport companies linked to the Tories (Edinburgh) \rThese doubts must be allayed to ensure that the next referendum is held with integrity and with no dubious results.	No Answered	This sounds fair, although \rExit polling should be taken. \rA possibility of time limits for residency in Scotland? \rI'm unclear as to how ex pats stand in their permission to vote or not. People working abroad who have immediate family households in Scotland. Will they be eligible? (ie oil workers, merchant seamen etc who can be out of the country for months)
6081	237988390	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I endorse the arrangements as described above.	I endorse the proposals (above).\rI will continue to have grave reservations regarding the integrity of the postal vote and I would encourage Scottish Government and the Electoral Commission to seek to develop an improved process for postal voting which would ensure that its regulation was properly transparent, (which I don't believe it is today).	I endorse these proposals
6082	193160226	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am in favour of these arrangements.	I am in favour of the proposed technical changes. I am especially in favour of residency based criteria as in the previous Scottish independence referendum, and unlike the recent EU referendum.	I am in favour of the proposed technical changes.
6083	476619136	Raymond donnelly	Individual	Individual	No trust in E C due to the debacle with CBI in 2014	No Answered	Postal votes and proxy votes should not be allowed in a referendum all polling stations should be wheelchair friendly 5 year residency before registration to vote
6084	246817437	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Don't altogether trust the Electoral Commission having sole responsibility -could perhaps be in conjunction with some outside UK overseer.	Residents must be regulated to permanent residency of about 5 years min. \rNo holiday home absentees or similar.	no view on this
6085	288058828	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Shouldn't be one as Scotland voted to remain in the UK in 2014, the Result SHOULD BE RESPECTED!!!! what part of NO do you not understand???? \r i have included the Definition of "NO" from the Oxford english Dictionary. \r https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/no\r if you could pass this on to the First Moaner......... Sorry Minister, for her perusal. if she has difficulty understand what "no" mean please pass on my details to her so she maybe able to contact me, i will then explain what "NO" means......	don't need them as "SCOTLAND" voted to stay part the United kingdom.............\rQuestion therefore is irrelevant.........	N/a
6086	303628792	Robert Birch	Individual	Individual	I am in support of what is being proposed.	I support the proposals	I support the proposals
6087	923198557	Andrew Winton	Individual	Individual	We do not require a referendum	I'm not being properly consulted. This is not what I want Government to do	Another referendum for the next generation
6088	647709049	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Needs to be overseen by an outside body such as the European Parliament\r No voting rights to second homes/holiday homes\r Could have a requirement to have had residency of around three years\r Exit polls should be done to give a guide that systems are not being tampered with	Need to ensure that all postal votes are genuine and secure from tampering at all stages before the count	Agree
6089	538120864	Alan Henderson	Individual	Individual	I concur.	Seems sensible.	Fully supportive.
6090	541993166	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements	I think Postal and Proxy votes could be a source of electoral fraud and should be restricted as much as possible, I agree the proposed changes could help in this respect.	Reasonable changes
6091	941213115	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Content with arrangements.	Content with arrangements.	Content with arrangements.
6092	811787557	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree with the aforementioned proposals but would like to see more security re postal votes as it appeared that Ruth Davidson by the remarks she made new about the voting trends on postal ballots prior to the general vote count	Would have preferred a minimum residency of 3 years before being allowed to vote	Agree with proposals
6093	242358668	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We should involve the UN to ensure a semblance of fairness. And refuse postal votes for all except the housebound.	I, and many others, have no faith in the electoral commission - they should not be allowed to oversee the second indyref	I, and many others, have no faith in the electoral commission - they should not be allowed to oversee the second indyref
6094	741687596	Anthony Hawksey	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed management and regulation of a future referendum in line with those used in 2014	Lessons should be learnt from 2014's referendum and incorporated into a future independence referendum. I agree that persons aged 16 and older at the referendum date should be allowed to vote. Absent voting should be scrutinised more thoroughly and controlled as per the modifications in paragraphs 5 and 7. 100% of the personal identifiers must be checked on any postal vote.	The proposed technical changes from 2014 referendum procedures should be enacted.
6095	138977674	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree with proposed changes howebver I would propose goig further.\r Postal voting / proxy voting has been an issue at a number of elections recently.\r Greater control of postal voting and voting by individuals not normally resident but own second homes in Scotland should be enforced.\r Elligibility to vote should be tied to normal residency based on workplace or location of dependent family, \r Preferably postal vote counts should be separately published after the referendum to highlight potential discrepancies from the wider voting pattern.\r Postal votes should be granted only on a medical need basis. \r All postal vote applications should have to actively demonstrate eligibility based on normal residency.	Agree
6096	673415088	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	16 year olds must retain voting rights. But more important electoral law must be adhered to by the unionist side. Most crucial of all there must be neutral observers and scrutineers from other countries or organisations outwith the control of the UK this can make electoral fraud or gerrymandering more difficult and allow the result to be more believable, robust and supportable.	No Answered	generally most things good, but defo postal voting to be very closely monitered to as near \r100% as possible so that demonstatably fair and secure
6097	846541371	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum. Sturgeon and Salmond signed the Edinburgh Agreement to respect the democratic outcome of the referendum result. By now failing to do so and using Brexit as a trumped up excuse, they are abusing democracy.	This is nonsense. The referendum is illigitimate. The SNP should get on with the day job instead of focusing on tearing the UK apart.	Why are you delving into these details? The entire process is abusive to Scots and undemocratic.
6098	364052965	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The Electoral Commission did not regulate the No campaign in 2014.	No Answered	I am satisfied that proxy votes will now be more rigorously verified.
6099	495246752	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	I am happy with the proposed changes. What's important to me is that the count is transparent and that the issues prior and during the 2014 count are not repeated.	I am happy with these changes.
6100	16810352	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the arrangements although I have some concerns regarding postal votes. If there is any truth in the stories of unscrupulous practises being used with regards to the influencing and collecting of postal votes at elderly sheltered housing complexes etc this must be stopped if possible\r Postal votes must not be opened until the actual day of the count to avoid any possibility of tampering or any other misconduct.	No one who is resident, paying council tax and in long term employment in other parts of the uk or abroad should be allowed to vote in the next independence ref.\r It was annoying to see people obviously not resident in Scotland using a postal vote in 2014. Some even took photographs at the post box!\r I have no objections to people in the Armed services, 16 and 17 year olds or anyone paying taxes in Scotland from voting in indyref2	As much care as possible must be taken to make sure that individuals who vote in the next indyref can prove that they are who they say they are. Possibly by having their polling cards or other ID with them at the polling centres
6101	433594919	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the arrangements for 2014 were fair and largely worked well.	No Answered	I would be concerned if there was too much postal voting as I think it offers too many opportunities for fraud.
6102	922035942	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have concerns with the question. "Should Scotland be an independent country?" means that the proponents of independence are afforded the opportunity to campaign for a "yes" vote. This confers an advantage, as noted by former First Minister Alex Salmond in his memoir of the campaign for the 2014 referendum. This is unfair, whichever campaign it favours. \r The Brexit question was altered by the Electoral Commission to require answers for "Leave" and "Remain". This sets a precedent to apply here. If you are unhappy with these categories, you could always propose a question with answers such as " Become an independent country" and "Remain in the United Kingdom".	The franchise. While the proposal to use the Scottish Parliament franchise is presented as a reasonable alternative to use of ethnicity or birth, it masks the fact that the Westminster franchise also adopts similar requirements for current or recent residency.\r But the Scottish Parliament franchise gives the vote to EU Citizens. This is eminently reasonable in a vote for Holyrood when day to day decisions about local services are at stake. However a different situation prevails on a matter of constitutional significance. If it is not allowable to give the vote to EU citizens to determine the sovereign government of Great Britain (Westminster) and hence relations with other EU states, it should not be acceptable for then to have a vote in deciding whether Scotland leaves the UK.\r This is particularly the case given the circumstances of this proposed referendum, called following a Brexit vote, and ostensibly with EU privileges at stake.\r Essentially SG is proposing to give EU citizens the right to determine the status of their resident country in the EU which they didn't have in the Brexit vote. No doubt they will be told that they would be idiotic to vote for anything other than independence. This is a blatant attempt to game the franchise with a group who have an assymetric interest in independence.\r While sympathetic to the plight of EU citizens post Brexit, it's not unreasonable to ask people who want to determine the sovereign destiny of their resident country to become citizens of the existing sovereign state and then exercise their vote. Failure to require this runs counter to the belief that sovereignty lies with the people of Scotland, more "citizens and other people living here (however short given registration periods of weeks)"\r While the 2014 franchise is considered the prototype for this proposal, it was a bad precedent and one not followed for the EU referendum. While it is not pleasant to have had a vote on the continuing status of the UK determined by UK citizens alone, it couldn't have been any other way as the issue was simply what the UK wanted to do going forward. \r So it is with Scotland, and in the absence of any definition of "Scottish" citizenship it should be for UK citizens in Scotland to decide.\r The franchise should either be for the Westminster elections or modified to exclude. UK citizens resident overseas. \r My second concern is with the conduct of the 2014 poll. It was stated by the Chief Counting Officer that no recount would be employed in the event of a close vote. This is simply unacceptable in a democratic society. In a situation of when a nation is almost equally divided on it's constitutional future there must be assurance that the vote was decisive and seen to be fair.\rLocal provision for recounts is simply irrelevant. Why ask for one if a local authority had voted clearly in one direction? Yet small irregularities could add up to to disaster at the national level. In the event, we were lucky that the 2014 result was so clear\r Next, the need for a super majority should be considered afresh. Brexit shows that great upheaval can be caused on a bare majority when support for that course of action is marginal at best and nearly half the UK is opposed, not to say significant majorities in Scotland and London. And less that half the electorate voted for it.\r In embarking on a new national journey, which even optimists admit will bring uncertainly, isn't it sensible that our leaders have the bulk of the country behind them and not a large minority (even with 2014 turnout figures).\r While this tends to favour the status quo, there are precedents for super majorities, and also precedents for very large proportions of support for change, including the 1997 devolution referendum and the 1905 Norway independence referendum. If this is really settled will of the people, the proponents can achieve it.\r Finally, we should consider at the start, a second referendum on the independence settlement. Brexit shows the potential disputes that can arise as the initial result is interpreted. The people should be sovereign at the beginning and the end of the process, and the settlement should be negotiated with an eye to maximum consensus, not a rushed exit. This condition should be legislated at the outset, not promised in a future White Paper or fudged post a Yes vote with multiple contradictory motivations.	None
6103	750788970	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Contrary to Ms Sturgeon's Foreword, the Scottish Government does not have a clear mandate for holding a second referendum. The SNP seem to be ignoring the fact that they are a minority government. They are also ignoring the democratic result of 2016 EU referendum. The EU referendum was a UK-wide referendum and the UK, as a whole, voted to leave the EU. Scotland is part of the UK, and not an independent country¸ and, as such, is no different to any other part of the UK whether that is Wales, Northern Ireland, Greater London, etc. Whereas, I did not vote to leave the EU, I do respect the outcome of the vote because the UK is a democracy and that is paramount. The SNP declares itself to be democratic, but at the same time does not respect the outcome of democratic votes that do not go their way. Therefore, there is no reason to hold a second independence referendum in Scotland and it is clear that Scots do not want such a referendum.\rMs Sturgeon’s current negative rhetoric of issuing threats to the UK Government and making impossible demands are simply designed to fail. This is clearly designed to allow her to say that the UK government is giving her no alternative other than to hold a new independence referendum regardless of the outcome of Brexit negotiations. Rather than complaining continuously, the SNP would be much better placed putting their efforts into obtaining agreement from the EU on terms and conditions that would permit Scotland to remain within the EU post-Brexit. That would be a positive, constructive move with outcomes that would at least help to answer some of the major shortcomings of the previous ‘Scotland’s Future’ wish list. What is clear is that Ms Sturgeon’s current stance is in danger of leaving Scotland totally isolated - out of the UK and out of the EU. \r For such potentially fundamental sovereignty and political changes to our country, there is a real need for a majority of the country to vote in favour. A simple majority of those who vote is not a majority of the country as a whole and is, therefore, not a true result. Legislation should require a simple majority of all those eligible to vote whether they chose to vote or not. This would give a true outcome. Other EU countries require all those who are eligible to vote, so why not here?\r Since independence supporters seem to have the right to hold repeated referendums until they get the answer they want, why does the legislation not include a similar right for ‘No’ voters? Therefore, legislation should be included that protects the rights of both ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ voters to future reruns should the country demand it.	As was the case for the 2016 EU referendum, only UK citizens should be permitted a vote in any future referendum, and there is no valid reason why this should not apply to any Scottish independence referendum. If this process was good enough for the EU referendum then it should be good enough for any future independence referendum. The SNP argues that those who live in Scotland have a right to determine the future of the country. However, they ignore the fact that many of the EU residents living in Scotland are simply economic migrants, who are only here because they experience a significantly better standard of living in Scotland than they would otherwise have in their home country. If these same people are committed to staying, rather than merely living in Scotland, then why are they not applying for UK citizenship? By allowing non-UK citizens to vote in such a defining referendum, the SNP is arguably being disrespectful to UK citizens. As with the previous independence referendum, it can be argued that the SNP want non-UK citizens included as a ploy just to manipulate a ‘Yes’ vote. In 2014 there were numerous groups from EU countries campaigning for a ‘Yes’ vote. One example is ‘Poles for Independence’. Is it really appropriate for Poles and all other non-UK citizens living in Scotland to be permitted a vote on the fundamental future of another country when they also get votes in their own home country? Therefore, the legislation should exclude all non-UK citizens from voting.\r Similarly, 16 and 17 year olds should be excluded from voting.	Legislation needs to be tightened up to allow news reporting to be truly independent of political interference and manipulation - on all sides.
6104	83447004	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Approve.	Agree the changes - but would restrict postal voting to those with illness or disability for ALL elections. For prevention of electoral fraud.	Agree.
6105	954364455	Neil McEvoy	Individual	Individual	All good, no comment.	The Referendum should include an option for Digital Voting.\r The lack of Digital Voting options makes it more difficult for some citizens to participate, and it reflects a lack of a mature Economic Development policy that leverages technology to better improve Scottish society and economics as a whole.\r Therefore my primary comment is that Scotland should adopt Digital Voting for the Referendum, described in detail here: \r http://scotvote.info/vote-digital/	All good, no comment.
6106	830599374	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposals are acceptable	The rules on eligibility should be tightened to prevent landlords who are not resident or who''s main residence is outwith Scotland or people who no longer live in scotland and probably won't again, and are likewise not resident in Scotland are not allowed to vote just because they own property or are registered at their parents' address. It should be for residents only. Perhaps a check or confirmation of address via their Natonal Insuance number could be used to verify residency? \rAlso, due to alleged irregularities that were reported at the time of the 2014 referendum, all ballot papers should be moved to the relevant counting place and accompanied by a member of both sides of the campaign. Once at the counting place, the ballot papers should be immediately moved to a secure area to be counted and once they have been verified by both parties and/or an independent observer, moved to a final secure area. Also the postal ballots should also be kept in a secure area . With regards to this, no private company should be employed to count or secure the postal votes. They should instead be deposited and held at the relevant local authority Police Scotland regional office/headquarters. This measure would thereby prevent any MSP from either having seen or claim to have seen the result of the postal votes or that 'tallies' were taken prior to the official count.	The proposals are acceptable and fair
6107	548204058	Peter grey	Individual	Individual	There should be independent monitors from other country's so no one can say they are bias.	Newly registered voters should be checked, also postal votes should replace proxi votes as if you are unable to submit a postal vote how can you ask for a proxi vote.	Sounds ok
6108	665443597	Ian Lowe	Individual	Individual	I am broadly supportive, but feel that the protections against abuse of postal votes need to be stronger.\r It should not be possible for people who are not registered for tax as resident here to have a postal vote.	This is not good enough.\r Postal votes are wildly open to abuse, and in the last referendum there were organised campaigns on Social Media urging no voters to make use of old family homes, shared accommodation etc.\r in a narrow result, this could be corrosive to democracy.	No comment.
6109	755072629	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not accept there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separation of Scotland from the United Kingdom.  A majority 55:45 No vote against separation was democratically and conclusively made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, that no further referendum would take place for a generation. \rAccordingly, I have no views on the proposed arrangements for managing a second referendum.	I do not accept there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separation of Scotland from the United Kingdom.  A majority 55:45 No vote against separation was democratically and conclusively made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, that no further referendum would take place for a generation. \rI therefore have no views on the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements.	I do not accept there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separation of Scotland from the United Kingdom.  A majority 55:45 No vote against separation was democratically and conclusively made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, that no further referendum would take place for a generation. \rAgain I therefore have no views on the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
6110	650827207	William Wright	Individual	Individual	I do not see any need for a referendum. We had one not long back and the result was clear. The recent UK decision to leave the EU does not give a justification for another referendum .	As I do not see any need for a referendum then I do not see any need to answer this question.	As I do not see any need for a referendum then I do not see any need to answer this question.
6111	210982620	Brian Nugent	Individual	Individual	I am in complete agreement with the proposed arrangements for managing the Referendum	I am in complete agreement with the proposed technical changes to polling and court arrangements	I am in complete agreement with the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants
6112	367361755	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	All residents should have the vote from 16
6113	82045676	Thomas Ball	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Postal voting - as it is presently conducted in the United Kingdom - is open to to fraud. \r In similar-sized European countries people are generally required to vote in person. \r The next referendum should have this rule unless: they are members of the defence forces, the police, a diplomat or family member of a diplomat posted abroad, have a physical illness or disability, are studying full-time at an educational institution in Scotland away from their home address at which they are registered to vote, or are unable to vote at a polling station owing to their occupation (e.g. offshore workers).\r Scottish people resident in the rest of the United Kingdom should not be permitted a vote as they are able to register to vote at their home address. Citizens should not have two votes in the UK, however, Scots resident in the rest of the European Union should be permitted to vote as they do not have another vote in the UK.
6114	504283068	Anne Hughes	Individual	Individual	1.\tSurely the first question on the document should ask “do you want a second referendum?” Repeated polls have shown that a majority do NOT want a second Independence referendum. It’s time Nicola Sturgeon respected that. \r2.\tAs only the UK Government can legally call a referendum, the \rElectoral Commission should report to the Secretary of State for Scotland, not the Scottish Government. \r3.\tIt is not an internationally accepted principle that residency \rdetermines electoral eligibity; most countries base it on citizenship and expats need to vote at their embassies even when they live abroad. \r4.\tThe SNP got all the feedback it needed in September 2014. The people of Scotland voted decisively to stay part of the UK. \r5.\tAnother Independence referendum is being proposed on the \rpretext that “Scotland wants to remain in the EU”. I voted, in Scotland, for the UK to remain in the EU but there is absolutely NO link between the EU referendum and Scottish Independence. The word “Scotland” did not appear at any point on the EU referendum ballot paper. I certainly did not give Nicola Sturgeon permission to use my remain vote as fuel to gain a second Independence Referendum. \r6.\tI would like the UK to retain access to the EU single market “to protect jobs and workers’ rights in Scotland”. However, the most important single market to Scotland is the UK. The SNP’s own figures confirm that remaining part of the UK single market is more important for Scotland’s economy than being in the EU. I would much prefer to live in Scotland as part of the UK but outside of the EU rather than an “Independent” Scotland within the EU. \r7.\tThis attempt at a re-run from the nationalists risks causing even further uncertainty across the country for both workers and businesses. \r8.\tThe SNP have already signed a document for “no further referendum for a generation”, there is no need for another one at this point in time and any attempt to do so breaks the agreement which they were party to. \r9.\tA second Independence Referendum is completely unnecessary and a total waste of time and money. Any second Independence Referendum should not be funded by the taxpayer but should be entirely funded by the SNP. \r10. In the event of a second Independence Referendum there \r should be a clause in the agreement document signed by all \r parties that should the result show the majority remain against \r Scottish Independence and in favour of Scotland remaining \r within the United Kingdom then Holyrood should be closed \r permanently with ALL powers returning to Westminster. \r11. Over two million Scots said “no thanks” and “Better Together” \r only two years ago. “No” means “No” and this outcome must \r be respected.	1.\tSurely the first question on the document should ask “do you want a second referendum?” Repeated polls have shown that a majority do NOT want a second Independence referendum. It’s time Nicola Sturgeon respected that. \r2.\tAs only the UK Government can legally call a referendum, the \rElectoral Commission should report to the Secretary of State for Scotland, not the Scottish Government. \r3.\tIt is not an internationally accepted principle that residency \rdetermines electoral eligibity; most countries base it on citizenship and expats need to vote at their embassies even when they live abroad. \r4.\tThe SNP got all the feedback it needed in September 2014. The people of Scotland voted decisively to stay part of the UK. \r5.\tAnother Independence referendum is being proposed on the \rpretext that “Scotland wants to remain in the EU”. I voted, in Scotland, for the UK to remain in the EU but there is absolutely NO link between the EU referendum and Scottish Independence. The word “Scotland” did not appear at any point on the EU referendum ballot paper. I certainly did not give Nicola Sturgeon permission to use my remain vote as fuel to gain a second Independence Referendum. \r6.\tI would like the UK to retain access to the EU single market “to protect jobs and workers’ rights in Scotland”. However, the most important single market to Scotland is the UK. The SNP’s own figures confirm that remaining part of the UK single market is more important for Scotland’s economy than being in the EU. I would much prefer to live in Scotland as part of the UK but outside of the EU rather than an “Independent” Scotland within the EU. \r7.\tThis attempt at a re-run from the nationalists risks causing even further uncertainty across the country for both workers and businesses. \r8.\tThe SNP have already signed a document for “no further referendum for a generation”, there is no need for another one at this point in time and any attempt to do so breaks the agreement which they were party to. \r9.\tA second Independence Referendum is completely unnecessary and a total waste of time and money. Any second Independence Referendum should not be funded by the taxpayer but should be entirely funded by the SNP. \r10. In the event of a second Independence Referendum there \r should be a clause in the agreement document signed by all \r parties that should the result show the majority remain against \r Scottish Independence and in favour of Scotland remaining \r within the United Kingdom then Holyrood should be closed \r permanently with ALL powers returning to Westminster. \r11. Over two million Scots said “no thanks” and “Better Together” \r only two years ago. “No” means “No” and this outcome must \r be respected.	1.\tSurely the first question on the document should ask “do you want a second referendum?” Repeated polls have shown that a majority do NOT want a second Independence referendum. It’s time Nicola Sturgeon respected that. \r2.\tAs only the UK Government can legally call a referendum, the \rElectoral Commission should report to the Secretary of State for Scotland, not the Scottish Government. \r3.\tIt is not an internationally accepted principle that residency \rdetermines electoral eligibity; most countries base it on citizenship and expats need to vote at their embassies even when they live abroad. \r4.\tThe SNP got all the feedback it needed in September 2014. The people of Scotland voted decisively to stay part of the UK. \r5.\tAnother Independence referendum is being proposed on the \rpretext that “Scotland wants to remain in the EU”. I voted, in Scotland, for the UK to remain in the EU but there is absolutely NO link between the EU referendum and Scottish Independence. The word “Scotland” did not appear at any point on the EU referendum ballot paper. I certainly did not give Nicola Sturgeon permission to use my remain vote as fuel to gain a second Independence Referendum. \r6.\tI would like the UK to retain access to the EU single market “to protect jobs and workers’ rights in Scotland”. However, the most important single market to Scotland is the UK. The SNP’s own figures confirm that remaining part of the UK single market is more important for Scotland’s economy than being in the EU. I would much prefer to live in Scotland as part of the UK but outside of the EU rather than an “Independent” Scotland within the EU. \r7.\tThis attempt at a re-run from the nationalists risks causing even further uncertainty across the country for both workers and businesses. \r8.\tThe SNP have already signed a document for “no further referendum for a generation”, there is no need for another one at this point in time and any attempt to do so breaks the agreement which they were party to. \r9.\tA second Independence Referendum is completely unnecessary and a total waste of time and money. Any second Independence Referendum should not be funded by the taxpayer but should be entirely funded by the SNP. \r10. In the event of a second Independence Referendum there \r should be a clause in the agreement document signed by all \r parties that should the result show the majority remain against \r Scottish Independence and in favour of Scotland remaining \r within the United Kingdom then Holyrood should be closed \r permanently with ALL powers returning to Westminster. \r11. Over two million Scots said “no thanks” and “Better Together” \r only two years ago. “No” means “No” and this outcome must \r be respected.
6115	1031616930	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I agree with the eligibility criteria on the whole, although I think it may be appropriate to expect that voters have been resident in Scotland for a certain minimum period of time (3 years?). I have concerns about people voting who may not have a stake in Scotland's long term future e.g. students who are here for a short period and then intend to leave, people on temporary work assignments.
6116	86796187	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposal.	I agree with the proposal.	I agree with the proposed changes.
6117	43665515	Allan Wilson	Individual	Individual	I believe they are unnecessary	I think the cost of so doing is indefensible in current period of austerity	I think Scots living in the RoUK should be included if EU residents in Scotland are eligible to vote in any such referendum
6118	91624975	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In my opinion we should NOT be having another referendum. The majority of the voting public was very clearly against an independent Scotland. Indeed the percentage was similar to that of the Scottish vote cast for remaining in Euope. It seems to be a double standard for the SNP party to accept the latter referendum overwhelmingly ( On Brexit ) yet overide the majority view in the former (Scottish referendum)\r I agree that the method as outlined above would be fair, therefore acceptable	So long as the procedures for absent voting are rigorous, I would agree with the proposals.\rI would like consideration to be given for Scottish citizens who HAVE to life outwith Scotland ( through their occupation for example) be given the opportunity to vote.	This seems sensible and well thought out.
6119	692724704	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree with proposal	No Answered	I would like those citizens born and raised in Scotland temporarily working abroad for a limited period to be decided on, and intending to return be given the right to vote. This would not include anyone permanently resident abroad.
6120	947461077	Stuart Simpson	Individual	Individual	Rely too much on UK arrangements which failed us so badly in indyref 1	It's not sufficient to say anyone appointed should not be involved in campaigning. Strict neutrality he to be ensured, including the counting officer. Attempts will be made to insinuate corrupt people at all stages.	Electoral commission can not be relied on to stop infringements. Witness Indyref 1.
6121	680661828	Leslie Ross	Individual	Individual	I was concerned by reports during the 2014 referendum suggesting that impressions of support could be gained during the prior verification of postal votes.\r I suggest more rigorous procedures are set out , including equal number of each side's votes being presented in sets of say 500 (per side?), including repeated inclusions of the same voting papers to make the assessment of vote shares prior to referendum day voting a very remote possibility.\r Voting eligibility of 16 and 17 year olds, and all non-native voters should be legally on exactly the same footing.	these changes seem reasonable	Truly disinterested parties aiming at encouraging voter registration and participation should also be allowed, with the same spending limits. This to be subject to a clear and unarguable declaration on all their communications (printed or electronically published) that they have no preference as to the outcome.
6122	829884906	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There is enough uncertainty, without adding to it with another divisive referendum campaign.\rThe Scottish Governnent is living in cloud cuckoo land if they think all 27 EU nations will make things easy for an independent Scotland to join, at least one, probably more, will veto.\rPlease, no more Referendums!!
6123	328998697	No	Individual	Individual	Irrelevant as not interested in another referendum	Irrelevant as not interested in another referendum	Irrelevant as not interested in another referendum
6124	704387674	Ivor Norman Macdonald	Individual	Individual	Same as Elections	yes i agree with polling and count ammendments	I agree with the proposals
6125	984849927	DON McKILLOP	Individual	Individual	Totally agree with this	Agree to this	Agree with it
6126	573269330	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need or requirements for a second referendum since the Scottish people made their decision clearly and firmly.	There are no reasons for a second referendum since the Scottish people made a clear choice.	I accept the proposed changes, but there is no need for a second referendum since the Scottish people voted clearly.
6127	573926395	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Can I just say that re: 1.6 and 1.7 of the Draft Bill. The Question should remain the same, no linking it to the EU or anything else. There should also be no 'conditions' such as '30 years before we allow you to have another one'!\rNot sure I'm too happy with the performance of the Electoral Commission.\rThere seemed to be far too many complaints and 'conspiracy theories' for myself (and some friends) to be wholly trusting of the EC - ballot papers blank on the back, vans on the way to counting being unescorted, piles of 'yes' votes in the 'no' piles, film of staff putting 'yes' ballots in 'no' piles and later, piles of ballot papers being found by the road side. Enough to make you paranoid.\rI did however, find myself raging when, as far as I saw it, the 'purdah' rules were flagrantly broken when what seemed like half of Westminster appeared in Glasgow (who paid for that little jolly?) and then we had..... the 'Vow'! \rI also think that people should be more encouraged to check that they are registered to vote because of the recent changes.	I AM NOT HAPPY WITH THE REPORT I READ THAT PETER LILLEY'S COMPANY IDOX IS 'IN CONTROL' OF POSTAL VOTING AND COUNTING. IF TRUE, THIS IS WRONG!\r Voting eligibility: I agree with sections 2.11 and 2.12 (do we have to give the HoLs eligibility?) Joke!\rFor Absent Voting: I agree with sections 2.13. \r2.14 I am however, very suspicious of the unbelievable increase in emergency proxy applications, so anything that can be done to bring this back down to 'normal', would be good.\r2.15 For me, it is a must that postal voters are genuine residents. People who own holiday homes here should NOT be allowed a vote. Surely there is some way eg via the community tax lists to check this?\r2.16 and 2.17 Agreed	I don't really know enough about Campaigning Rules eg participants, funding and expenses.\rI do not see anything wrong with the above.
6128	307876774	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the management for the referendum should be done by people outwith scotland ,and the uk in particular.	No Answered	Still unsure about postal voting, why not, just not allow it. Its far too open for dishonesty.
6129	859428187	George Anderson	Individual	Individual	No concerns. Proposal is quite clear	No concerns	No concerns
6130	400172981	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe there should be another referendum on Scotland's independence for many years. \rIt is essential for the terms of the UK exit from the European Union to be agreed and understood rather than rushing into another Independence Referendum. \r I would not wish to make such an important decision based on uncertainty.	No Answered	I do not believe there should be another referendum on Scotland's independence for many years. \rIt is essential for the terms of the UK exit from the European Union to be agreed and understood rather than rushing into another Independence Referendum. \r I would not wish to make such an important decision based on uncertainty.
6131	403352219	John Sharp	Individual	Individual	I would have a preference that there should also be a monitoring role carried out by an organisation external to UK. Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) would seem a good candidate for this.	No comments	No comments
6132	686360757	Lilly Hunter	Individual	Individual	I am in agreement with them. One query only:\r Should people over the age of 75 have the right to vote in a referendum regarding future arrangements for Scotland, which are unlikely to affect them? Is this not unfair to the youngest voters, who will have to live with the outcome of the vote for their entire lives?	I am in agreement with them.	I am in agreement with them.
6133	256897386	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is NOT a local election which can be changed in a few years. \r I would welcome outside observers, possibly from the EU. An exit poll would also be useful as a rough check and a deterrent.\r The people in charge of the polls, counts and security of the postal votes should not hold office in political parties or any organisation campaigning. \r Neither postal votes or other votes should be removed from Scotland for checking and counting.	I welcome the changes but as this is not an election that can be overturned in a few years would further prefer:\r a limit of at least 5 years residency to prevent the renting of a residence for a short time in order to obtain a vote.\r no non permanently resident holiday home owners, who will be registered to vote at their permanent residence, or their guests should be eligible to vote.\r a limit should be set on the number of proxy votes one person can hold to prevent the abuse of votes in care homes and such like.\r checks are taken in care homes and such like that the residents can fill in and seal their votes, postal or proxy, in private. If help is needed a family member or trusted person of their choosing may assist. If they decline to vote or are unable to do so this should be recorded so that their vote cannot be used by another.	I welcome the changes.
6134	188554441	Monica Brooks	Individual	Individual	There appeared to be a number of irregularities during the last referendum and therefore I'm not convinced that the result was correct. I would therefore like to see better oversight in any future referendum.\r This view is shared by a number of others, including Naomi Wolf, who has had considerable experience of voter fraud in the USA.	I believe these changes will help to ensure a more representative outcome.	Agreed.
6135	134370584	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe an impartial third party should be in charge of managing the referendum. This could be from another country, such as Iceland. This would remove any talk of cheating.	No Answered	Postal voting needs to be far more secure. There are too many opportunities to abuse the system.
6136	39590049	N / A	Individual	Individual	These rules are acceptable in principal, with one significant caveat.\r There appears to be an agenda to repeat the Yes / No or In / Out question. Given the significant change in circumstances, this stark choice is unacceptable.\r Instead a third option MUST be made available to the electorate, namely the choices must be;\r Yes to independence within the EU; No to Independence and to remain part of the UK; Yes to Independence from both the UK and the EU and to be a truly independent country (similar to Norway and free to broker Scotland beneficial trade agreements).	Eligibility should be restricted to Scottish nationals only. e.g. those individuals born in Scotland.\r Thus free from non indigenous Scottish individuals.	I agree with the proposal reference Paragraph 3A to reject names which are obscene, offensive or amount to the commission of an offence.\r Otherwise I have no objections to other proposals.
6137	874346430	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Managing the referendum in the same way as the 2014 referendum is satisfactory. 16-18 year olds should also be added to the main electoral roll and included in all elections and referenda.	All permanent residents of Scotland should be eligible, including 16-18 year olds. The postal voting system should be based to the same rules as the proxy voting system.	It is crucial that purdah rules are upheld and uk government ministers do not alter the terms of the debate or offer new additional powers like 'the vow' during the purdah period to deceive and dupe the electorate when the polls are going against them.
6138	522857635	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am content with the proposed management arrangements, which seem largely to replicate the successful running of the 2014 referendum, which appears to have satisfied both the electorate and the independent Electoral Commission. I am strongly in favour of the independent role suggested for the Electoral Commission in guidance and regulatory functions.\rI would welcome the use of the same referendum question as worded in 2014, on the grounds of consistency, and because it will be well-understood, clear and concise.	I am strongly in favour of the suggested franchise, which once again is based on place of residence and assumes that the decision made by the electorate will be tied closely to the democratic wishes of those who form the polity and society of Scotland, and who are most directly affected by the governance of the country.\rI fully support the integration of 16- and 17-year-olds into the register of electors.\rThe proposed changes to the rules for Absent Voting seem fair and proportionate. I am very much in favour of the suggested changes to the requirements for the appointment of a proxy for another voter, and for the tightening of eligibility for emergency proxy votes, which should certainly be limited to genuine emergencies after the normal proxy cut-off date . \rI welcome the separate proposals to bring the checking of postal votes, and the provision of copies of the verification statement into line with current best practice at other elections.\rI am strongly in favour of the proposed changes to the rules for the appointment of staff who have been involved in campaigning. I think it is essential to implement recommendation 19 of the Electoral Commission in order to make explicit the need for polling and counting staff to be free of any perception or accusation of bias.	I think it reasonable to amend the technical details of the referendum procedures in line with recommendations made by the Electoral Commission in their report on the 2014 referendum, and to reflect changes to electoral law since 2014.
6139	519386480	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have reservations about the eligibility to vote criteria - please see next section.	I would prefer there to be a requirement for voters to have been resident in Scotland for a minimum number of years, e.g. at least five years. This would show a level of knowledge about, and commitment to, this country. \rI also have concerns about postal votes. My son in law applied for one in the 2014 referendum as he was working in the North Sea. Its arrival was very delayed, leaving insufficient time to post it. His wife was instructed over the phone to deliver it to an office in Clydebank. There she found an unattended cardboard box in a porch, filled with postal vote envelopes.	I agree with this.
6140	545967426	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Electoral Commission should report to separate body other than only the Scottish Parliament to ensure that there is clarity and no risk of corruption. Should report to Uk national or international body as well as the Scottish Parliament.\rReturning officers system should continue as for all previous elections.\rTurn out needs to be at least 75%.\rFurther referendum should not be considered for at least 10 years to allow the country to gain stability. The government should accept the peoples votes via democratic process in 2014 and now concentrate on key issues ie health, education and infrastructure of Scotland. Energy and resources are wasted in looking at another referendum when the focus should be education for our young people, on health and on the infrastructure of the country. There has been continued decline in all 3 keys areas of education, health and our infrastructure and very little progress or meaningful government in Scotland in the last 4 years or longer.	Commonwealth citizen and EU and Irish citizens should only be allowed if full residency in Scotland . Or if allowed to vote, they should have been resident in Scotland for a minimum period yet to be determined e.g. 3 or 4 years. It seems wrong that an EU resident could be in Scotland for a short period of time and be allowed to vote when not fully aware of the all the complex issues involved in decision making.\rTurn out should be at least 75% to make the vote valid.	no views
6141	698848849	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In addition to the electoral commission, I would like to see an independent non-UK third party monitoring the activities of the referendum campaign. \r In 2014, purdah rules were broken by the UK government in the week before the vote in the form of "the vow". There therefore needs to be a more effective process of campaign monitoring to ensure everything is above board.	I would like to see a condition of at least 10 years residency in Scotland for those eligible to vote. Such voters would have a better understanding and personal experience of the issues affecting Scotland and so would be in a better position to decide on the country's constitutional future.\r As above, a third party non-UK organisation should also oversee the delivery, management and counting of votes so that there can be no doubt that the process is fair. \r In 2014, reports of the result of the postal vote were given in advance of polling day. The information came from those present at postal vote "sampling", and the details were fed back to the Better Together campaign team, as described by Ruth Davidson on polling night during the BBC election programme. This must not be allowed to happen again as it is clearly against election rules. It emphasises the need for a body other than the electoral commission, whose failings during the 2014 campaign are apparent, to ensure the security of postal votes and the trustworthiness of the counting process.\r I would like to see postal votes restricted to the elderly and disabled, as there are widespread concerns relating to the possibility of postal vote fraud. Those who are able to vote in person on polling day do not need to be given a postal vote. This would also reduce the administrative burden.	I agree with the proposals.
6142	1049711942	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for another referendum as we voted decisively to remain part of the U.K. Only 2years ago.The fact that the U.K.voted to leave Europe does not mean we have to seek independence.I voted to remain but it is more important to remain part of the U.K.as it is by far our most important market.	I think Scots living elsewhere in the U.K.should be allowed to vote as many would still reside here if their employment was the reason for leaving and may well return in later years.	See above.
6143	917839860	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	I agree	I agree
6144	625353428	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think that independent international monitors should be used to validate the voting process and voting procedures/counting on the day. Postal voting should be severely restricted to those with disabilities and those out of the country; all those able to vote at the designated centres should vote in personal attendance. The right to simply request a postal vote without a suitable reason should not be allowed.	People with second homes in Scotland, but whose main residence is outwith Scotland, should not be allowed to vote in the referendum. A minimum residency period should be applied before eligibility to vote e.g. 5 years.\r The checking of postal votes must take place in Scotland under international monitoring. Postal votes must not be collated in any other country. As previously stated, postal voting should be restricted to specified categories and not be granted as a right for all. All postal votes should be verified as authentic. \r Agree regarding other changes.	Agreed
6145	85403872	george collier	Individual	Individual	agree with	Anyone over the age of seventy should have at least 5 years residency in Scotland	no organisations outwith Scotland should be allowed to donate or lobby
6146	1014185549	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	the age limit should be 18	no comment	this is all too technical for a layperson
6147	290931822	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Do not let the electoral commission rig it once again	Tighten them up a lot. No postal voting unless it is an extreme circumstance.	Go for it
6148	1001380813	Douglas Jarvie	Individual	Individual	Generally agree.	Broadly agree.\r Would residency be ascertained , so that it was only those with a primary residence in Scotland who voted?\r Please ensure 16/17 year olds can vote.	No strong views
6149	326164877	George Jacobson	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I am satisfied with the proposed management arrangements. I am somewhat less satisfied with the intention to hold another referendum........appropriately dubbed the "Neverendum" in some quarters......in the first place. I have read the parer, including the additional information, only to discover that nowhere in this apology for a consultation is there any opportunity to comment on the need for another referendum whatsoever. It is nothing more than a trifling exercise to enable nationalist cultists to boast that they have carried out public consultation to the satisfaction of a gullible electorate. Altogether quite disgraceful!
6150	1064875761	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Proposed arrangements are agreed but the timescale is not.	Proposed technical changes are agreed but the timescale for implementation is not agreed.	Agreed
6151	963987858	Gordon Miller	Individual	Individual	The management of the poll and count should be augmented by an individual body outwith the UK / Scottish system and in addition to the role of the Electoral Commision. By employing a suitabe body this would ensure neutrality and fairness of the process which was a considerable concern amongst voters during the 2014 referendum process. Such a body could be formed from UN observers or from EU/Nordic states which have no direct vested interest in the outcome.	I agree with the proposed technical changes - in particular the 100% checking of personal identifiers in the postal vote. \rAll postal votes must be processed by the postal system within the national boundaries of Scotland and not be moved via another country. \rPostal votes should only be opened prior to the count in order to check personal identifiers - no preliminary counting should take place. Furthermore, this checking process should only be observed by neutral observors / Electoral Commission and not by any member of either side of the referendum debate.	Changes to the rules appear to be reasonable. \rEnforcement of the "28 day restricted period" (aka Purdah) prior to the referendum voting day must be strictly enforced. Any breaking of this must be publically withdrawn in all media outlets under supervision from Electoral Commission / neutral observor body.
6152	176131832	Neil McCulloch	Individual	Individual	What measures are proposed to ensure that the Electoral Commission itself is not subject to direct /indirect influence by Westminster or Scottish government ministers? I am thinking of for example threats to remove or reduce funding, the removal/curtailing of remits or the transfer of roles to other bodies should particular outcomes not be achieved or the facilitation of favored initiatives be interpreted as not having received due preference. An example of this type of behavior by the Westminster government would be the 'revised' role of the Financial Ombudsman Service with specific regard to mortgage style student loans.	I believe that the the clause which states that a counting officer "must not knowingly" appoint or employ anyone who has been involved in campaigning during the referendum is open to abuse and should be tightened . \r This section should now reflect the provisions outlined in Sections 4 & 5 with regard to excessive/inappropriate campaign spending ie it will be an offence if a counting officer does not verify the status of appointees with regard to referendum campaigning and act to exclude those applicants who have participated.	I agree with the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
6153	1054806973	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Please consider:\r 1) An electorate system with:\ro\tone and only vote per individual registered into a central registry,\ro\tprivacy booths installed in sufficient number at each polling station for each election or poll,\ro\telections and referendums being held on Sundays (not during the working week days) in order to prevent pressures at work and facilitate the democratic expression of each and all citizen.\r 2) The audit of the actual number of individual "deduplicated votes" (cf below) for each side of the Referendum, preferably certified by a trusted third-party like the Public Service Analytics department of one of the Big Four companies (like Deloitte ...).\r Why:\r The UK election system is organised to register and collect votes by citizen addresses. Local government districts manage these addresses. There is currently no deduplication of someone who, in the current system, would claim residing with a considerable degree of permanence in several places all at once. Such a person could easily go unchecked and would be in the position of carrying out multiple votes. Indeed, for EU/Brexit Referendum, we directly witnessed at our company people with as many as five addresses having received five times the right to cast a vote, from five different lower-tier local authorities. And we saw, in the polling station, a teenager voting for his mother without showing any form of mandate or identity proof.\r This situation prevents Government from certifying the EU/Brexit consultation had only one vote per person. \r And the current relation between an address and a voter makes a direct link between the number of votes cast by a person and the number of locations registered by this person, or the number of estates this person owns, indeed a hidden censitary suffrage. \r Many would raise an eyebrow, not to mention tabloid journalists, in realising that, in such a system, a wealthy person could vote with as many addresses he/she is registered at (home address, country home, leased properties and assets) very easily by correspondence. \r And in the 21st century, a (modern) democracy would expect to organise a single vote per citizen on every consultation or election, and thus having a Central Unique Identifier for a voter. The current system could be firmly rooted to a Central Registry (and not areas' electoral registers) ensuring that a person cannot be registered at more than one address for national consultations or elections. \r In addition, for the EU/Brexit Referendum, we have seen 40-50 year old middle class people being driven to the polling station, from their workplace, by their boss or colleague. In there, there were no privacy booths, contrary to Australia since 1857. They could not resist the pressure - as everybody could see whom one voted for - and consequently gave a Leave vote against their will in the fear of losing their job or being bullied at work.	No Answered	Can you please be sure to include all European current students of St Andrews University. All who are studying there are attached to Scotland, and will be happy to give their views on what can help Scotland develop and flourish.\r Can you please be sure to include all
6154	352784438	John Burrows	Individual	Individual	A blanket ban on UK based press coverage should be applied prior to the poll. The odious tidal wave of anti independence propaganda which preceded the last poll made a mockery of the democratic process. Virtually the entire UK based main stream media, owned as it is by vested interests, with a financial interest in securing a No vote, was used ruthlessly to terrorize the old and misrepresent the effects of an independent Scotland.	Postal Ballots should use the OSCE/ODIHR to ensure ballot collection and counts are above suspicion. In the last referendum in 2014, comments by No Campaigners seemed to indicate that they had access to postal ballot counts prior to the poll conducted on September 18th, 2014. Access to the counts of these ballots prior to the official count, by any interested parties, is both unethical and immoral.	Residency requirements should stipulate that residents have actively lived in Scotland for a set minimum period of time, and should prohibit busing in "residents" on the day of the poll. That is, residency should be based on active participation in Scottish Society. Not summer holiday cottagers. A voter should only be able to vote if their home in Scotland is their primary residence.
6155	249470612	James Dunbar	Individual	Individual	I approve of the proposals outlined above.	No Answered	I am glad to see that the right of 16-17 year olds to vote in any such referendum is now a given. I am also glad that residency, rather than ethnicity, forms the key factor in determining voter eligibility. I therefore support the proposals as outlined.
6156	427402255	Charlie Morris	Individual	Individual	Thoroughly dissatisfied. \r"The proposals for the management and regulation of the referendum align closely with the arrangements used successfully to deliver a fair and transparent referendum in 2014."\rI disagree fundamentally with this statement. \r The administration of the Referendum is to be left in the hands of predominantly Unionist personnel and bodies, eg. The Electoral Commission and the Chief Counting Officer.	"The choice of this franchise reflects the internationally accepted principle that the franchise for constitutional referendums should be determined by residency". This is a false statement. \rSpain and Germany do not permit foreign residents voting rights for constitutional referendums. I have family members who have lived in Germany for over 30 years, with voting rights limited to local elections.\r On the question of postal voting, the entire pv process in IndyRef14 was fraught with security issues. Add to that, the phenomenal success of postal voting from a No perspective, ought to have set alarm bells ringing with the Electoral Commission. Instead, it was yet another case of 'move along, nothing to see here' from the Unionist Establishment.	No comment.
6157	569469629	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would like to see more international supervision of all aspects of any future referendum.\rClearly this would have to be from what we consider fully accountable democracies. Possibly due to perceived conflicts of interest this should be from beyond as well as mainland Western Europe. I am thinking for example, New Zealand, Canada as they will not be affected by Brexit.\rCertainly we cannot only have Russian observers saying they thought the Count process was open to fraud (which imo it was open to) \rPossibly one western and one eastern European country and one from the Commonwealth.\rVoter ID must be greatly enhanced for polling day as well	I feel greater control over postal votes is a crucial issue.\rpersonally I prefer the idea of proxy to postal ballots.\r I would also like a tightening up of who constitutes a resident. Perhaps the scottish tax code idea suggested by others?\rCertainly I'm far from convinced procedures were watertight last time around and it may be an idea to look beyond these shores to find bonafide independent opinions on how we police the next referendum.	Although ignorant of a lot of the minutae mentioned above I have little faith in the Electoral Commission as an impartial body in any plebiscite deciding the future of the United Kingdom. Like I said above Europe is our friend and Europe is to where we should look in seeking a truly 'Gold Standard' in any future referendum.
6158	445353580	Harry Johnson	Individual	Individual	Use another body other than the Electoral Commission.	Agree.	Agree.
6159	334199139	Scott Stevenson	Individual	Individual	These arrangements worked well in 2014. I see no reason to change them.	No objections	No strong opinion
6160	455677454	Archie Hamilton	Individual	Individual	Satisfactory	Acceptable	Satisfactory
6161	198686832	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If the arrangements used in the 2014 referendum were "used successfully to deliver a fair and transparent referendum in 2014." why are they not going to be exactly the same this time around? Why will they merely "align closely"? In what ways will they differ? This should be clear in the consultation 'more information' tab on this aspect for the purposes of transparency and so the public can decide if indeed changes are merited.	Eligibility To Vote:\r Considering the serious ramifications of an "independence" referendum I have concerns about voter eligibility. The information you provide states "Eligibility to vote will be the same as for Scottish Parliament and local government elections." and in turn, that means the following people can vote on the future of the Scottish nation and Scottish people:\r "a British or Irish citizen, or\r a Commonwealth citizen, who has leave to remain in the UK or who does not require leave to remain in the UK, or\r a citizen of another European Union country"\r A British citizen is from our currently established country and if that person lives in Scotland I obviously see their entitlement to vote on something of such significance to their future as well as ours. The rest of those entitled to vote under your proposals by the fact that they are not Scottish nor citizens of this country have more readily questionable allegiances to this country and it's best interests. I would be concerned for a number of logical reasons about such people voting and the possibility that foreigners could be used to swing the vote one way or the other by those in power. \r Polling and Count Staff:\r "...are amended by the draft bill so that the counting officer “must not knowingly” appoint or employ anyone who has been involved in campaigning during the referendum." - In my view, this does not offer any practical protection to the integrity of the vote; it is entirely plausible that a counting officer could merely say that he/she "had no knowledge" of a count staff members involvement in the campaign and it states nothing about a count staff member having to declare whether or not they have campaigned. There may already be measures in place to prevent this potential vote fraud/tampering but from the description, you provide, this is not clear. I would much prefer to see the description say something akin to "The counting officer prior to vote-counting will have to provide signed declarations to the authorities from his or herself and his/her counting staff stating that they have not been involved in campaigning, should the counting officer fail to do this then the count will not proceed until such times as this has been done. Anyone refusing to do so will be removed from involvement and anyone found to be lying in their declaration will be criminally charged and convicted in accordance with (insert law and range of punishment terms). Any vote-count found to involve such individuals after the fact must be carried out again to ensure the vote has not been tampered with."	From the information provided the vast majority of the voting public reading it will be unable to determine if they should have concerns or issues regarding this. I would ask that this is more clearly explained in the consultation to avoid a scenario whereby sinister motives were carried out in plain sight as few were unable to understand what the changes actually meant.
6162	214489550	Alex Birnie	Individual	Individual	I am relatively happy with the proposed arrangements, although it is hard to see how a recurrence of the breaking of "purdah" rules could be prevented. The Westminster government drove a coach and horses through the "purdah" rules during the first independence referendum.	I am particularly happy with the change that requires that 100% of personal identifiers be checked for postal votes. In my view, the only "conspiracy theory" that had a shred of credibility, was the charge made that postal ballots had been interfered with, and it is important that the rules on postal ballots be tightened up to remove this "problem".	I am happy with the proposed changes, except that "named persons" should be held more accountable for infractions of spending rules, with fines being levied against "named person" offenders.
6163	394228872	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Totally unnecessary as Scotland decided in 2014 on what we were told was a once in a generation decision. \rThis insecurity is destabilising business and is bad for Scotland. \rThe government should get on with running the country focusing on health, education and justice.	otally unnecessary as Scotland decided in 2014 on what we were told was a once in a generation decision. \rThis insecurity is destabilising business and is bad for Scotland. \rThe government should get on with running the country focusing on health,	otally unnecessary as Scotland decided in 2014 on what we were told was a once in a generation decision. \rThis insecurity is destabilising business and is bad for Scotland. \rThe government should get on with running the country focusing on health,
6164	382295273	Province of Dalriata & Alba - reuniting Ulster & Scotland	Individual	Individual	If Ulster was also becoming Independent with Scotland, we would approve of these proposed arrangements for managing the referendum. \r We need Ulster to become part of Scotland again - let's become Independent together as one Province!	If Ulster was also becoming Independent with Scotland, we would approve of these proposed technical changes to polling & count arrangements. \r We need Ulster to become part of Scotland again - let's become Independent together as one Province!	If Ulster was also becoming Independent with Scotland, we would approve of these proposed changes on permissible participants. \r We need Ulster to become part of Scotland again - let's become Independent together as one Province!
6165	386903714	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Individual	Should be changed slightly so that voters must have been resident in Scotland for at least 2 years before the vote.
6166	601073417	Michael Brady	Individual	Individual	It would be good if an outside organisation handled the postal votes so the unionist parties couldn't view them like they did during the last referendum.	I am happy with the proposed technical changes.	The proposed changes seem fine to me.
6167	332518200	David Sutton	Individual	Individual	no problems	that is better	no problems
6168	82273981	Ian Morton	Individual	Individual	I support this	I approve these changes	I approve
6169	76984747	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no issues against the management of the referendum. It appears to be simply a copy from 2014. \rHowever I see this as a waste of public time. The rferendum in 2014 gave a clear decision to the Scottish Government. The mandate is to manage the country and help Scotland grow and create. \rThis activity detracts from time and effort from working for Scotland. During this Brexit period, I believe the government should focus on assisting Scottish businesses and ensuring education and health is the most effective to help Scotland.	No particular issues on the changes.	Appears sensible procedures to ensure clarity and control within the referendum.
6170	141759907	Duncan MacDonald	Individual	Individual	Many suspicions were aroused about the 2014 referendum regarding fraud as people were filmed filling in "No" on the forms in the counting halls, and this was widely circulated around the internet soon after. How true was this and if it was true how do we stop it happening again. I am very very sceptical of ballot boxes being tampered with en route. It wouldn't take a genius to easily swap a whole ballot box with "fixed" ballot papers. \r Ruth Davidson was also heard saying that the postal vote had been won for "No" before the count was officially made. How could she know such a thing.\r All ballot papers should be counted in situ and this nonsense of 700,000 postal ballots must be addressed.	I believe that anyone residing in Scotland should have a minimum of 5 years residency before being allowed a vote.\r The rest I am happy with.	OK
6171	393543285	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Unnecessary.\rThere is no Mandate for a second referendum.\rThe 2014 has never been respected (it has beenIGNORED) by the SNP Government.\rMore people Voted NO in 2014 than voted remain in 2016\rI Voted No in 2014 and Remain in 2016.\r I respect the result of the both votes\rYou are wasting tax payers money.\rAs a remain voter in the UK referendum on the EU you are mis-representing my vote.\rYou do not speak for me or hundreds of thousands of others.\rTime for you to wise up and behave like responsible adults. Whilst I acknowledge that this is hard for any politician, you are the ones in power. You are abusing that power.\rYou are attempting a form of constitutional abuse by continually threatening neverendums until you hopefully get the result you want.\rQuote : 'The girl does not always say yes first time!' JOHN MASON.\rYou are attempting a form of constitutional rape of the country of Scotland in the name of self interest. You never listen to anybody and doubtless you'll just ignore this but its time you had a good long look at yourselves in the mirror. Sadly, you'll probably like what you see and that is one of your biggest problems.	See first answer	see first answer
6172	366909504	Stephen Moore	Individual	Individual	The proposals are fine. As far as is possible, and second Independence Referendum should be a straight re-run of the first, with the same franchise, the same question, and the same conditions used to determine the result.	That all seems fine.	That's fine.
6173	1036045030	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is a waste of time and money. Whose money?	Again, it is a waste of time, money, and resources.	Waste.
6174	788253505	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't believe the time is right to have a referendum, My reasons are, Scotland is recovering from the turmoil of 4 years of voting and dosn't need any more. The economy is in a very fragile state, NHS , Education, Police, Local Governement and Central Government stumble from one crisis to another and no one is held accountable.\r All we receive is sound bites and blame levelled at the UK Governement , when are Scottish Ministers going to stand up and take responsibility for doing the job and using the powers they so often have demanded and now have.	Voting in this country is well established and doesn't need tinkering with	As long as the changes do not diminish the transparency of the process.
6175	287401942	Marie Tornes	Individual	Individual	I would like if my husband who is Norwegian and has lived here for most of his life could vote but he is not considered eligible because Norway is not in the EU. Otherwise I agree with the rest of the proposal.	I am not sure whether students from out with Scotland should be included in voting as they may be temporary residents and may make decisions about the future of Scotland when they have no intention of remaining here after their studies.	No problem with this.
6176	901304640	C Millers	Individual	Individual	Want one soon as however am v concerned about bias of U.K. Press and don't see anything that combats bias of press	Ok	Ok
6177	494796360	George Gannon	Individual	Individual	Their shoul be more stringent checkes on Postal votes.	Agree with proposed procedure.	Agree with proposed rule changes.
6178	196431846	Christopher Dawson	Individual	Individual	No Answered	Seems fine. Postal voting needs to be carefully regulated and scrutinised.	Good way to prevent the CBI fiasco.
6179	878174932	Andrew Hamilton	Individual	Individual	The management strategy seems reasonable.	The changes seems reasonable.	The permissible participants seem appropriate.
6180	993402246	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not accept that there is any need now or in the future for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed arrangements for managing a second referendum.	I do not accept that there is any need now or in the future for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed arrangements for managing a second referendum.	I do not accept that there is any need now or in the future for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed arrangements for managing a second referendum.
6181	194290028	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am not in favour. We had a vote recently with a 55:45 majority and this was meant to be a once in a generation chance to vote in such a referendum. \rSince then the oil industry has shown major decline. One huge area that was propping up the SNP argument. I struggle to see why we are so desperate to leave our closest neighbours and face all the uncertainty that would bring yet we are so desperate to stay part of Europe.	As above, We had a vote recently with a 55:45 majority and this was meant to be a once in a generation chance to vote in such a referendum. \rSince then the oil industry has shown major decline. One huge area that was propping up the SNP argument. I struggle to see why we are so desperate to leave our closest neighbours and face all the uncertainty that would bring yet we are so desperate to stay part of Europe.\rI have no views on changes to polling and count that merits a new referndum	As above, We had a vote recently with a 55:45 majority and this was meant to be a once in a generation chance to vote in such a referendum. \rSince then the oil industry has shown major decline. One huge area that was propping up the SNP argument. I struggle to see why we are so desperate to leave our closest neighbours and face all the uncertainty that would bring yet we are so desperate to stay part of Europe.\rAccordingly, I have no views on the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
6182	737388136	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Content with these proposals	No Answered	Content with changes especially with verifications for absent voters.\rPostal votes should remain in Scotland.
6183	177786422	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Eligibility should NOT be the same as for the Scottish Parliament and local government elections.\r Eligibility should be the same as for the UK elections.\rScottish born people who are working in other parts of the UK or are temporarily living abroad should also have the right to vote in the referendum.	No Answered	EU citizens should not be included in the franchise.
6184	1003909649	Katherine Kennedy	Individual	Individual	I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed arrangements for managing a second referendum.	I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements.	I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
6185	669244321	Wendy Latham	Individual	Individual	I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed arrangements for managing a second referendum.	I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements.	I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
6186	211319474	David Goldberg	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	My only point regarding the consultation response is to urge a full discussion and decision on \r a) Agreeing and ensuring a minimum turnout of the eligible electorate\r b)Agreeing and ensuring that the outcome is not determined by the "first-past-the-post" system but by a significant majority for one outcome or the other
6187	198795434	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with using the existing electoral commission to regulate the proposed referendum.	this should be open to people residing overseas and in the rest of the UK where they have a second address in Scotland. \rPostal votes must be subject to the same standard as all other Scottish Elections and regulated by the electoral commission.	All recommendations put forward by the electoral commission should be accommodated and not just recommendation 8.
6188	1054443683	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel this is unnecessary, votes were cast in the previous referendum with a No majority.	Another referendum vote would cause unnecessary division in the country and uncertainty for the future of the country.	It was widely reported that the last referendum would be once in a generation vote, so why are we considering another?
6189	385594780	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	For Indyref2 much stricter supervision over the handling of ballot papers, their transportation and delivery to the counting stations.	Members of the House of Lords should not be allowed to vote on this.\rNames of the counting officer and counting staff should be published in advance.	No comment
6190	138001978	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm happy with the arrangements in place, but against having another referendum, so soon after 2014. It was meant to be once in a generation event - the speculation around a further referendum is adversely affecting business in Scotland due to further uncertainty it causes.	The technical changes are fine, but the vote should include all British citizens, born in Scotland no matter the current address. By birth they would effectively be Scottish nationals and have the right to vote on whether they will no longer be British.	Fine
6191	797287511	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals for the administration of the poll.	I agree with the proposals, particularly on eligibility to vote, the inclusion of 16-17 year olds and the principle that those who live and work in the country take part. Proposals for verification, for absent voting and excluding those who campaign from the polling staff are fair and reasonable.	I have no particular view on these technical changes.
6192	850905204	Scott Shaw	Individual	Individual	I would still rather an independent international organisation oversee the Referendum such as the EU or UN rather than the Electoral Commission who are part of the British State.	This is okay.	Agreed.
6193	643075924	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	firstly there is no mandate for any further referendum in Scotland.\r secondly managing an election is consistent with all other elections and there is no reason to suspect any malpractice.\r however, eligibility rules do not take account of all Scottish interest as there are Scots (who should be eligible such as living in England, or working abroad) who do not have a say in their own country. This absolutely needs to be examined to provide wider involvement as there is a danger of immigration vote having more of say than those with a birth right.	again I reiterate my point from question 1.....that there is a group of Scottish people who have not been included. an example is a newly qualified student who is not on the property ladder, living either in RUK or abroad with no right to vote.\r to not include such groups is completely unacceptable way to potentially lose sovereignty of your own country and the country of your birth.\r more work on identifying these groups is necessary.	as above
6194	307344425	Duncan Howell	Individual	Individual	They're just a rehash of the last, failed, attempt.	No opinion	Scots living abroad should have a vote.
6195	843171903	Michael Scott	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree, particularly on strengthening postal vote validation.	Agree
6196	103711977	J R Middleditch	Individual	Individual	I disagree with the proposal to hold another independence referendum. The last one was decisive and Scotland voted to remain within the United Kingdom. The vote to leave the EU was made in the full knowledge that we were voting as the United Kingdom. To represent the vote in Scotland to be a reason to have another independence referendum is wrong and being done for political gain not the good of the country.\r As has been shown by the divisive nature in the last referendum where, despite a 55-45 result the outcome has not been accepted. A simple majority is not satisfactory for such a major change to the constitution. For the result of the referendum to be accepted and taken forward I propose that at least 66.6% of the vote should be required for the result to be accepted. If this majority is not reached it must be written into the bill that the question should not be raised again for at least a generation which I consider to be 21 years,	Only persons who have lived in or been registered to vote in Scotland for a minimum of 5 years should be permitted to vote in the referendum. \rPersons of Scottish birth who live within the United Kingdom or EU but who have lived in Scotland within the last 5 years should have a vote in the referendum. \rIt is not fair that people who are out of Scotland for work reasons etc at the time of the vote should be disenfranchised while those with no birth connections with Scotland are able to determine the future of a country where they are just visitors	Accepted
6197	930496468	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think there should be another referendum	Only British citizens with at least 30 years residency in Scotland should be allowed to vote. I do not agree that 16/17year olds should be allowed the vote.	no comment
6198	134974590	John Macadam	Individual	Individual	content	there should be no postal votes next time	content
6199	932633976	N/A	Individual	Individual	As a Scot I voted to stay in Britain in September 2014 and to stay in the EU in June 2016 (as a Brit). Although I would have preferred to stay in the EU, as this is a democratic country I respect the right of the majority and accept Brexit. In Scotland there was a decisive vote to remain part of Britain in Sept 2014. I fear for our future as a democracy (Scotland) if a precedent is set that if we don't like the outcome of a referendum we can just run it again. Many people, like me, voted to stay in the EU as part of Britain. Scotland is a small country and if it can't make it's voice heard within Britain what chance has it got to be heard in the EU. With this in mind I think setting up a Draft Referendum Bill is unnecessary especially at a time when there are so many pressing problems needing attention.	N/A	N/A
6200	559398120	eric thomson	Individual	Individual	I believe that the terms should be exactly the same as the previous referendum. That way we are able to directly compare the challenges and 'news/data/opinions' of those prominent figures who headed both sided of the 'debate'.\r There should be a dedicated team or group to canvas and gather opinion on the referendum from the public (all over the country - as broad a spectrum as possible). Internal consulatation will not give an accurate reflection of the pulse of the population	As large a polling spectrum as possible will give the mean, the average of the population. To disenfranchise any part of our society is beyond the thought of anyone with decent values. \rI feel there was some anger with postal voting before when there seemed to be hints from the 'no' camapaign that they had counted votes prior to the day. For integrity of the process, these should be counted at the same time as the ballot votes. \rBoth polling and verification is as good as it can be.	I have no view on this.
6201	39374218	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If there has to be another referendum, the proposed management arrangements are acceptable. I would prefer that there was no second referendum, as the people of Scotland have already spoken.	The proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements seem OK. I am surprised that citizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland are permitted a vote.	The proposed changes to rules on permissible participants seem sensible, particularly 3A regarding rejecting registration of offensive names.
6202	964176500	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Eligibility to vote as per my comments below: \r I do not agree that Commonwealth citizens and Irish and EU citizens resident in Scotland should be eligible to vote. They should have to become British citizens before being eligible to vote.\r I also do not agree that the voting age should include 16 and 17 year olds.	I do not agree that Commonwealth citizens and Irish and EU citizens resident in Scotland should be eligible to vote. They should have to become British citizens before being eligible to vote.\r I also do not agree that the voting age should include 16 and 17 year olds.	No comment
6203	307460516	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If we are in a position where we have to have a referendum, and I sincerely hope we don't, then the arrangements are adequate.	I've never been in favour of Postal Votes, except in exceptional circumstances, as the system is wide open to abuse and I also feel that voters should present proof of identity to the officers at the polling station.	Whilst I appreciate the rules have already changed, I'm uneasy about the competence of 16 & 17 year olds being given the priviledge of the vote, particularly as this group have been deemed incompetent by the Scottish Governemnt to cope with the effects of, among other things, tobacco and alcohol.
6204	917890697	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Automatic inclusion of 16 and 17 year olds\r Only persons born and residing in Scotland are eligible to vote
6205	281840554	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I want to ensure, that should there be a second referendum, that the wishes of the those areas that vote to remain in the UK are taken into account and can remain., e.g. Scottish Borders, Dumfries & Galloway, Orkney etc.
6206	881030434	Morag Kerr	Individual	Individual	In broad terms, I believe that the arrangements in 2014 were satisfactory.	I broadly agree with the proposals. In particular I believe it is extremely important that everyone over the age of 16 should be able to vote, and that everyone permanently resident in Scotland should be able to vote including non-UK EU citizens.\r It should be borne in mind that had the franchise for the 2014 referendum been limited to those born in Scotland, there is academic evidence suggesting that Yes would have won. (Indeed, there is also evidence to suggest that if non-UK EU citizens had been allowed to vote in the 2016 EU referendum, Remain would have won.) Thus, franchise is not merely an academic concern. I believe, however, that everyone whose permanent home is currently in Scotland should have a voice in the future of Scotland.\r However it appeared to me in 2014 that it was much too easy for people residing permantly outwith Scotland to register to vote at a Scottish address - either the home of a friend/relative, a holiday home or even a temporary rental address. I would propose that, if this had not already been addressed, measures are put in place to ensure that only those whose permanent residence is genuinely in Scotland are able to register to vote.\r In addition, as a general concern for all elections, I believe there is potential for misconduct where adults whose mental capacity is not such as to allow them to make an informed choice are concerned. I recognise that this is a difficult issue, especially as there is no clear boundary, but individuals who are unconscious, non-verbal or have the mental age of a toddler are what I am referring to. In these situations, where the carers of these people have arranged for them to have postal votes which are then returned by the carer, I believe it is fair to ask whose vote is actually being cast. There may be no practical way to deal with this, but I believe it is an issue that ought to receive some consderation.	I am entirely in agreement with this proposal.
6207	278657398	Graham Benny	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	I am concerned about the scale of postal voting. I am of the opinion that postal voting should only be available to electors who have a genuine reason for not being able to present themselves at a polling station. In the case of a referendum this would not have to be your 'own' polling station as in a constituency based election. Obviously this would make analysis of results at a local level more difficult but not impossible. In all elections there is a drive to inform the electorate which intensifies in the last few days before voting so postal voters can not be targetted with up-to-date information if they have already cast their votes. Postal voting should therefore in my opinion be broadly available under the same criteria as proxy voting.\rI would also be in favour of increased identity checks at polling stations.
6208	646585179	John MacLennan	Individual	Individual	The people pf Scotland have made their views clear at the last referendum. There is no need for another.\rGet on with dealing with really important issues.	There is no need for another referendum. Technical changes are a waste of time	I disagree profoundly with the idea ofanother referendum.
6209	966458331	Sue Varley	Individual	Individual	i would like International Observers to play a role in overseeing the conduct of the referendum.	It's good that 16 and 17 year-olds are automatically included in the franchise. \r Very important that once again the franchise is residents of Scotland, since that is who the vote will impact upon. I have concerns that there should be some kind of cut-off date such that newer residents do not have a vote - maybe people already resident when the next referendum is announced will automatically have a vote. Subsequent additions to the Electoral Roll (other than new entrants reaching the required age) should be required to prove residency. Second home owners should not be entitled to a vote.\r I also have concerns about the large number of postal votes, and I think this should be restricted for the next referendum as postal voting fraud is not unknown in British elections run under the Electoral Commission.	Participants should be residents of Scotland. It is Scotland's future and should be left to the people of Scotland, not only to vote but to fund and campaign. People should not be brought in from outwith Scotland to campaign.
6210	984537006	Alexander Sutherland	Individual	Individual	Generally in agreement with the proposed arrangements.	In agreement.	No objection to the changes
6211	471389987	YesDay Scotland	Individual	Individual	Further to our previous submission of December 2015, which discussed the scope of shifting referendum from archaic paper, to digital: \r We have a further suggestion, which has again seemingly in the interim received the endorsement of Twitter. \r Scotland doesn't need another referendum.\rScotland needs a National online YES Register. \r SCOTLAND INDEPENDENCE Via E-Democracy 10 STEPS\r1 Establish National online YES register, electoral roll interface\r2 Issue Digital Passports to all eligible voters\r3 Take the existing YES #NationalSurvey #BIGDATA\r4 Software match names with postcodes\r5 Email all YES, 'use digital passport, verify your YES'\r6 Billboards, TV ads, press ads\r7 Accelerate with Facebook CTR's\r8 Accelerate across the span of social media\r9 Keep counting and highlighting the YES figure\r10 End target is a Decisive Population Majority \rUNDERLINED, the system also needs to be fully capable of accepting the opinions of those who wish to denote an opinion against Independence.\r Twitter: @YesDayScotland	/	Only those who have permanent place of residence in Scotland
6212	748366021	Donald M MacDonald	Individual	Individual	While I am opposed to holding a referendum on leaving the UK so soon after the recent one, the proposed arrangements are satisfactory.	While I am opposed to holding a referendum on leaving the UK so soon after the recent one, the proposed technical changes of polling and counting arrangements are satisfactory.	While I am opposed to holding a referendum on leaving the UK so soon after the recent one, the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants are satisfactory.
6213	618160236	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are fine\rWE DO NOT NEED ANOTHER REFERENDUM	WE DO NOT NEED ANOTHER REFERENDUM	WE DO NOT NEED ANOTHER REFERENDUM
6214	469261392	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be none. The first referendum was a " once in a lifetime " referendum on the matter of independence	These should not be necessary see reply 1	Again, not necessary but good practice for other elections
6215	368182396	Douglas Edwards	Individual	Individual	I would suggest using the same arrangements as the referendum in 2014.	I agree with them.	I agree with these proposals
6216	739523084	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals as stated.	I agree with the proposed changes.	I agree they are changes to improve the system.
6217	387558380	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I disagree with the eligibility criteria, specifically the criterion that limits eligibility to vote to those registered in the register of local government electors.\r I was born in Stirling and lived in Scotland until the age of 24. I then studied abroad and worked for a few years in London before being recruited as a UK lawyer at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. Whatever my views on independence, which I do not intend to disclose here, I identify as Scottish. If anything, this perception of myself has become stronger since moving abroad because identifying myself as British leads others to assume that I am English. And I have become more aware of cultural differences between English and Scottish people.\r I submitted comments during the consultation on the 2014 referendum calling for all those registered on the overseas register at an address in Scotland to be allowed to vote. I repeat the call for Scots abroad to be entitled to vote, and consider the justification for such an approach to be stronger than ever. The question of a new referendum arises in the context of the UK's vote to leave the EU. Scots like me resident in other EU countries, exercising their right to free movement and enjoying all the ancillary benefits that this right brings, will clearly be among those most affected by Brexit. We have a legitimate opinion on whether our nation should become independent and pursue EU membership, and we should have a right to express that opinion in the referendum. And at a time when the will of the Scottish people differs so dramatically from that of other parts of the United Kingdom, the feeling of Scottish identity only increases.	I have no views to express.	I have no views to express.
6218	474565570	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	Completely supportive.	Completely agree
6219	510978041	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree.	Agree.	Agree.
6220	856156024	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The rules applied in 2014 are sufficient.	I think that showing identification at the polling station before you vote should be mandatory.	I have no comment.
6221	60312663	Morgwn C Davies	Individual	Individual	Content with this, it worked well in 2014.	Very happy that everyone who lives in Scotland has a vote. If you don't use that criteria then you enter a minefield of who is Scottish or not.	Seems reasonable.
6222	19748901	Jim O'Rourke	Individual	Individual	Broadly the same arrangements as 2014 again. Residency rather than birthplace should continue to be the criteria. Concerns about postal voting including sampling in the 2014 referendum need to be addressed.	Approve of the automatic inclusion of 16/17 year old citizens to be eligible to vote. Also the inclusion of EU/Commonwealth etc citizens to participate and vote.	Broadly approve
6223	949978847	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree	I agree	I agree
6224	312672919	Ann Rayner	Individual	Individual	I fully accept thgem	I agree with the changes and poarticukrky want to see the issue of postal votes made more secure and not open to abuse. Aldo there should be absolutely no sampling of postal votes before the count by any members of any political parties or their representatives although they may be allowed to be present at such sampling.	I agree with these changes
6225	98975559	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I concur with the proposed arrangements, and particularly support the inclusive eligibility to vote for the whole Scottish electorate.	No Answered	While I broadly concur with the technical proposals, including the restriction on emergency proxies, I have concerns about postal voting arrangements. While I understand that these are in line with postal voting arrangements in other elections, I also understand that there are serious issues in general with the extension of postal voting as used for reasons of convenience. (I comment on this as a person of restricted mobility, and a former postal voter no longer willing to use that system at any election.) I consider that widespread postal voting distorts the crucial communal and consensus aspects of the electoral process by dividing the electorate in terms of time-of-voting, and indeed, time-of counting, and by implicitly endorsing voting-by-default (rather than consideration of the issues) in a way that is particularly relevant in referenda. I would therefore make three suggestions. Firstly, if possible, postal voting should be re-restricted to persons unable to vote in person or by proxy (this is naturally difficult to check, but can be established as a principle). Secondly, and regardless, postal votes should be allocated to and counted only after the close of polling stations. (District allocation could easily be established separately and prior to personal ID.) Thirdly, the existing and perfectly workable system of proxy voting, which has lately been de-emphasised (witness the evidence of emergency proxy registrations) should be highlighted and advertised.
6226	1055145272	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Good, although I would be with including Scots not currently living in Scotland. Obviously there would need to be clear criteria for the definition of a Scot, and documentation might need to be provided.	Fine.	Fine
6227	1064345410	Laura Mackinnon	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals.	I agree with the proposals	I agree with the proposals
6228	428152777	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Some independent third-party monitoring authority would legitimise the result.	No Answered	EU citizens should be included in the voting as well as 16 and 17 year olds.
6229	420894455	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The referendum cost £12m, to date SNP have not taken on board what the majority voted for WHY.	If you don't stay in Scotland and are a member of Scotland.\r You should not be allowed a vote.	Happy for responsible persons to vote.
6230	740087644	John Donaldson	Individual	Individual	I have no faith in the Electoral Commission and would prefer an outside organisation (outwith the UK) to be responsible for the regulation of the referendum campaign.	Happy with everything except postal voting which requires much greater scrutiny/questioning than in the past.	No views.
6231	403458405	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The proposals can not be the same as in 2014 or we have lost before we even begin
6232	240622696	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposals.	I am satisfied with the proposed technical changes.	I'm satisfied with the proposed changes.
6233	836922472	David Ashford	Individual	Individual	Fair enough.	Subject to the contribution made by former MSP Redacted textand to the exclusion of anyone connected to the House of Lords, I agree with the proposed changes.	Agreed.
6234	676733297	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Scotland gave a very clear result at the last referendum. This should be respected . We do not require another referendum . We do not need more money wasted on this subject.\rI am completely opposed to a further referendum. opportunity.	I do not wish another referendum . It was divisive and what is need now is a healing of our country.\rDo not hijack my "Remain” vote in the UK referendum as a reason to hold another Scottish referendum !\rThe Scottish people made their decision in 2014 .	EU membership was a UK vote not Scottish. The Scottish Government is attempting an opportunist manoeuvre to have the people make an emotional vote toward independence.
6235	648895753	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A second Scottish Independence referendum should not be held, the issue of Scottish Independence was decided by the Scottish electorate in September 2014, the Scottish Nationalist Party has chosen to interpret the result of the EU membership referendum as a mandate to pursue their own political aims of opening the independence question again. It is wrong that public funds, time, trouble and effort should be used to pursue a particular party's political aims. A second independence referendum is not in Scotland's interests and diverts from the critical issues the Scottish government needs to address.	I do not agree that 16 and 17 year olds should be eligible to vote, I believe the minimum age for voting should be 18, as for UK general elections.	I have no comments.
6236	683996006	David Patrick	Individual	Individual	I was happy with the overall runnning of the campaign, vote and count, but was very concerned to hear that some postal votes had been "sampled" by observers from the NO side (this is against the law, I believe), as reported in the referendum program shown on the BBC after the polls had closed.	The proposed changes seem sensible, and I support them.	These changes are sensible and I support them.
6237	110447924	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Unbiased international observers should be invited.	More scrutiny for "absent voters" -- some of whom may simply have holiday homes in Scotland	As above -- "absent voters" might include those with holiday homes only. Otherwise fine.
6238	583175497	Philip Dixon	Individual	Individual	Fine.	Okay.	Ho-hum.
6239	782806189	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	1. There is no need to hold another referendum. Little has changed since 2014. The Brexit result was not as resounding as is claimed – two-thirds of (I believe) only a 40% vote. To claim otherwise is opportunist. We have had enough division in Scotland over the first one, and a second can only increase it.\r2. Believing that the Scottish government is honourable if misguided, those in favour of maintaining the Union should get the YES opportunity; so the question this time should be something like "Should Scotland remain an integral part of the United Kingdom?", not a repeat of the 2014 question.\r3. We have no guarantee that the EU will survive, or that an independent Scotland would be admitted thereto (I speak as a Remain voter). Better to keep the UK and reform it!	No quarrel with these, other than as indicated above.	I would rather the voting age for any referendum should revert to 18.
6240	387736226	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have concerns re voting eligibility.	I strongly believe that only British / Irish / Commonwealth citizens should be able to vote.\rTaking heed of recent brain research into 'teenage brains' , I believe that 16 is too young and 18 years is a more appropriate voting age.	No objection to this.
6241	925301854	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I support the proposed arrangements.\r The 2014 Referendum was successful, transparent and fair.\r In future there should be a strict scrutiny prior to the Referendum where the British state broadcasting should be monitored for signs of bias. In debates, there should be equal numbers of speakers for and against independence and this should not be connected with political parties.	There is anecdotal evidence that in 2014 a number of people who were not normally resident in Scotland were able to cast a vote through ownership of holiday homes. This is especially relavant to rural areas but with the rise in Air B and B may also be a problem in urban areas. \r 1 There should be a study of holiday homes in Scotland to verify if owners are on the electoral role. The declaration in the registration process requires a person to confirm that they are normally resident at the address. There appears to be no check on this.\r 2 A sample of residents on the electoral role should be checked against the tax records to ensure that such persons have a "S" prefix on their tax code.\r 3 Holiday home owners should be reminded by letter that they are not allowed to vote in Scotland unless they are normally resident and that penalties exist and will be enforced.	No opinion.
6242	379521063	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements but would like a more secure system of transporting the votes to count. I feel to not do so will only leave room for conspiracy theorists to muddy the debate again.	They seem reasonable and logical to me but of course with my added wish as above of more accountable transportation of ballot boxes.	Again i agree, they should be as neutral as it is possible to be, certainly not an activist of any kind.
6243	278452623	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The polling sites should be adequately policed and politically motivated individuals or groups should be banned from collecting near the entrance or parking areas.	No Answered	Persons ineligible for British or Commonwealth passports should not be \rPersons permanently resident in other countries, other than armed forces personnel, should not be entitled to vote.\rEU citizens whether resident or not should not be entitled to vote.
6244	911280290	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements look satisfactory.	No Answered	I welcome the commitment to 100% scrutiny of postal votes.
6245	856442924	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No problems with the proposed management arrangements although I am opposed to another referendum within the life of this parliament.	I have no objections to the proposed technical arrangements for a future referendum although I am opposed to another referendum within the life of this parliament.	I have no objections to the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants although I am opposed to another referendum within the life of this parliament.
6246	906259333	Alisdair Curtis	Individual	Individual	I would also like to see the UN and EU involved with regards to the watching over and would similarly report to the Scottish Government.\r I agree that the vote should be open to the people who live and work here and that excludes 'holiday or second home' owners.	Agree with both.	Agree with all.
6247	520567738	James Stamper	Individual	Individual	In addition to the proposals there should be included independent international monitors to oversee the process.	While not specifically disagreeing with the proposals I do not consider they go far enough.\rIn this submission reference is made to the “Scottish Independence Referendum – Report on the referendum held on 18 September 2014” by the Electoral Commission.\rPostal voting is an increasingly important factor. This report (item 4.40) indicated it had increased from 3.6% in 2003 to 20.4% of all the votes counted (item 4.42) at the referendum and 9% of survey respondents believing the postal vote was not secure (item 4.66). In support of this concern I refer to the quote from the Electoral Commissioner, Richard Mawrey who indicated (Telegraph 24 April 2015) postal vote fraud has become “easy” because of “extremely lax rules” following the mayoral election in Tower Hamlets. \rI propose that rules relating to voter registration should be tightened up and registration for postal voting particularly should also be tightened up. \rRegarding postal votes the following should also be mandatory requirements for Counting Officers:-\r•\tAs soon as a postal ballot box has the designated number of postal voting papers in it, all 5 numbered security tags should be put in place securing the box, the numbers of each tag recorded on a paper secured to the box and then signed by an appropriate officer. This same officer should be present when the boxes arrive at the counting station and should again sign, in the presence of others, to verify their signature.\r•\tUpon request, any agent should be given a list of the tag numbers on the secured ballot boxes. This agent should be allowed to be present at the count and be allowed to check the tag numbers and witness the officer’s signature (as mentioned above) before the ballot box is opened. \r•\tPostal ballot boxes should be transported at all stages in the presence of police from the collection point to the official count.\r•\tPostal votes taken in at voting stations (which were placed in ordinary brown envelopes which were collected and taken away at intervals during the day) should be inserted into the ballot box and not left separately. If this is not practical then a separate secured box should be provided at each polling station for this purpose.\r•\tAt the official count, votes in individual postal ballot boxes should be counted separately from those at polling stations and the results for individual boxes made available to agents.\r•\tAfter elections an arbitrary sample of postal voters’ signatures should be checked with the actual voter to ensure against fraud.\r•\tArbitrary sample checks of signatures matching applications for postal votes should be carried out on those which have been passed by the computer checking system.\r For polling stations I propose the following:-\r•\tAs 14% of survey respondents believing the postal vote was not secure (item 4.66) some form of identity should be required to post a vote. This could be just any official correspondence to the postal address and not a passport or driving licence which could restrict some people being able to vote.\r•\tballot boxes should be transported at all stages in the presence of police from the collection point to the official count.	No comment
6248	973593197	LENNOX LATHAM	Individual	Individual	The referendum vote in 2014 was conclusively 55/45 against separation. The SNP stated at that time that the result would be respected. I am wholly opposed to any further referendum on this issue and see no reason for consultation in the matter	Since the outcome of the referendum and its acceptance by the SNP is not in doubt,there would appear to be no requirement for changes to the referendum procedures on this issue	The outcome of the referendum to remain part of the Union is non-negotiable. The result therefore cannot be overturned by the SNP because it was not in its favour.Therefore I have no views on the proposed changes to the referendum procedures which in any case cannot apply to a result already acknowledged and accepted by the SNP
6249	789637763	Ulster and Scotland as one: hands across the water	Individual	Individual	"Counting Officers" to be recruited from both Scotland & Northern Ireland. Referendum campaign-regulation/process-reporting to be jointly conducted by Electoral Commission of Northern Ireland & Electoral Commission of Scotland. \rEligibility to vote should be a combination of Scottish Parliament/Council voting eligibility & Northern-Irish Parliament/Council voting eligibility. \rUlster is part of the real Scotland under the Stone of Scone - collaborations between Ulster & Scotland may invoke the national sovereignty of Stone of Destiny's for bilateral authority.	Ulster is part of the true Scotland ever since Dalriata & Alba united under the Dalriatan Stone of Scone. On the basis of this ancient rite of the Ulster Scoti (from which Scotland draws her name) having been shared with the Picts of East-Scotland for many epochs: Ulster-Scots in Northern-Ireland should be given right to vote in this Referendum. They must be classed as a new kind of Resident of Scotland. \r All other proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements under Scottish law can be shared with Northern-Ireland under our bilateral-authority for the duration of the Referendum process. Any other proposal can be carried out under the self-evident bilateral-authority of Ulster & Scotland. \r Ulster has a right to assert their stakeholdership in this Franchise.	Northern Ireland Electoral Commission to coordinate with Scotland Electoral Commission under self-evident bilateral-authority to carry out all statutory changes to rules on permissible participants with exception to classification of Ulster Scots in Northern Ireland as permissible participants.
6250	85220208	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There MUST be some oversight by E.U. or U.N. observers . The U.K. electoral commission has a vested interest in the outcome and it cannot be left solely in their hands.	No Answered	It should not be possible for owners of second homes in Scotland who normally reside outside of Scotland to vote.
6251	150306081	Maggie Lennon	Individual	Individual	Current rules for voter registration force many women experiencing domestic abuse in Scotland to choose between voting and safety. We know that the system for anonymous voter registration (AVR) is not working for women – last year in Lothians fewer than 10 women applied. If women experiencing domestic abuse are to be allowed to participate in democracy then a different approach is required, one where local Women’s Aid groups can support women in their applications rather than requiring police or social work involvement. AVR should last for longer than one year.\r In addition, one of the most exciting aspects of the 2014 referendum was the extraordinary high level of voter registration. We would encourage the government to consider options for facilitating easy, accessible, and family-friendly registration processes that would signal to those who have not voted recently that their voices count.	In addition to the groups listed on the franchise we would like to see eligibility extended to include all people resident in Scotland living who have leave to remain in the UK through various Immigration pathways including refugees and resettlement pathways. The inclusion of Commonwealth Citizens in the franchise, might include some refugees or resettled people, who have been granted leave to remain from a commonwealth country but who are not yet UK citizens. This would be unfair to those refugees or settled persons granted leave to remain who come orginally from countries outside the Commonwealth and who have similarly not yet had the opportunity to apply for UK citizenship. The Scottish Government has made much of its humanitarian support for settled refugees from Syria and has a policy of integration from day one for asylum seekers and refugees. While those still waiting on the outcome of their asylum claims should not be included in the franchise, all those who have been granted either through Asylum legislation, or granted indefinite leave to remain or humanitarian protection or discretionary leave to remain through other immigration legislation, should be included in order to not positively discriminate only in favour of Refugees from Commonwealth Countries and the accident of their birth.	No Comment
6252	37392059	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think it is a disgrace that Ms. Sturgeon has gone thus far in recommending that there should be a second referendum. It was stipulated that this was a once in a lifetime vote, and it must be upheld. I am totally against separation from the U.K. I think her excuse because of the Brexit vote is opportunistic at the very least. Stop moaning on abut it and please get on with governing this country instead of letting it all slide into decline.	Haven't got the time to read through all this and am dismayed that we only have till 11th January to supposedly make comments - it is most unfair, especially for a pensioner like myself, just an ordinary person.	It should be that should there be no further referendum for 25 years, as promised but not written in stone very unfortunately then there should be a 70% majority either way or it should not be valid as a result. Everybody should have one vote but please don't lower the age further than at present.
6253	851472876	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree mainly with this although I still believe that last minute deals and pleas and the bussing in of MPS's from England to sway the vote is wrong. This should be prohibited in future.	Agreed	Agreed
6254	127839648	Stuart Cunninhghame	Individual	Individual	I don't want another referendum	See above	See above
6255	790379620	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Look further into the security of postal voting for the Referendum - no one should have access to the postal votes in advance of the count on the day of the Referendum.\r Everyone should have to provide ID when voting.\r Look further at the eligibility criteria for being able to vote in the Referendum - perhaps voters should have to be resident for an agreed fixed amount of time in Scotland to be eligible to vote.	No further comment	No further comment
6256	429117587	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am content with these proposals for the management and regulation of the referendum. In particular, I strongly agree that the question must have the same wording that it had in 2014, and that there must only be one option on the ballot paper.	I am content with the proposals made under the sub-headings of Absent Voting, Polling and Count Staff, and Verification Statements, but I would like to suggest a refinement to the Eligibility proposal. I agree that eligibility to vote should match that of the 2014 referendum, with 16-17 year-olds and EU citizens and British Commonwealth citizens resident in Scotland all included. However I would also suggest, in the light of recent high-profile cases of the UK Government's attempted deportations of certain foreign-born but long-term Scottish residents who have made Scotland their home and who have contributed significantly to the common weal of their adopted communities, that the franchise should also include the foreign-born spouses of married Scots who are resident in Scotland when those spouses are not citizens of the EU or the British Commonwealth, e.g. USA citizens who are married to Scots. \r It would seem illogical and unfair to allow a Scottish-born citizen to vote, but to deny the same vote to their spouse and the co-parent of their dual-nationality Scottish-born children, especially if their children were aged 16 or over and were also permitted to vote in the referendum. They have an equal stake in our country's well-being so they should have an equal say in its future direction and governance.	I am broadly content with the proposals covering Permissible Participants but I feel that some effort should be made to reinforce the transparency regulations. I agree that Permissible Participants should be registered in the UK, but they must all be named individuals who are ultimately and exclusively domiciled in the UK. Campaigning bodies which are ultimately domiciled and registered outside the UK, and who conceal their true identities and financiers behind networks of shell companies, must be barred from participation. \r By the same token, the Electoral Commission should prevent so-called "astroturf" professional campaigning organisations from registering, in order to prevent the spreading of misinformation by "hired guns" of questionable origins and allegiance who present themselves as "grass-roots" campaigners but who in actuality have no "boots on the ground", and whose only roles are to act as well-funded propagandists and reinforcements for other, more legitimate, Permissible Participants.
6257	688755478	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Satisfied with the 2014 arrangements	Residents in England should be entitled to vote as the outcome will have a significant impact on them. It would be undemocratic for the population from whom separation is being considered not to be given an opportunity to express their views. This would be a change to normal polling arrangements.	No comment
6258	97388576	Joseph simpson	Individual	Individual	agreed	agreed	agreed
6259	924851986	Craig stewart	Individual	Individual	Absolutely no issues	Perfect sense	No issue
6260	828368984	Murray Thomson	Individual	Individual	The 2014 referendum was largely transparent, but some ambiguity existed over comments to the media regarding postal votes.	Agree with the additional scrutiny of postal votes.	Agree
6261	661401499	Ronald Taylor	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
6262	24926445	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am content with the arrangements as described.	I'm in agreement and approve particularly the tightening up of the postal vote procedures.	These changes appear sensible.
6263	649075025	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe that they are fine.	Good.	Good
6264	72168036	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with these arrangemnts	I believe electors resident overseas should be eligible to vote.	I am happy with these arrangemnts
6265	772213197	Paul Maclaren	Individual	Individual	I'm pretty satisfied. I understand that IndyRef2 will most probably be triggered this year with at least a 2 year campaign timescale. That's my preference. The simplicity of the vote worked well in 2014, although some tightening of the ballot box count and stricter voting procedure would ease some worries. 16+ should receive the vote.	I'm entirely satisfied with this procedure.	Yes, this is fine.
6266	71611828	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm happy with the changes to the way a future referendum will be organised.	The postal vote and counting staff changes are vital and welcomed by myself.	I'm happy with these changes.
6267	710309941	James Moore	Individual	Individual	I fully support these arrangements	This sounds absolutely fine	This also sounds good
6268	128918013	Liam McGinley	Individual	Individual	I am satisfied with the proposals made for another possible independence referendum.	I am satisfied with the technical and polling changes made. I also agree that 16 and 17 year olds should be eligible to vote and that there should be more secure checking during voting.	I am satisfied with the slight changes.
6269	665622586	kate hall	Individual	Individual	This seems reasonable. I think it is important that people aged 16 and over, and also people born in countries other than Scotland who have chosen to make it their home, get the vote.	Yes, I agree that these changes are neccessary to ensure a fair and transparent process.\rHowever, I do not believe members of the House of Lords should be allowed a vote, because the outcome of the vote will directly impact on their financial gains (expenses etc for being a peer) and this clearly represents a conflict of interests.	This is all reasonable and acceptable
6270	843071932	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Scotland voted strongly and unequivocal to remain in the UK.
6271	476931616	Rab harkins	Individual	Individual	It should be contained within Scotland, Purdah was not respected by Westminster politicians, and many lies were told by them, (only way to stay in EU was to vote no) broken promises (the vow) \rPostal votes need to be scrutinised and only people resident in Scotland over last 5 years should be entitled to cast a vote,	Identification should be produced at polling stations, preferably photographic	No view
6272	208697211	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel that being asked about tinkering with referendum rules is insulting. There should not be another independence referendum for a generation, which I take to be 30 years. The current Scottish Government's campaign promise to hold one if there was a material change in circumstances was a) over-broad and vague, b) beyond the legal competency of the Scottish Government to promise without UK Government approval, and c) need not be implemented in any case, insofar as the Scottish Government does not have an overall majority at Holyrood.	I reiterate my protest that no independence referendum should be held at any point during the remainder of my working life; given that we were promised that no such referendum would take place before c.2040 under any circumstances, the rules of a second referendum within the 2010s are neither here nor there. The idea should simply be shelved.	To allow citizens of the EU27 countries to vote in any Scottish referendum on the grounds that they are part of 'the people of Scotland', but to deny the vote to citizens of the other 169 countries of the world, is grossly discriminatory. Any referendum (God forbid one should be held) should either be for citizens of the UK only, or for all residents of Scotland including Africans, Asians, North and South Americans, Australians, and so forth.
6273	424768350	Carol Smith	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
6274	555110659	David Wood	Individual	Individual	I am happy with what I understand about this	I am happy with this	OK
6275	368415650	James Gray	Individual	Individual	Sounds OK	No Answered	Would prefer that postal votes are only available to those who are unable to go to the polling station for a valid reason e.g. absent on holiday, disability etc.
6276	14140943	Tish Chalmers	Individual	Individual	Fine.	All sounds very good to me. Although not possible to organise, I think it is unfortunate that Scottish people living in other parts of the UK cannot vote. I realise that this would be an extremely difficult exercise to undertake but the result of the referendum affects them too.	No comment
6277	275656715	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	16 weeks is too long a period. 8 weeks would be preferable.	Happy with proposals	Happy with proposals
6278	691739175	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Satisfactory	Satisfactory	Satisfactory
6279	440323921	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I fully agree with the decision to use the same split of responsibilities and eligibility criteria as previously. However I am concerned with the use of postal voting and believe its use should be limited.\rAlso there should be no advance access by either side to the results and the postal voting should be commenced and completed only shortly before the actual vote.	I agree with the proposed technical changes	Any non-Scottish funding should be clearly identified as such. Any campaigning clearly based in and funded from England should be barred.
6280	652558933	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Really important that all wickets are covered to prevent rule-breaking and cheating, as it would appear that not everyone operates honestly, - issues with postal votes/votes made on behalf of elderly in care homes/Ruth Davidson (and others) accessing voting papers/counting issues/lost papers/ no immediate repercussions for rule-breaking.\rQueries about impartiality/background/personnel of Electoral Commission. Need for much care in staff allowed to count and record votes.	Some of points raised above may have been dealt with by the changes. We do not want to lose a single vote!	But what are the repurcussions for those who simply flout the rules? At the first Referendum there seemed to be little to prevent organisations and media doing exactly what they chose to do, and a fine applied months later was well worth the price of winning. There should be an immediate shutdown of the flouting, with the head of the organisation/ media body made personally responsible /assets frozen /criminal charges brought. Severe? We are talking about interference with the internal affairs of our country.
6281	388170770	Amy Woodhouse	Individual	Individual	Children in Scotland remain strongly supportive of 16 and 17 year olds being able to vote in any future referendum, as was the case with the previous referendum in 2014. \r In order to encourage their active participation in the referendum, we recommend that specific measures are taken to ensure that young voters fully understand both the referendum process and the question being asked. \r We recognise the important role the Electoral Commission has in publishing guidance for voters, and would urge that they include information aimed 16-17 year olds, to support their participation. We would also strongly recommend that they consider publishing information for families and schools on how to talk to younger children about referenda. We know from our own research that in the case of the 2014 referendum even young children were very aware that something significant was happening and had a range of questions and concerns about it. \r Such guidance would help families and staff within schools to discuss any concerns or worries children and young people may have, as well as increase children’s knowledge and understanding of political processes in Scotland from an early age. \r We advocate a systematic, child-rights approach to supporting children’s participation in the referendum. We propose that the perspectives of disenfranchised children should be heard at a national level and that these views should contribute to and inform the debate ahead of the referendum. We also recommend that a Child Rights and Welfare Impact Assessment is undertaken on plans to manage the referendum.	No comment	No comment
6282	789453473	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Would like to have UN election monitors or observers involved at every stage.	Would like to have UN election monitors or observers involved at every stage.	Would like to see tighter checking of residency. Questions should be asked where a voter is registered to a holiday let /second home, especially if postal voting is requested. Where is their tax paid, where is their pension paid?\r Students at university who have not lived in Scotland prior to their courses or whose parent(s)/guardian do not lived in Scotland should not be able to register to vote.
6283	673300922	Laurence Marquis-Northcote	Individual	Individual	I think that a specific organisation like the OSCE may be a referee for this new referendum.	To be sure that it is the "person" who votes, they may have a ID.	I believe that the "political party campaign officer" will be a partial partner. We need more "impartial" people from the country, i.e., anyone could be a "judge" for the votes calculating and listing. Too many errors or "manipulations" have been seen during the 2014 referendum.
6284	283688396	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	At a time were we need to pool our resources, the management of a referendum, within 3 years of the last referendum is a waste of resources and finances.	There should not be a referendum. Therefore, technical changes are irrelevant	The SNP will include as many groups of people as they can to ensure independence is achieved
6285	326059023	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I was happy with the arrangement in 2014 and am happy with the current arrangement.	As above	As above.
6286	894146749	john stewart	Individual	Individual	no issues	no issues	no issues
6287	271597415	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not accept that there is a need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom at this time. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. This position should stand despite BREXIT. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed arrangements for managing a second referendum.	I do not accept that there is a need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom at this time. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. This position should stand despite BREXIT. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed technical changes.	I do not accept that there is a need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom at this time. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. This position should stand despite BREXIT. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed changes to rules on participants.
6288	773781024	Joanna Hainey	Individual	Individual	agree	agree	agree
6289	958590692	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals but would consider a further level of scrutiny. I'm not a conspiracy theorist but there seem to me to be a lot of unanswered questions about the last referendum, and perhaps outside scrutiny would be helpful-especially of the postal votes.	Very glad to see the enhanced verification of postal votes-well done.	All good.
6290	395484642	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I oppose the arrangements proposed for the referendum on the grounds that Scotland decided in only 2014 that it would remain part of the UK, and to simply ignore this result because it does not accord with SNP policy is undemocratic. Accordingly, there should be no changes to nor arrangements for a further referendum. Scotland already decided.	see above	There need be no changes to permissible participants because the question of Scottish independence was comprehensively posed and rejected in 2014, and ScotGov said at the time that it would respect that result.
6291	887317379	william pirrie	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	I would like to see proof of identity at the polling booths. Also postal voting forms should either be filled out by the person concerned or if not possible by an accredited person employed by a care company rather than political activists "assisting " people ( especially people with learning difficulties) with the filling out of their postal votes.
6292	885149617	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
6293	449534438	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals above but want to add that there should also be an overall international observer appointed by the Scottish Parliament, perhaps someone from the EC or a Commonwealth country.	I agree with the above proposed changes except for some regarding absent voting. For those, my view is as follows: Regarding proxy voting, a proxy can only vote for one person and they must both be registered in the same polling station area. \r Regarding postal voting, it should be stopped completely.	I agree.
6294	366552263	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This 'Consultation ' is a travesty. The issues for which answers are sought relate to types of technical and administrative issues knowledge of which are not within the experience of most people. Also there should be a paragraph section for 'Other Comments'.\r THE MOST IMPORTANT AND ONLY RELEVANT QUESTION FOR CONSULTATION IS OMITTED -NAMELY 'DO YOU AGREE ARRANGEMENTS SHOULD BE MADE FOR A SECOND REFERENDUM ON SCTTISH INDEPENDENCE -YES OR NO?'\r Arrangements for the previous Referendum and for previous Scottish elections were not' fair and transparent'. \r The Scottish Electoral system is open to bias and confusion of outcomes. The Electoral Commission should have a roll completely independent of the Scottish Parliament and any report should be issued in such a way that no criticisms can be suppressed by the Scottish Parliament.	Eligibility to vote should include Scots residing anywhere in the UK, given that some may work outwith Scotland and only be resident in Scotland for part of a year.\r Irish nationals and EU citizens should not be entitled to vote.\r Arrangements for verifying proxy and postal votes should be tightened even further.\r'Polling and Count Staff': the Requirement that the counting officer" 'must not knowingly' appoint or employ anyone who has been involved in campaigning during the referendum" is not sufficient. He/she should be required to ensure that that is the case and penalties imposed if this happens. Where such persons have been employed , this could vitiate any result.	Why should donation/ lobbying be necessary in a referendum such as is proposed/\r The issues should be dealt with and campaigning effected within permitted parliamentary expenditure and made by the leaders of the Scottish Parliamentary parties without recourse to excessive and unequal publicity. \r Combining the role of a political party's campaign officer with that of part of the treasurer's role will lead to conflict of interest and potentially suppressing of accounting and financial arrangements. THISD IS NOT A GOOD IDEA. These positions should be completely separate.
6295	64198142	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements.	I am happy with these changes.	These changes are acceptable.
6296	126830160	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree with exception of postal voting, this should be excluded.	Agree
6297	572137865	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	So far so good	Non Scottish university students here for education only should not be eligible to vote as they usually have no long term commitment.\rPostal voting does cause some concern, how can were sure that these votes are not being highjacked? \rShould postal voting only be avialable if no other option is possible.	OK
6298	1032818303	Raymond John Coad	Individual	Individual	There should be tighter scrutiny of ballot boxes at polling stations to counting centers to prevent interference with the ballot papers and of the people counting the results, both of would have seemed to have had problems in Indy1 - 2014.	All of this would seem perfectly acceptable.	Again this seems acceptable.
6299	25233560	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	MORE SECURITY NEED TO ENSURE A FAIR AND VALID VOTE. TOO MANY RUMOURS OF MISSING BOXES AND POSTAL VOTE FIXING IN PREVIOUS REF.	AGREE WITH VERIFICATION CHANGES	NO STRONG VIEWS ON THESE CHANGES
6300	1020691128	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposals	I agree with the technical changes proposed	I agree with proposed changes
6301	550261602	Robert Leslie	Individual	Individual	I suggest neutral international observers be used to guarantee the fairness of the process. I would also suggest that only those who can prove Scottish residence for the last 3 years be permitted to vote.	Generally in favour but would like controls to be inserted to prevent groups funneling postal votes through political organisations. It is my understanding that the Labour Party were offering to act as a conduit for postal votes at the last Referendum.	Agreed
6302	540710033	Elizabeth A Noon	Individual	Individual	Agree with proposals	Agree with proposals - particularly regarding the checking of postal vote personal identifiers.	Agree with proposals.
6303	638586854	John Stewart	Individual	Individual	Would prefer an electronic systems with on going live results.	Sound's fair.	Sound's about right.
6304	100117458	Donald John Mac Innes	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
6305	872103499		Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
6306	889095250	Graham Mclean	Individual	Individual	I am more than happy with the arrangements That the SNP have put forward.	I am happy enough with this.	I can go along with this.
6307	1014237551	James Kelly	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	It is to be welcomed that 16 and 17 year olds can now be automatically included in the franchise for the referendum without special arrangements being made. It's also commendable that there are no plans to follow the UK government's example from the EU referendum and introduce a 'birthright' principle to the franchise, which would exclude many residents of Scotland simply because they were not born here. That is not the sort of country we are, or should want to be.
6308	549444197	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No comments or changes	It is unclear how Brexit will impact on the eligibility of European nationals resident in Scotland. \r Should it not be the case that anyone registered to vote and living in Scotland should be entitled to vote	In relation to the spending cap, this should be lower, at £1000, to be have transparency in relation to campaign funding.
6309	790986339	Anne Coney	Individual	No Answered	Individual	Polling counts should use CCTV that way there is no rigging in counts like what happened in Dundee 2014	none
6310	906195237	jim	Individual	Individual	give all ex pats a vote you might win next time	give all ex pats a vote you might win next time	give all ex pats a vote you might win next time
6311	315910855	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	particularly happy that 16 and 17 year olds can vote	welcome the 100% checking	Very good
6312	725503704	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Would prefer no opening of postal ballots until the actual count itself. If not would insist on authorised count staff only present. No one else.	Agree with these changes. Believe they were necessary as reflected in comment to previous question.	Agree
6313	533956525	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	regarding eligibility of voting i think that consideration should be given to having a 5 year residency requirement as this shows a commitment to Scotland and enough time to developed an attachment to Scotland.	No Answered	as stated in question 1 I think there should be a 5 year residency requirement.
6314	833701035	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not feel that another referendum is required as that decision was decided at the last referendum and the SNP announced that that decision would stand for a generation.	No problem with technical issues	Not required as referendum should not be happening . The government should concentrate on domestic matters.
6315	753907509	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I was concerned after the 2014 referendum regards postal(absent) votes. A short time after polls closed, a politician who should have had no knowledge of postal vote counting, \rwas able to discuss the balance of yes/no postal votes. Clearly the rules for the handling and counting of postal votes were not adhered to and the Electoral Commission did nothing.	No Answered	I agree with the tightening of rules described above and the automatic inclusion of 16 and 17 year olds.
6316	663232008	David Bruce	Individual	Individual	I agree with using the same process as the 2014 referendum.	No issues.	No issues.
6317	516289299	James Campbell	Individual	Individual	Fully confident in the snp but not convinced we are changing the minds of the no voters. As members we see the active change in our country but the no voters only see the mainstream media and the criticism from the other parties even though they offer no alternative	Ok with this. Without Supervision, locally and during transportation to counting stations can allow the opportunity for corruption	Ok with this
6318	699626281	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm against them	I personally think that it should still be 18 to vote & the current way of voting & counting continue.	I'm against it.
6319	473053678	John Brown	Individual	Individual	A waste of time and money. \rA government should be concentrating on running the country properly and not deflecting attention away from its mismanagement of more urgent matters - such as education, policing, provision of social care and Scotland's NHS.\rIf the First Minister can accept the will of the people (as she has stated) with respect to the referendum on the EU (51.9% to 48.1%) she should be consistent and accept the will of the people on Independence when the voting was even more emphatic (55.3% to 44.7%.)\rAnd why does she want independence from one union but not from another? Perhaps she is consistent after all in her inconsistency. She should really get back to her day job in Scotland and stop traipsing across Europe on a money and resource wasting, futile exercise.	None required since referendum not required. See above.	See above.
6320	889287026	Alexander Bryce	Individual	Individual	Better Security of all Ballot boxes,counted and recounted again at central office.	Better supervision of the counters.	None
6321	112100436	Ms Iona MacLaren	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum.	Im against all changes	Against both
6322	177431126	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	I agree that eligibility to vote should be for anyone who lives in Scotland. Also agree that 16 and 17 year olds automatically included.\rI have concerns about possible abuse of the absent voter procedures but hope these changes will address the issues.
6323	66738617	colin w coupar	Individual	Individual	i think it should be handled from outside uk as i think the uk goverment was on the fiddle	i think if your born in scotland you should have a vote	yes i agree with this yes
6324	587755338	Paul.Cannop	Individual	Individual	there should be another referendum	not sure	not sure
6325	857212395	GRAHAM LAMBIE	Individual	Individual	I'm satisfied with the proposed arrangements.	I am happy with the proposed arrangements and welcome the now approved Scottish Elections (Reduction of Voting Age) Act 2015.	I am satisfied with the proposed arrangements.
6326	76178651	Nanette Waring	Individual	Individual	No referendum wanted or required!\rScotland did not 'deliver a strong and unequivocal vote to remain in the EU' (Foreward of consultation paper) I did NOT vote for SCOTLAND to remain in the EU, I voted for the UK to remain in the EU. There was no precondition attached to the straight forward ‘yes or ‘no’ question. I did not see any mention of Scotland on the ballot paper.\rFurthermore in the 2014 Independence referendum, my vote for the UK Union was in no way influenced by, or dependant upon, staying within EU and I am sick fed up to see my votes continually being marginalised and used to legitimise not only this false premise, but also to try and subvert the democratic outcomes of both plebiscites. \rForcing another referendum on the Scottish people would be in breach of the signed agreement made by Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond with the UK Government that it was a 'once in a lifetime/generation' event and that the result would be respected. If the Scottish Government cannot accept the result, what does it say about our democracy? and what is the point in voting?\r If it is forced upon us against our will:\r1.The Electoral Commission should have a duty to report to the UK Parliament as well as the Scottish Parliament as any major change to the UK is as relevant to England and its citizens as it is to Scotland\r2. With so much misinformation and disinformation given in 2014, there should be an independent 'Truth Commission' set up to check claims made by both sides so that we are not influenced by lies and supposition.\r3. Arrangements should be put in place to stop intimidation, harassment, bullying and destruction of the opposing sides notices and banners.....of which I have personal experience. The 'bussing in' of SNP supporters to local meetings, meant for giving local people information and a chance to ask questions should not be allowed and where it happens, there should be means of reporting this and action taken.	No referendum! But if forced upon us against our will:\r1.I do not agree with 16 and 17 year olds being eligible to vote, but since they are, there should be no campaigning aimed at pupils allowed in school premises or during school hours . School staff should maintain objectivity.\r2. If we are voting for a major constitutional change to the status of the UK, I believe the onus should be on those who propose that change to achieve at the very least 60% of the vote and there should be more consultation on what % of turnout is acceptable. \r3. There should be further reflection and consultation on what the actual ballot paper question should be.\r4. Scottish people living temporarily in another country should be eligible to vote.\r4. Residency in Scotland should be required over a certain period? say 3 years? I know of at least one family who bought a house in Scotland, just so they could vote in 2014.	No referendum, but if forced upon us against our will:\rThe Electoral Commission should have a duty to report to the UK Parliament as well as the Scottish Parliament as any major change to the UK is as relevant to England and its citizens as it is to Scotland.\r If schools are used for meetings it should be outside school hours and no campaign material should be displayed in schools.\r politicians should respect the independence and integrity of the civil service and not use them to produce political prospectus. They should be producing accurate and impartial information and should not use emotive partisan terminology.
6327	142857502	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the management arrangements	I am happy with the technical changes	I am happy with proposed changes
6328	962710076	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If another referendum takes place, the arrangements look sensible	If another referendum takes place, the arrangements regarding eligibility to vote, absent voting, polling and count staff and verification all look sensible, though, no doubt, ex-patriots will be disappointed if they cannot express a preference.	If another referendum takes place, the proposed regulations regarding permissible participants look sensible
6329	588844346	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I disagree with this, the ability to decide on the countries future should be limited to people who have long term relationship with Scotland including into the future, and should not allow people to vote who are only living in Scotland for a few months or years while studying or on a temporary work visa. \r The criteria should also have requirments in it for a minimum turnout and minimum percentage of the population, taking into account non voters who by default are voting for the status quo. There should not be a risk that Scotland becomes independnt with only 40% or less of the public voting that way, it must be 50%+1 of all elogable people to decide.\r This whole thing is a waste of time, and energy that could be used to fix the major and numerous issues facing Scotland today, we have a poor Police Service that is not fit for purpose, an NHS that is broke, Education that doesn't teach people skills they need, roads that are basically unfit to drive on and a £15 billion pound deficit that currently Westminster is underwriting due to overspending in the wrong areas by the SNP Goverment for the past 9 years. \r You are against Brexit, but want to take overall goverment away from Westminster and give it to unelected Politicans in the EU, why? if you truly wanted independance you would want an independant Scotland outside the EU. Basically you want to trade rule by Westimster, whom have a shared language, culture and identiity with us, for rule by Brussels, whom as we have seen recently have no clue. \r You claim we need the EU, but the majority of Scottish exports and business dealings are with the rest of the UK and then the commonwelth and USA not the EU.	16 and 18 year olds should not have the vote, they are not considered adult or mature enough to make a decision based on the facts and not retoric. I also strongly disagree with the fact that people who are not Scottish nationals having a say, i.e. EU Citizens who may vote a specific way to further a political agenda in their home nation.	Politicians should not be able to use slogans that are not based in fact for example the "Sturgeon for First Minister" should be illegal as we do not directly elect a First Minister in Scotland, instead the leader of the largest party to win seats is usually the First Minister.
6330	346050094	Chas McLauchlan	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
6331	794623301	Mr. Campbell	Individual	Individual	This consultation misses the fundamental issue as to whether there requires to be a further independence referendum in the first instance. There has already been a referendum on the issue and the country overwhelmingly voted to remain part of the UK. That outcome now requires to be respected with the focus on running our country effectively. Recent performance of our education and health services would suggest the eye is being taken off the ball. You have already asked the question as to whether people want Scottish independence, you have been given the answer, no. Now please move on and dont keep asking the question until you eventually get the answer you want.	Based on the above response, not relevant to answer.	As above
6332	331892684	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	voter identity to be verified when voters present at Polling Station.\r What is the voting-status of students not resident but studying in Scotland?
6333	943376832	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Agree
6334	564204151	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	do not want another referendum waste of our money	No Answered	waste of money
6335	1072976539	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I seem to remember that the Electoral Commission's guide last time contained some contentious claims by the No campaign. I think that any future EC publication should contain no claims by any campaign.\r I'm also aware that the EC don't appear to have made any progress (in public, anyway) on the claims of Tory election expenses fraud during the last Westminster election made by Channel 4. This makes me question their impartiality as fair moderators of the new referendum.	I strongly support residency as the qualification to vote. This, instead of an 'ethnically' or place of birth qualification is largely responsible for the inclusive nature of the campaign for Scottish independence. \r It is great that 16 and 17 year-olds can now vote as of right. \r It's ironic that members of the House of Lords get a vote when we don't get to vote for them.	No comment
6336	57055665	R J Punton	Individual	Individual	I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. When the SNP through the then First Minister and his deputy stated that that no further referendum would take place for a generation, they knew full well that an EU referendum was to take place, and would have been, (or should have been) aware of the various outcomes in Scotland as well as the UK. They made no proviso that their statements were dependent on any particular outcome of the EU referendum. To now propose a further referendum based on the result of the EU vote in Scotland only, is a strong indication that their word can’t be trusted. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed arrangements for managing a second referendum.	As I don't consider that there is a need for a further referendum I hold no particular views on the proposed technical changes AT THIS TIME.	As I don't consider that there is a need for a further referendum I hold no particular views on permissible participants AT THIS TIME.
6337	851764012	jim nixon	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I don't believe that there should be a second independence referendum as the result of the first referendum on Scottish Independence was in my opinion conclusive and the process was extremely divisive.
6338	136142043	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is just more red tape. The last referendum was, in my view, conducted fairly, therefore there is no need for all this waste of money trying to change what isn't broken.	Grasping at straws in the hope that ex pats will vote for independence. That tactic of reducing the age of voting was designed to sway young voters who had no experience of politics and life. At the age 16 I might well have voted for independence but now I would having experienced politics I would have been appalled at myself.	The questions are a complete waste of time and money. Accept SNP lost the referendum and start concentrating on what really matters and stop wasting time and money on something that the majority had no appetite for.
6339	459298831	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Yep happy with this, however the more monitors the better.	Yep happy with that.	Yep happy with that.
6340	1008075347	Colin Scott Mackenzie	Individual	Individual	No Answered	Adequate but ought not consideration be given to whether the local authority is the best instrument to employ for the purpose. I never understood quite why the task of returning officer was taken away from the sheriff.- principal His sheriffs and their clerk's were never anything but competent and incredibly cheap to use compared with local authority employees whose costs seem to increase exponentially with every passing election. While not wishing to tar all local authorities with innuendo while most are like Caesar's wife there are a few who more resemble Potiphar's help-meet. There si unlikely to be any murmuring from the electorate if this very important aspect of the count is retuned to being a quasi-judicial process. Politicians may, of course, complain.	unexceptionable.
6341	854385760	Peter eade	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Yes, same as but less "cross samples" for Ruth Davidson!
6342	287226622	Ludo Thierry	Individual	Individual	Satisfactory and sensible proposals.	The proposed changes to polling and count arrangements seem eminently sensible.\r The principle of 'residency' as the guiding factor in awarding franchise is inherently sensible. Those EU citizens resident in Scotland must retain their franchise for this referendum (The UK Government has already treated these hard-working and valued members of Scotland's broader community very badly - and reassuring these residents of Scotland that their fellow Scots continue to view them as fellow Scots and deserving of the franchise will - I hope - go a little way to redress the appalling dismissiveness shown by the Westminster Govt.)\r I am very pleased that our 16 and 17 year old fellow Scots are being included in the franchise.	I agree with the proposed changes - absolutely vital to maintain the best possible transparency. Also sensible to avoid potential idiots deliberately using obscene/offensive titles.
6343	342891497	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum	It is a uk constitutional matter no eu citizens should be eligible to vote	No resonse
6344	174902600	Bob Taylor	Individual	Individual	This is not the school playground. Just because you failed to get a yes vote in 2014. You simply just cant shout "no fair", we want best of three.	Looks okay.	Okay.
6345	324705822	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Good.	OK	OK
6346	368033205	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for a referendum	There is no need for a referendum	There is no need for a referendum
6347	221767125	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Absolutely no more referendums!	No more referendums	No more referendums
6348	264110959	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Security of the voting process is paramount, no one checking postal votes etc, no ballot boxes transported by single drivers ..... if possible use Irish invigilators	No Answered	Once again security of the process is paramount
6349	213823764	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	ABSOLUTELY NO MORE REFERENDUMS!	NO MORE REFERENDUMS	NO MORE REFERENDUMS
6350	690313468	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine.	OK.	Fine.
6351	85712662	andrew donaldson	Individual	Individual	Voted no and vote will stay no	No Answered	Every vote that is voted for should be counted for each party then tallied up instead of regins ie old way should be reinstated
6352	759881008	Carol Wynn	Individual	Individual	Make sure ALL votes are counted in Scotland as well as the postal votes. This will help prevent rigging. Also, we need to come together as one in the sense of helping the "NO" voters to "change" their minds, and on the internet we need the different "YES" groups to align. There are far too many and infighting has begun, that could be because they have been infiltrated by so called "friends", mostly they are "unfriended" but not before they have been very derogatory.	Make sure the ballot papers have a stamp on the back so this makes sure the vote is valid and shows exactly where it has come from.	Agree.
6353	515693592	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The technical arrangements are all sensible. \r As regards the question to be put at a referendum, I believe strongly that any question to which the answer is either "yes" or "no", is inherently biased and unfair.\r The best of human nature, particularly when thinking of the future, is to want to be positive and not to be negative. This therefore gives the side campaigning for a "yes" vote a significant psychological advantage over the opposing side which has to campaign for a "no" vote.\r Less strongly, I feel that major constitutional change should not be made on a single vote of a simple majority, whatever the "established practice within the UK and across Western Europe".	Sensible, except I think it would be appropriate and reasonable, as regards non British citizens, to apply a minimum period of having lived in Scotland, before being able to vote on the constitutional future of the country. Temporarily resident Commonwealth citizens or EU students, for example, have not necessarily "chosen to make Scotland their home".	Sensible.
6354	628999404	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These seems a reasonable way to run the referendum, given the success of the previous process.	This seems reasonable.	I have no comment.
6355	387538379	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No referendum is required. We had it .	There is no referendum required. The people votes in 2014.	There is no referendum required. The people voted in 2014.
6356	790243789	Sheilagh Gillies	Individual	Individual	I agree with them.	I agree.	I agree.
6357	911859857	Mo Workman	Individual	Individual	I would like to see eligibility to vote linked to Scottish Tax Codes and proof that voters live in Scotland and do not just own property in Scotland.	I think postal or proxy votes should only be allowed if voters can prove that they cannot attend personally.	This seems fine to me.
6358	178226569	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	International Election Observers from the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) should be involved fully from the outset.\r Exit Polls MUST be permitted. The excuse the UK Government gave the last time around was that Exit Polls could cause uncertainty in the Markets - clearly no longer a remotely serious consideration after the result of the Brexit vote.	Eligibility to vote:\r"Resident" should mean - only those normally or mainly resident - and not occasional residents such as those owning a holiday home.\r Absent Voting:\rSince the basis of eligibility is residence - then for Absent Votes (postal and proxy) - eligibility should be additionally checked by ensuring that evidence of a Scottish Tax code has been issued to that person. \r[HMRC assess liability for tax on the basis of residence. If they have not had a Scottish Tax code issued, they cannot be normally resident in Scotland and should not be entitled to vote in Scottish Elections or Referendums.]\r Counting Agents must be able to observe all stages of opening and pre-sorting of Postal Votes. (From experience, this can happen out of sight during elections/referendums).\r Postal Votes must not be mixed with polling station ballot box votes. Postal Votes must be retained in their own PV boxes to allow accurate sampling.\r Polling and Count Staff\rThe definition of "employ" should be extended to any contracted and subcontracted workers and companies. Due diligence should be performed and shown by the Counting Officer. \r For those employed by the Counting Officer: Companies (or individuals) which are controlled by [or where significant shareholders have a controlling interest in the company] those who have a current or recent membership of a political party or political organisation or close connections to such a party or oganisation, should be prohibited from involvment in the Polling or Counting process. \r Verification Statements:\rStatements that ballot boxes were empty before the start of polling should be signed by relevant Polling Staff AND Polling Agents. \r Similar statements should be signed at the close of polling stating that the boxes were sealed correctly. Polling Agents should be allowed to attach their own additional seals to the ballot boxes.\r Polling Agents should be allowed to accompany the transport of ballot boxes (or vehicles transporting them) to Counting Places and a statement should be signed by relevant Polling (or Counting) Staff and Agents that they believe the ballot boxes were not tampered with during transport and that the ballot boxes (or vehicles transporting them) were a) visible to them at all times and b) contained only the actual ballot boxes and no other similar items.\r Postal Vote Opening: all stages of postal vote opening should have a signed statement from Counting Staff and Counting Agents that the correct procedure has been followed.	No comments.
6359	1009346718	David Brown	Individual	Individual	Happy	Happy	Fine
6360	98427323	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposed management looks fine.	I would prefer voter eligibility to be decided in line with Westminster elections as there is a large pool of non-UK (and hence non Scottish in the event of independence) participants in the current proposal which could bias the result.	Seems fair enough
6361	208308676	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We should respect democracy , Scotland voted no in 2014 , so don't agree with this draft procedure , otherwise flux and instability will engulf Scotland for many ,many years . This disregard for democracy is not healthy.I voted remain in European ref , but despite the result I accept it . That's democracy .	N/a	N/a
6362	206061586	Hilary McFadyen	Individual	Individual	We have had the referendum and should not have another one.	No Answered	Not required as we did not need another referendum
6363	1037321027	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The Scottish Government misrepresent public opinion and fail to respect the result of the previous referendum.\r In addition, the Scottish Government misrepresent the results of the UK referendum on Europe. My Remain vote was cast in Scotland but this means nothing more than if had been cast elsewhere with the unitary state of the UK and does not signal a reason to destroy the economy further by talk if independence. \r I resent the manner in which the Scottish Government persist in pursuing Independence be that based on a UK vote or whatever other 'significant or material change of circumstances' that are convenient for the SNP.\r The Scottish Government should stick to facts and not try to mislead people as the introductory paragraphs (Foreward) of the Consultation Paper attempt.\r The UK Parliament is	The Scottish Government must remain fully accountable to the UK Government for all aspects of any future referendums and an 'Audit Commission' with extensive powers should be imposed to weed out bias in the Scottish Government and deter the push towards pro-independence media bias, the policies of eradicating British identity and other forms of bias particularly in schools.\rI disagree with the age of voting being as low as 16/17. However, as this is likely to occur if Scotland move towards further self harm with another referendum then extra provisions must be made to keep politics out of schools.\r The provisions of absent voting appear sensible.	The resources of the civil service should not be used to fabricate wildly inaccurate documents such as the White Paper.\r The term Westminster Parliament is unhelpful, deliberately inaccurate in title and displays bias. Correct terminology without bias is essential. This type of misleading language is indicative of the evidence of bias and contributes to the grave mistrust I have in the Scottish Government as an organisation.
6364	432068994	Lorna miller	Individual	Individual	There needs to be better security because I was one of hundreds of people with a blank backed ballot, no barcode or anything. Council denied this was possible. Then someone at the elecotoral commission said it didn't say on their web site this was needed to be valid when I was looking at it on my laptop right in front of me. The Russians also said the practices were not in line with international standards and Naomi Wolf came over from America to investigate and report about the blank backed ballots. She had witnessed electoral fraud in the US.	I think postal voting is dodgy because Ruth Davidson said the postal votes had been counted before it was legal to do so and she wasn't arrested.	I don't trust anything the electoral commission does.
6365	43677894	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There does not appear to be a question about the merits of holding a second referendum however I feel it is important to give my view on this.\r I am astounded that a second referendum is being considered only a few years after 2014 and your argument that this is justified because the UK has voted to leave the EU is just nonsense.\r Admittedly, I voted to remain in the U.K. but I also voted to remain in the EU,; however as I live in a democracy I respect the vote of the majority, something you would be well advised to also do.\r How dare you put the future of my country and family in jeopardy by creating ongoing uncertainty in the economy; as it stands the financial case for Scotland's independence just does not stack up and if you do not start to focus your attention on actually running the country and growing the economy it never will.\r It saddens me that you are destroying our great country with your obsession on independence and other madcap policies like the Named Person scheme.\r Please just stop now!\r I look forward to your prompt reply.	No comment - see above	No comment - see above
6366	739945998	Donald Smith	Individual	Individual	no input.	no input.	no input
6367	534106121	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I certainly do not think that everyone would agree that the so-called “clear mandate” obtained by the current Scottish Government at the May 2016 elections, where the SNP failed to achieve an overall majority of either the popular vote cast or of the parliamentary seats available and where the overall SNP manifesto plainly also related to many issues other than the possibility of holding a second independence referendum, should be regarded as superseding the verdict of the Scottish people in September 2014, where there was a clear rejection, by an overall majority of those voting, of the independence option in a poll with a much bigger turnout than applied in the May 2016 elections.\r There seems to be a disturbing lack of acknowledgment and acceptance of the democratic verdict of the Scottish electorate in September 2014, particularly given that prominent members of the Scottish Government, both then and now, were reported to have clearly and repeatedly stated that the 2014 referendum on independence was a “once in a generation” phenomenon. \r It was known in advance to everyone that the result of the EU referendum in June 2016 was to be applied on a UK-wide basis. Regardless of one’s view as to the desirability of the actual result (and I also voted “Remain” in that referendum), it is worrying that some are now apparently choosing to attempt to set aside a clear democratic outcome, perhaps for reasons of political opportunism.\r For those who wish to differentiate between the Scottish “result” in the EU referendum of June 2016 and the overall (and decisive) UK outcome, it would be interesting to know if they also take the view that in any putative future Scottish referendum on the independence of Scotland there should also be an “opt out” for any parts of Scotland which voted differently from the overall outcome. \r While I’m not sure that this amounts to a major issue here, I am concerned by the inclusion of such apparently misleading quotations, out of context, from the Electoral Commissioner in the Summary and elsewhere in the Consultation. As worded, the implication of the last two quoted sentences is that all voters were consulted about the conduct of the 2014 referendum and that very high “approval ratings” were given. In practice, it would appear that these “approval ratings” only relate to the views elicited by polling organisations from a fairly small sample of the overall voting population. This should have been clearly stated, along with references to sample sizes, to give some context as to how many actual voters were consulted or replied. \r 1.1\tAs mentioned above, the electoral commitment to the possibility of a second referendum was only one element of the overall SNP election manifesto. There is no evidence presented that this was a crucial element in voter choice at the 2016 election.\r We live in an ever-changing world where “significant and material changes” now are perhaps to be expected to occur on a frequent basis. They do not necessarily justify attempts to set aside the verdict of a referendum which even some of its own proponents had billed as being a “once in a generation” event.\r 1.4 Why would Westminster agree to a Section 30 Order? Is there any grounds to “expect” their co-operation in this regard? What if they don’t agree?\r 1.6 If membership (or lack of it) of the EU is effectively to be used as the trigger for a second referendum on Scottish independence it seems astonishing that this is not referred to at all in “The Question”. \r It does not necessarily follow that an independent Scotland should be a member of the EU, even if that were to prove to be an available option. The June 2016 Referendum on the continuing UK membership of the EU was clearly based on a different question and cannot be viewed as a decisive verdict by the Scottish electorate on whether or not an independent Scotland, should the situation ever arise, should desire to become a (new) member of the EU.\r There has been much recent media criticism, often from politicians, of the fact that there seems to be no clear established view from the results of the June 2016 referendum as to what form of relationship should exist between the UK and the EU on an ongoing basis, post-“Brexit”.\r Surely it would be important to establish at the time of any further referendum whether an independent Scotland (assuming that voters preferred this option) should seek to be a member of the EU or not and, if so, broadly on what terms? This would suggest the need for a much more complicated series of questions to be put to the electorate at a referendum rather than the over-simplistic question posed in September 2014.\r Given that a vote in principle for independence would necessarily involve a form of "divorce" from the rest of the UK, it would also seem appropriate that the Scottish people should be given the opportunity to express a view, via a referendum, on any “divorce settlement” before ratification. These are issues which would be much too important to be delegated fully to elected members of the Scottish Parliament, who would doubtless divide on normal narrow and partisan lines, and really should require the explicit approval of the electorate as a whole. \r 1.7 What if there were to be a very low turnout at a second referendum on independence – e.g. due to a boycott by some of those who do not agree with the principle of a second referendum being held so soon after the apparently-decisive vote held in September 2014? Could this second vote then really be regarded as a legitimate result?	No Answered	If there really are genuine desires to avoid any suspicions of bias, I believe that voter eligibility should generally be in accordance with the longstanding rules applying to UK general elections. However, it clearly does make sense to correct any known procedural anomalies where such changes are designed to prevent electoral fraud.\r 2.16 The proposal that a counting officer “must not knowingly” employ polling or counting staff who have been involved in campaigning seems an inadequate response to my understanding of the issue raised by the Electoral Commission. Surely there should be more of an onus placed on counting officers to have made some active efforts (e.g. by requiring appropriate signed declarations from staff) to assure themselves that the staff concerned have not been involved in campaigning?
6368	973353549	Irene Smith	Individual	Individual	The Local Returning Officer must be well vetted before being appointed. Everything about Referendum and Elections from now on must be squeaky clean. \r Some form of ID card should be issued before anyone is allowed to vote. \r Computerised voting is the only way forward, hopefully this would prevent vote rigging. \r I also think that all votes counted should be done at each Polling Station that way no boxes would be moved around. Again all this would need Police Scotland in attendan.e	Postal votes should be strictly kept under lock and key, if necessary, Police Scotland should be involved to monitor this. All postal votes should be sent to a designated postal address and secured in a bank vault and not touched or opened until the night of the count.	Appears to be in order.
6369	140896150	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe that Scotland gave its views in the 2014 referendum, a result that has never been respected by the Scottish Government or the SNP.\rThe constant spectre of another divisive vote is damaging business and the Scottish economy.\rI am if the view that another referendum should NOT be held.	I believe that Scotland gave its views in the 2014 referendum, a result that has never been respected by the Scottish Government or the SNP.\rThe constant spectre of another divisive vote is damaging business and the Scottish economy.\rI am if the view that another referendum should NOT be held.	I believe that Scotland gave its views in the 2014 referendum, a result that has never been respected by the Scottish Government or the SNP.\rThe constant spectre of another divisive vote is damaging business and the Scottish economy.\rI am if the view that another referendum should NOT be held.
6370	580994925	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I voted to remain in the UK in 2014. Once in a lifetime?	Having already voted to remain in the UK in 2014. There should be no changes as I have already had my once in a lifetime vote!	Having voted to remain in the UK in 2014, which was my once in a lifetime vote as agreed by all parties at the time this is irrelevant.
6371	993807141	Adam	Individual	Individual	SNP OUT	SNP OUT	SNP OUT
6372	11704280	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no more independence referendums. 2014 was the definitive.	There should be no more independence referendums. 2014 was the definitive.	There should be no more independence referendums. 2014 was the definitive.
6373	1054757121	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the whole idea is stupid	Again I think they are stupid stupid	Stupid
6374	764908546	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Waste of time & money	Waste of time & money	Waste of time & money
6375	43926613	Adrian Sprott	Individual	Individual	Flawed. A simple No/Yes question, would suffice. Do you want a second independence referendum..... No from this return. Why make things so difficult.	To ignore Scots living elsewhere is wrong.	This is getting to much. No to a referendum.
6376	587807810	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	To avoid any allegations of cheating an outside agency should also be overseeing it.	For EU citizens who are resident in Scotland they should also be citizens of the UK and not just working here while maintaining a residence in another EU country	Acceptable
6377	778268374	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There was a referendum in 2014 that was carried out and the current ruling party has clearly dismissed the result.\r Threatening to hold nerevendums till they get the answer they want rather that the will of the people they are supposed to represent.	The current voting system works but clearly not for the party in power at present.	Blank
6378	608881688	Lesley McCormack	Individual	Individual	Think they are fair and concise.	Should have been applied on recount after last referendum	Fair
6379	952821827	John Loney	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The Scottish government state that they “should have the right to hold an independence referendum”. As the Scottish government must know, they do not have this right under the current devolution settlement. A legally binding referendum can only be held after an agreement has been reached with the UK government, which is unlikely during negotiations to leave the EU. Any referendum held without an agreement with the UK government would be illegal and unconstitutional and could lead to serious instability. \rThe question on the ballot during the 2016 EU referendum was solely about UK membership of the European Union. In Scotland there was no supplementary question regarding Scotland's status in the EU and, to the best of my knowledge, the Scottish government made no effort to have such a question included on the ballot.\rSince the result of the 2014 Scottish referendum the SNP have been scrabbling around looking for 'triggers' that could lead to a re-run, from the supposed lack of new powers devolved to the Scottish Parliament to renewal of the Trident nuclear weapons system, and now the decision to leave the EU.\rThe earlier so-called 'triggers' didn't lead to a second referendum and the vote to leave the EU shouldn't either. The SNP need to accept the 2014 referendum was, in their own words, a “once in a lifetime” event and rule out a second referendum on Scottish independence.
6380	1002586821	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree that the Electoral Commission should report to the Scottish Parliament. Think there should be exit polls.	Agree with criteria for eligibility to vote. Agree there should be 100% checking of postal voting personal identifiers. Definitely agree that campaigners should not be polling or count staff as this eliminates the risk of conflict of interest or temptation. Agree that the counting officer needs to supply a copy on demand of the verification statement as this was a factor in the previous referendum which caused doubt.	Agree with the changes and think they are fair.
6381	657269729	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for a further referendum, the result of the last one in 2014 showed a very clear majority for the status quo.	There is no need for a further referendum, the result of the last one in 2014 showed a very clear majority for the status quo.	There is no need for a further referendum, the result of the last one in 2014 showed a very clear majority for the status quo.
6382	550257014	Christopher Gribbon	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements, provided (as in 2014) 16 and 17 year olds are permitted to vote.	The changes seem reasonable.	The changes seem reasonable.
6383	326375020	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for another referendum the decision was clear in 2014	There is no need for another referendum	There is no need for another referendum
6384	135210884	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The country has already been through this, surely the voice of the people must be respected, the country as a whole voted to remain a part of the U.K.! No need for a another referendum!!	No requirement for a second referendum!! Scotland voted to stay in the UK, surely the SNP need to respect THAT decision!!	This country cannot afford to go through another referendum!! The SNP should get on with running the country instead of trying to destroy it again!!
6385	224984233	Joyce Abrante	Individual	Individual	I do not wish there to be another referendum. At all. Ever.	See response to question 1 above. There is no need for the proposed changes as there is no need for another referendum.	Again, this proposal is totally redundant and irrelevant as there is no need for another referendum. It would be a total waste of time and money.
6386	764999250	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't think we should have an independence referendum.	I don't think we need another independence referendum	I don't want another independence referendum
6387	899828437	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum to manage. Last ref. was a clear no. The snp government should govern our country and stop their 1 policy of splitting from the UK.	There should be no referendum so no changes required. Stop wasting time and money in SNP self interests.	There should be no referendum...
6388	142265713	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My view is that a referendum held without the agreement of the government of the United Kingdom would hold absolutely no legitimacy.	My view is that a referendum held without the agreement of the government of the United Kingdom would hold absolutely no legitimacy.	My view is that a referendum held without the agreement of the government of the United Kingdom would hold absolutely no legitimacy.
6389	1073095466	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No	No	No
6390	95217961	Alan thorburn	Individual	Individual	We all ready had one please accept the result	Another snp propaganda to try and get another referendum	No more referendums
6391	1023485264	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	1. The draft Bill expects that a section 30 order would be agreed by UK Govt if requested, but in my view if a Referendum Bill is approved by the Scottish Parliament, the Scottish Government should expect to call a Referendum regardless of whether the section 30 order is approved or not.\r 2. I agree that the Question should be as it was at the 2014 Referendum\r 3. I agree that that a Referendum should be decided by a simple majority of votes cast	1. I agree with the Groups of people entitled to vote, but would strongly suggest that all prospective voters in each group should be registered to vote in Scotland, as per the qualification for armed forces and government personnel. I am personally aware of people who were not resident in Scotland, who voted in the 2014 Referendum, some who were (and still are) resident in other countries, and others who were resident in other places within the UK. \r The changes that have been made to voter registration rules since 2014 have put the onus on the individual to register to vote instead of the "head of the household" concept, but there is evidence to suggest that a significant number of voters have disappeared from the register as a result. I would wish to see a requirement for the Electoral Register to be completely updated in advance of any Referendum, and also in the run-up to each Scottish Parliament Election or UK General Election. The Electoral Registration Office in each Council area should be charged with visiting each domestic address in each constituency to identify all persons resident at the address who are eligible to vote, and ensuring that they are entered on the register. The register should be checked against tax records to ensure that no person is registered to vote at more that one address in UK, and that those whose tax affairs are principally in other jurisdictions (including those who hold Non-Dom status) are not registered to vote in UK.\r 2. I would wish to see rules on proxy voting to ensure that there is no possibility of "harvesting" votes of potentially vulnerable residents in sheltered housing or care homes.\r 3. I would wish to see a review of postal voting to ensure that envelopes are addressed to the Returning Officer in each area, are identified on the outside by the unique number allocated to each voter which would be checked, and the copy of the register updated before being sent to the person in charge at each Polling Station to guard against double voting, and the envelope immediately placed unopened in a secure ballot box for the constituency. The ballot boxes should be delivered unopened to the Counting Place and the envelopes opened, checked to ensure that the ballot papers are not spoiled, and thereafter counted along with all other votes for the constituency.\r 4. I would wish to see international observers invited to augment the Electoral Commission's resources to ensure the widest coverage of Polling Stations. I would also wish to see the Electoral Commission become more visible and active in its overseeing of the process, in particular monitoring activities that may lie outside the output of official campaign material released by permitted participants. The 2014 Referendum saw many such activities by Government Ministers and former Government Ministers, which were given huge prominence and in some cases live coverage on broadcast media, with no challenge or questioning, nor right of reply. These activities were clearly designed to influence the outcome of the vote by presenting material in a particular way that was not "balanced" and in some cases was directly contradicted by the factual position (e.g. stating that pensions would not be paid if there was a Yes vote in 2014).	1. As noted at point 4 of my response to Q2 above, the real issue is the ability to control material and expenses, including notional value of publicity, issued by persons or parties who are not a member of a permissible participant.\r 2. The 28-day "purdah" period is well established and acts as a brake on Government and public bodies in the run-up to an election/referendum, but as noted has no impact on those who are not bound by it. One option would be for the press and broadcast media to be bound by purdah rules also, such that no material designed to have an influence on the outcome but coming from someone other than permissible participants should be covered. There are of course many concerns with this, press censorship included, and also the fact that events will arise in the normal course of life and politics that simply must be reported in the public interest. Perhaps upon a request from a broadcaster or the Press Association this is a role that the Electoral Commission would be well equipped to perform.
6392	225345812	Michael Follon	Individual	Individual	There might be a danger that the Electoral Commission might refuse to cooperate in a future independence referendum without the approval of Westminster/British Government. The point must be made clear that Scotland is a separate legal jurisdiction no matter what the view of the UK Government/Westminster. The following is an extract from paragraph 76 of the ROYAL COMMISSION ON THE CONSTITUTION 1969-1973 (the Kilbrandon Report, Cmnd. 5460).\r '...Nevertheless the two systems [Scots law and English law] remain separate, and - a unique constitutional phenomenon within a unitary state - stand today in the same juridical relationship to one another as they do individually to the system of any foreign country.'\r I believe that, despite the passage of time and devolution, this situation is still extant today.	No Answered	Stricter regulation of the issuing of postal votes should be in place. Access to a postal vote should be based on genuine need because of an inability to attend a polling station in person and not for convenience.
6393	468928407	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't want another referendum no means No!	I don't want another referendum	I don't want another referendum
6394	839759044	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another divisive referendum. Scotland made its decision in 2014	There should not be another divisive referendum. Scotland made its decision in 2014	There should not be another divisive referendum. Scotland made its decision in 2014
6395	770803941	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no views on this aspect.	I have no views on this aspect.	I have no views on this aspect.
6396	347756023	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no second referendum.	There should be no second referendum.	There should be no second referendum.
6397	543968079	Alec Collie	Individual	Individual	This is not a devolved power so the Scottish Government have no constitutional right to publish this bill or proposal. \r The Scottish people do not want another referendum as we clearly voted two years ago to remain part of the United Kingdom, a must larger 'single market's than the trading relationship we have with the EU.\r Indeed, with the USA saying they want to do a free trade deal with the UK and another 35 countries indicating the same, Scotland would be better off trading free and freely with the world.	I do not agree with EU citizens who are resident in Scotland having the right to vote. Only people who have a stake in the long term future of Scotland should be allowed to vote, the major provision should be those with UK or Eire Passports.	No comment.
6398	178462343	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Waste of time having a referendum. The answer was no. Once in a generation decision - respect it.	No referendum required.	No referendum required
6399	29587092	Malcolm Aitchson	Individual	Individual	Electoral Commission appears to selectively use it's powers and in my opinion is biased another organisation should be considered.\rThe postal voting system needs to be tightened up. Reports have explained how it is \ropen to fraud.\rExit polls must be taken to reduce fraud.	No Answered	I personally find it hard to bear that through economic displacement i am unable to vote\rbut other uk retired residents who have moved for financial gain will be allowed to vote.
6400	127337525	Stuart hamilton	Individual	Individual	Not another referendum once in a lifetime I seem to recall	Not another referendum once in a life time	Not another referendum once in a life time
6401	422473509	Iain MacDonald	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Definition of residency.\rI have a concern about the potential for people voting in the referendum whose residence is outside Scotland. Those who own holiday or second homes in Scotland would fall into this category. Completion of forms to local authorities for the purposes of council tax should require people to indicate whether this is their primary residence for the purposes of voting.
6402	546502578	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Largely content but feel (a) that ballot boxes should now be made of transparent material and (b) that while all on the Electoral Roll in Scotland current at the time of any second referendum should have a vote each individual should be categorized as (1) a UK citizen of predominantly Scottish ancestry born in Scotland (2) a UK citizen of predominantly Scottish ancestry born outside Scotland (3) a UK citizen of predominantly non-Scottish ancestry born in Scotland (4) a UK citizen of predominantly non-Scottish ancestry not born in Scotland or (5) on the Electoral Roll but not falling in categories (1) (2) (3) or (4). Such categorization would allow the results of any second referendum to provide clarity as to the views of each category of voter and consideration of the result on the basis of the reliable information obtained on the basis of the actual votes cast.	I feel the proposed technical changes are satisfactory.	I feel the proposed changes to rules to permissible participants are satisfactory.
6403	841526993	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No more referendums.	No more referendums	No more referendums
6404	68338247	Campbell Brown	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements are satisfactory.	A further review of security in relation to the voting procedures, particularly the postal vote system to ensure that computer systems an not be accessed or tampered with. Postal votes should be retained securely in the event that a review of these votes may be required.	The technical changes all appear to be satisfactory.
6405	789331042	Gordon Millar	Individual	Individual	These amendments are fine	These are fine	Ok
6406	223588503	John Elrick	Individual	Individual	There shouldn't be a referendum. We had our "Once in a lifetime opportunity" not so long ago.	There shouln't be another referendum. Technical changes won't affect peoples' ability to see the advantages of staying withing the United Kingdom.	There shouldn't be another referendum. Shifting the goal posts won't affect peoples' ability to see the dangers of leaving the United Kingdom
6407	142354312	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	my view is that there should be no more of these divisive referendums - our country is being destroyed and it has to end.	EU citizens should have no say in Scottish affairs - the same as we should remove all those who are not working - the lovely roma for example	my view is there should be no referendums, no tinkering, nothing - the SNP are clearly incapable of governing so should not be striving for what would ruin our country
6408	816152623	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum.	There should not be another referendum.	There should not be another referendum.
6409	717672223	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I would argue that, as demonstrated by the Brexit vote, it is only sensible and right to require the referendum to achieve a 2/3rd majority (or similar) to make a change as opposed to the simple majority suggested in paragraph 1.7. We need a strong consensus to make such a major change and achieve the momentum required to carry it forward well. To do otherwise seems unwise, precipitous and with the potential to invite instability and greater division.
6410	762958792	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	stop your divisive behaviour and get on with running Scotland or preferably quit	see above	see question one
6411	399826499	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Scots wish to remain 'must be respected' is quoted by the First Minister. This should also be the case for the results of the last indyref referendum instead of stirring up more unrest. My view is that there should be no new indyref.
6412	468508503	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Satisfactory	Satisfactory	Satisfactory
6413	659847251	Lachlan Bruce Scott- Moncrieff	Individual	Individual	Scottish Parliament should set out its own rules on managing and regulating Referendums by An act of the Scottish Parliament no matter what. It is unclear what the voting age is in current rules regarding referendums in Scotland.	Scottish born citizens living in the EU ( which the UK is planning to leave ) should have a vote in the Independence Referendum .	Consider for Scottish Parliamentary Bill
6414	684229172	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no more independence referendums.	There should be no more independence referendums.	There should be no more independence referendums.
6415	304921703	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have concerns regarding the security of the voting papers especially in rural areas and postal votes. In the 2014 referendum there were allegations of voting papers going amiss.	No Answered	I have great concerns re voters from outside the country who own property/second home in Scotland and have registered to vote both with their home address outwith Scotland and their holiday home in Scotland. They can then choose a postal vote to vote in the referendum. I consider that they must show a track record of voting in Scotland in a number of previous elections to be eligible.
6416	773899594	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Arrangements are fine and fair but given the result in 2014 there should be no requirement for a further consultation of the Scottish people. They have already answered with sufficient clarity.	Satisfactory	satisfactory
6417	76583409	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There's been a referendum - a second referendum can only a age Scotland.	No Answered	There is no logical reason to reduce the voting age.
6418	465153568	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum	The voting age should be put back to 21. They are too young to vote at 16 & 17 and was only given in the hope that the younger generation would vote for independence which back fired on the SNP	Leave it as it is
6419	799370261	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No referendum required Scotland spoke in 2014. Stop running down our links within UK and causing more economic uncertainty.	None.	16 year olds voting is a good thing, however snp brainwashing at schools must be tackled.
6420	128599586	Duncan Anderson	Individual	Individual	We DO NOT NEED or WANT ankther referendum.\r We had the "once in a lifetime" referendum in 2014 and the Scottish people made their decisive decision.	Forget it.	Rubbish
6421	466329130	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If we must have another pointless referendum then that is a good a form as any, with the exception that as argued by many of those in the nationalist camp during the referendum Scottish citizens residing elsewhere - most notably in the other Home Nations should be entitled to vote.\r Tighter controls are necessary to avoid the use of such a biased question - in line with the recent EU referendum the question should be 'Should Scotland remain a part of the UK or leave the UK?' Adiditionally as we have heard so much in recent months of Scotland being taken out of the EU against their will specific provisions should be in lured to prevent voters in any council area from being withdrawn from the UK against their willwithout the right to a referendum on remaining part of the UK and leaving the rump who wish to leave.. Lastly 50%+1 of the electorate is an insufficient margin for victory given the apparent determination for a neverendum and the false promises in 2014 that it was 'once in a generation's, therefore a margin of 2/3 or those voting or 50%+1 of the overall electorate should be the minimum threshold to withdraw from the UK.	As noted above those born in Scotland and residing elsewhere, particularly in England, Wales and no should also be entitled to a vote.\r Schedule 3 should also include specific penalties on those who fail to disclose involvement in campaigning. Counting officers should be required to take measures to exclude the possibility of those being employed having actively campaigned.	These provisions are reasonable.
6422	962540322	Gill Martin	Individual	Individual	We don't need another referendum - we've already had one and just because you don't like the result there is no reason to waste more money that could be better spent elsewhere - like education or healthcare	see above	see above
6423	718114656	Steven Petrie	Individual	Individual	I have no issues about the proposals and they seem to be fairly standard proposals.	All votes should be in person. Lessons in the last referendum show opinions changes on both sides into the last 6 weeks of the 2014 referendum. This risks people casting a bite and later changing their mind. \r Foreign nationals should not be allowed to vote from the EU and Commonwealth. This decision should be reserved to Scottish born. I disagree with foreign nationals being able to vote on a matter of such significance and that do not share in the history or fully understand the emotional sensitivity of the issue. Whether resident here or not, there is a bias from an EU national or indeed any other.	Agree with all of the proposals in this section.
6424	560025868	Duncan Anderson	Individual	Individual	No more divise referendums	No more divise referendums	No more divusive referendums
6425	837877453	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They should reflect the way national and local elections are managed	No Answered	Citizens born and who have lived most of their lives in Scotland but living elsewhere in the UK should certainly be allowed to vote. It is simply inequitable that this category is excluded whils people who have lived most of their lives outwith Scotland are entitled to vote.\r16 and 17 year olds should not be entitled to vote as their views are unlikely to be sufficiently mature.
6426	428210327	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	I don't think non-Scots who have not resided in Scotland for twenty years should be eligible to vote.
6427	834943903	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
6428	411990956	Gareth Shiva McNorton	Individual	Individual	No Answered	Even your document outlining the consultation is misleading and heavily weighted. The 2014 referendum was not managed well, and an assumption of such is clearly designed to lead people into accepting that it was. Should everyone who lives here have a right to vote? It's well established that not everyone who lives in Scotland has a right to vote in elections, you have to be a British citizen and live in Scotland. Surely some form of citizenship is required? If not then why stop at the EU? Don't people living here from outside the EU deserve a right to vote? You're obviously targeting people who would be unhappy at the EU referendum result, and so attempting to weight the election in favour of separation. It didn't take long for you to attempt to skew a potential referendum.	What about MSPs (or indeed MPs) spending their time campaigning instead of running the country? Is this not a misuse of public funds? Why waste tax payer money on this when we just had a referendum? Public money would be given to the MSPs and MPs campaigning in such a referendum by the nature of their jobs. How do you intend to combat this?
6429	278799205	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree that eligibility to vote should be the same as for Scottish Parliament and local government elections. However, as the recent 'Brexit' referendum has clearly shown, this is a very divisive process and NOT to be undertaken lightly. Scotland took a long time to heal after the most recent referendum on Independence, and the UK is deeply divided after Brexit. I would like to see provision for a greater majority required in the vote, say 60% to 40%, before any changes can be effected.	No Answered	I am happy to see that some security issues are being strengthened in the above proposals.
6430	852627701	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not consider that votes should be given to 16 and 17 year olds. I think the rules on age and vote entitlement should be the same as for general elections.\rI do not believe that foreign nationals should be entitled to vote.	No Answered	I do not consider that votes should be given to 16 and 17 year olds. I think the rules on age and vote entitlement should be the same as for general elections.\rI do not believe that foreign nationals should be entitled to vote.\r I strongly agree with the changes to the count and polling staff.\r I agree with other changes.
6431	767004156	Hugh Haddow	Individual	Individual	Unacceptable. \rThere is no justification for the expense of a secondary referendum.	Unacceptable. \rIt infers a bias towards the minority.	Unacceptable. \rIt infers a bias towards the minority.
6432	484112523	William Stuart Wilson	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
6433	622488244	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum. The people of Scotland were quite clear in 2014.	The democratic voice of the people said no in 2014. No need for this proposal.	Again no need for this. Please listen to the electorate.
6434	632332213	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Firstly, none of these 5 consultation questions asks if there should be a second Independence Referendum.\r One of the opening comments in this consultation states “the people of Scotland voted to remain in the EU” is an incorrect statement. The 2016 EU referendum vote was a UK vote and not based on England, Wales, NI and Scotland as countries. Nor was it based on the number of local authorities voting to Remain or Leave. \rThe ballot paper was quite clear that it was a UK vote.\rScotland voted to remain as part of the U.K. in September 2014 and in June 2016 the U.K. voted to leave the EU in June 2016.\r Please be assured that I gave my vote in 2014 much thought. I read the whole of the White Paper, listened to representatives of all political parties and read as much material as I could on the subject. This was a 'Once in a Generation' vote and I was fully aware that the decision I made would affect the lives of our future children.\rThe same was true for my vote in the 2016 EU referendum.\r Regardless of which way I voted in these referendums both democratic votes must be respected. The Edinburgh Agreement stated such for the 2014 Referendum.\rAnother referendum to separate Scotland from the UK I believe is not needed and does not respect the 2014 result and the commitments made by the First Minister and Deputy First Minister.\r I believe that the uncertainty of further referendums is damaging to both Scotland and the rest of the U.K. for businesses and our economy.\r There should not be another referendum for at least 20 years. \rI also believe that the whole of the U.K. should vote on the matter of Scotland or England or Wales or NI leaving the UK. \r If the UK government legislates for a second referendum, then both sides must produce a document to clearly set out the facts and benefits of their proposal. I would like to see those facts vetted by an independent expert so that the public are properly informed	I am opposed to schools being used as is suggested in the consultation. There are plenty of other public building that can be used for campaign & political meetings. \r In any future referendum, it should not be a Yes/No vote and should be for example, Remain/Leave or may indeed pose more than 2 different options. \r Any future referendums would have a minimum electoral turn out of 75% to demonstrate that enough of the people cared about the question being asked.\rThere should also be at least a 10% difference in the vote to clearly demonstrate that a clear majority of people voted for a change or for the status quo. Indeed if such an approach had been taken with the EU referendum this consultation paper might never have been written and time and resource could have been spent on Scottish matters.	The Electoral Commission should police and monitor the campaign rules and requirements but they should report to the UK Parliament & Scottish Parliament so that both know that it is being carried out properly and fairly. \r As in Q2 I do not support schools being used for campaign meetings and the like. Other public buildings should be used for this.
6435	947958704	Pierce-Patrick Hynes	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements rely on the sound practice employed in the first Independence Referendum and ensure that this tool of democratic participation would, when exercised a second time, be subject to the most rigorous standards.	In light of the indubitable success of the inclusion of citizens aged 16 and 17 within the franchise during the 2014 Independence Referendum - and the attendant benefits of increased political engagement among young people and the enriching discussion of matters of national importance within the forum of the school - it is commendable that the Draft Referendum Bill aligns the electoral parameters of a future Referendum with the current rules applicable to Scottish Parliament and Scottish local authority elections.\rA strengthening of the regulations governing postal votes is to be advocated as a means of obviating dubiety of the type apparent in the aftermath of the 2014 Independence Referendum, when the leader of the Scottish Tory party, Ruth Davidson, was able to declare, a mere 45 minutes after the conclusion of voting, that the No campaign had been 'incredibly encouraged' by 'tallies' and a 'sample opening' of postal vote ballot papers. It is imperative that improved measures of verification and validation be introduced with regard to this specific procedural aspect.	These amendments to the rules will serve to guarantee unequivocal transparency throughout the campaigning period and also promote a healthy exchange of views by allowing a variety of voices to be heard and evaluated.
6436	753824008	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe any talk of further referendums is damaging my country and should stop.	Only Scottish or British Nationals living in Scotland and exiled Scots living in the U.K. Should be allowed to vote.	Couldn't care less.
6437	383571162	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There needs to be an independent checker of results if one was to go ahead	Let everyone born in Scotland who live in other parts of the UK vote - if you truly believe in separating the nation by birth, then their say matters too	Let everyone born in Scotland who live in other parts of the UK vote - if you truly believe in separating the nation by birth, then their say matters too
6438	671885730	Craig hanlin	Individual	Individual	There should be no more independence referendums	There should be no more independence referendums	There should be no more independence referendums
6439	118341624	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should NOT be a second referendum. Only 2 years have passed.	Wholely unnecessary	Unnecessary
6440	744661613	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree with there being another referendum. We were told before the last one that the Scottish government (SNP ) would respect the decisions of the Scottish people. How many times do they intend to ask the people? Will they keep going until they get the response they want? The government should concentrate on sorting out the current issues, ie health, education, reduced funding to local authorities. They should utilise the economic powers they gave been giveninstead of pointing the finger at the UK government. They have been in power now for ten years and culture of blaming central government is wearing thin! !!	No issues with proposed changes	No issues
6441	891071744	Stephen Harttrup	Individual	Individual	I dont believe 16 and 17 should be allowed to vote they legally buy tobacco or alcohol so why should they be given this responsibility	The changes made are to benefit the nats	Again this is for the bats to courupt young minds
6442	721325548	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	What referendum? Results of 2014 referendum should be respected	See no necessity for change	See no necessity for another referendum
6443	202002591	Michael Adams	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum held	I do not want another referendum held	I do not want another referendum held
6444	988341038	jean dick	Individual	Individual	Never mind managing another referendum, get on with the day job, etcas in education, hospitals, police etc.\rI DON'T WANT another indy referendum and I and my family would definitely be voting NO.	No Answered	I would still vote NO.
6445	754157004	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements are totally unnecessary because a 2nd Referendum is totally unnecessary given that the SNP were given a very decisive answer in 2014.	The proposed technical changes are totally unnecessary because a 2nd Referendum is totally unnecessary as the SNP were given a very decisive answer in the 2014 Referendum.	Any proposed changes to the rules are totally nonsense as the SNP were given a very decisive answer in 2014 and therefore we do not require a 2nd Referendum.
6446	366386918	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A waste of money and failure of government to keep its promise on a one in a generation vote.	A waste of money and failure of government to keep its promise on a one in a generation vote.	A waste of money and failure of government to keep its promise on a one in a generation vote.
6447	283355980	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This seems sensible enough. However many feel that there was an issue with ballot boxes during the last (2014) referendum - there appeared to be a lack of clarity and transparency as regards their movement and vulnerability to tampering. A method should be devised to ensure that the number of boxes is recorded, that they are sealed in a tamper-proof manner and that they are subsequently checked off against a sealed list at the count-location.	Although I welcome the generosity of the wide spread of eligibility to vote (particularly as I am an EU citizen myself), it seems a little odd that there is no requirement of proof of residence - particularly intention to remain longterm in Scotland. It seems overly generous to afford even individuals with no particular interest or concern in Scotland's longterm future a chance to register an official vote which may have a long-lasting impact on the outcome. I'm thinking here of those who are on say short-term (2-3 years, for example) contracts, or even students here for 1-3/4 year degrees. These individuals are doubtless 'resident' in Scotland but should they really be given a chance to determine the national status of a country they are only temporarily resident in?	Similarly to my query regarding voter eligibility, should 'responsible people' engaged on behalf of participant bodies not also be able to prove their intention to remain longterm in Scotland (if they are not already obviously settled permanently)? It seems odd to have potential temporary 'residents' playing such a significant role in a future campaign.
6448	170131280	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no real thoughts on it as long as it's fair and transparent it's ok with me.	See above.	No opinion.
6449	887128192	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Why have another referendum we already said NO	No Answered	Get on with running the country
6450	791313923	Katherine Legs	Individual	Individual	There should be no second referendum.	There should be no second referendum	There should be no second referendum.
6451	259001001	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Given that the fair and transparent referendum in 2014 delivered an unequivocal result, that of a resounding "No" vote, I fail to see the necessity of holding another one. The Scottish government should understand that the majority of people living in Scotland voted against independence only two years ago and not keep repeating calls for yet another referendum until they get the answer they want. It is quite clear that they are happy to accept the outcome of the EU referendum in Scotland as it suits their position.\r The proposals for the management and regulation of the referendum would appear to be robust.	"The choice of this franchise reflects the internationally accepted principle that the franchise for constitutional referendums should be determined by residency and the Scottish Government’s view that sovereignty lies with the people of Scotland."\r This would seem to be at odds with the recent EU referendum where EU citizens were not eligible to vote. Surely there should be at least a minimum period of residency required in order to vote on something as fundamental as the future of Scotland. This should not be decided by people who come to work in Scotland for a few years and then go back to their own countries. Much more of a commitment should be required, whether taking British citizenship or living here for a substantial period of time.	The SNP should not be able to use tax payers' money to produce another document such as Scotland's Future. This is especially the case in this parliamentary period as they are not a majority government.
6452	117288892	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We have already had the referendum.	No comment.	No comment.
6453	1001352385	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I note this consultation carefully evades the question of whether or not there should actually be another referendum. However, apart from highlighting the fact that constitutional matters remain reserved for the UK Government to determine, my submission opposes a further referendum on Scottish independence for the following reasons:\r 1. The Edinburgh Agreement in October 2012 which paved the way for the 2014 Scottish referendum stated unequivocally that the referendum should be, “….a decisive expression of the views of people in Scotland and a result which everyone will respect.” This pledge carried the signatures of the present First Minister and her immediate predecessor;\r 2. When the referendum was held in September 2014, 55.3% of Scottish voters and 28 out of Scotland’s 32 council districts elected to remain within the United Kingdom. The voter turnout at 84.6% was the highest ever recorded in a UK election;\r 3. The fact that pro-independence campaigners, even at parliamentary level, have subsequently ignored the decisive outcome of the 2014 vote has already created a ‘neverendum’ culture. Yet another actual referendum campaign would only exacerbate the already protracted schisms that have been created in Scottish society between former friends, colleagues, and even family members, as a direct consequence of the last poll’s divisive nature;\r 4. The above climate has also created unfavourable conditions for businesses for whom the resultant uncertainty is proving extremely damaging. In late 2016 even the Scottish Government’s own figures showed the overall number of companies in Scotland falling – despite rising in the UK as a whole. Similarly, while UK GDP rose in 2015, it fell in Scotland during the same period. Again, another referendum would only worsen this situation;\r 5. Brexit has NOT represented a ‘material change in circumstances’. While a higher proportion of Scottish voters did take the view that the UK (not Scotland alone) should remain in the EU, this anomaly was also replicated in several large population centres south of the border, including London, Liverpool and Newcastle. Indeed given the comparative apathy observed (outwith the political classes) in Scotland in the weeks before the June 2016 poll, it was doubtful this outcome was due to Scots having any unanimous sense of affiliation to the EU. The most likely contributors being:\r i. The factors which allegedly prompted a strong ‘pro-Leave’ support in some parts of England and Wales were much less apparent in Scotland;\r ii. The First Minister’s threats of another Scottish independence referendum in the event of the scenario which ultimately transpired also obfuscated what was already a very complex decision for many voters. \rFurthermore, a third of eligible Scots didn’t even vote and over a million people in Scotland actually voted to leave the EU;\r 6. If another Scottish independence vote did go ahead the most likely result is another “No”. However, given polls show a relatively low level of enthusiasm for another referendum at this juncture this would probably be based upon a considerably lower turnout than in 2014. Additionally, if the aftermath of the last one was anything to go by, what is to say that the detractors of such a result would then be seeking any excuse to trigger a THIRD independence referendum?;\r 7. Although hypothetical, it would be fair to say that a “Yes” vote in any future referendum would only be by the very narrowest of margins, which raises the following issues:\r i. It is rather worrying that such a seismic and irrevocable change in a nation’s status could be effected by the decision of potentially less than 40% of those eligible to vote;\r ii. Would it not be a rather weak and disharmonious foundation for a new nation where possibly around half its citizens were effectively forced into a change of their national identity against their wishes?;\r iii. Those who do favour Scottish independence often seek inspiration from the example of Norway. Note, however, that when Norway eventually became independent in 1905 this was based on over 99% of eligible citizens voting in favour;\r iv. As highlighted in 2. the overwhelming majority of Scotland’s 32 council districts voted to remain in the UK in 2014. Even if there were a “Yes” vote for Scotland as a whole, the likelihood is that several individual council districts would still vote to remain in the UK. This creates a complex constitutional issue which could potentially lead to legal challenges through the Courts in the way we have recently seen with Brexit.\r To summarise, we have learned from the wisdom of hindsight that neither the Scottish independence referendum in 2014 nor last year’s EU referendum ultimately achieved the desired ‘settled will of the people’. Instead, such plebiscites have actually caused MORE division and dispute – despite both these two issues ranking well down the priority lists of most ordinary people before the respective campaigns kicked off. \r It should now be apparent that the only ‘winners’ of such events are the constitutional lawyers and the media companies. Accordingly, the Scottish Government should be urged to abandon the ludicrous proposal of a further referendum on Scottish independence and focus on the more pressing matters that are within its remit.	Other than the fact there is no need for a further referendum:\r-Stricter measures to prevent multiple registration of voters.\r-Voters should also be required to bring a Driving Licence or UK Passport as ID to the polling station.	Other than the fact there is no need for a further referendum, no further comment.
6454	197149538	Gareth Cranston	Individual	Individual	Just get it done,, we have no promises from Westminster,, vote aye now!	Agree with it that every single person that is scottish born should have a vote.	To political for me to understand this lol
6455	1045902787	Alexander Malcolm	Individual	Individual	There should be noreferendum.	It doesn't matter what changed the vbote will still be no.	I don't care the vote will still be no
6456	188927049	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum. A clear and decisive response was given in 2014 and it would be an unnecessary, distressing and divisive distraction to my country.\rEnough is enough!	There should not be another referendum	There should not be another referendum
6457	41984345	Neil Gunn	Individual	Individual	The 2014 referendum question was originally drafted as a 'Do you agree' question and had to be reformatted to avoid the intentional bias. It was troubling and it will hopefully not happen again. I agree with the eligibility of 16 and 17 year olds to vote. I do not agree however with the draft referendum at all and note that there is not a question as to whether I want one or not- a glaring ommision.	I am glad that armed forces personnel serving abroad will be able to vote.	It is understood that a considerable amount of Scottish Government money was indirectly used to promote the independence cause before the last referendum. I believe that it was an irresponsible use of taxpayer's money.
6458	435175570	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree with the equality for voting as per local elections but surely the electoral commission would report to both government s on the election?	Surely non British nationals should not have a say in a Scottish independence referendum. This is not a devolved issue and legislation should be produced to clarify the points and agreed by both UK and Scottish government s	Again this should be investigated and clarified by legislation passed by both Scottish and UK governments
6459	459373982	Donald and Diane Lunan	Individual	Individual	The Scottish Government will be aware, following both the Scottish Independence Referendum, and the EU Membership Referendum, that the narrowness of the winning side in each case has been damagingly divisive, and that neither winning side can reasonably claim to represent “the settled will of the people”.\r In the Scottish Referendum, the ‘no’ vote was carried by only 47% of the electorate; and in the EU Referendum, ‘Brexit’ won with only 38% of the electorate.\r In a Referendum, it is an uncomfortable reality for those trying to effect change, that non-voters are more aligned with the status quo : they are insufficiently motivated to vote for change.\r The Consultation asserts that a ‘simple majority’ of those turning out to vote is all that is required and that ‘this is in line with established practice within the UK and across Western Europe’. If it is, it is not good practice, and the Scottish Government has the necessary powers to establish what should constitute a majority.\r In order to change the constitution of the most insignificant of Clubs, Associations and Charities throughout the country, a TWO THIRDS majority of the membership is required.\r The proposed Referendum on which you are consulting is of such momentous importance to the future of not only Scotland, but of our partner countries in the UK, that it is essential that a vote to change the status quo should unequivocally represent the will of the people – so that for those who win and those who lose, it is both democratic and decisive.\r I therefore submit that any Referendum put forward by the Scottish Government, be subject to two qualifying conditions.\r 1) that a minimum of 75% of the electorate must vote;\r and\r 2) that a two thirds majority of those voting must be achieved to secure a change to the status quo.\r In that way, if two thirds of a minimum 75% turnout vote ‘yes’ for Independence, it will represent more than 50% of all those eligible to vote, and can much more reasonably be justified as representing the ‘settled will of the people’.\r This Referendum must not continue to divide the nation, and another close vote like the 55/45 in 2014 risks doing just that.	No Answered	See response to 1. above
6460	436078705	William Steele	Individual	Individual	While there was a high percentage of voters, including Postal voters, who were satisfied with the conduct of the 2014 referendum. I was not and am not satisfied. I believe that the referendum should be conducted entirely under the control and management of a neutral party from outwith the United Kingdom, such as the United Nations, who would be asked to provide an Electoral Commission, Chief counting Officer, Counting Officers, Supervisors of the the transfer of ballots to central locations. The Neutral, Third Party Electoral Commission, should report toe Scottish Parliament.\r Care should be taken that no Political Party Leaders or Members, or persons with an interest in the outcome, should have any access to the Completed Postal Ballots.\r Some sort of personal identity confirmation should be distributed to all voters in good time before the referendum day, and it should be presented by them to those who given them their ballots. This should not be a passport, driving licence, or any item that would preclude poor and indigent persons from voting if they were not to possess it.	As I stated in my response to 1. above, I do not believe any citizen of the United Kingdom should have any role in the referendum.	As I stated in my response to 1. and 2. above, I do not believe any citizen of the United Kingdom should have any role in the referendum.
6461	480354545	John Morris	Individual	Individual	This referendum is not required, this question was answered in last referendum	This referendum is not required, this question was answered in last referendum	This referendum is not required, this question was answered in last referendum
6462	759404115	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Good independent scrutiny is essential.\rHowever the bill is not qualified to state that:\r Decisions on Scotland’s future should be made by the people who live and work here, including everyone who has chosen to make Scotland their home\r when not everyone who lives and works here will have a chance to vote. The above statement makes it sound as though the S gov are actively ensuring that everyone who lives and works here will get a say. Folk from USA who are married to Scots and live and work here and pay for that right through expensive visas but do not have enough years here to qualify for citizenship will not have a say. They will have been here a lot longer than many EU students or workers.\rIs there a qualification time for EU citizens to gain this vote or can anyone who has just arrived and may leave shortly get the vote? In addition EU students - do they get a vote? I wouldn't say that they are necessarily committed to living and working in Scotland anymore than our exchange students are committed to the European countries they visit. Conditions need to be attached to residency qualification in terms of time that has been spent here and an active job should be involved - not a student or visitor.	I agree that every postal vote is checked and also that no one\r who has been involved in campaigning can become polling or count staff or in addition be present in the polling station / polling station grounds	Additional controls as above are good.
6463	673262715	james heraghty	Individual	Individual	I am satisfied that the arrangements will work effectively.	Being technical changes, they are of little individual interest to me and I am confident that all participants will find them effective.	The spirit behind the rules on permissible participants is welcome.
6464	1029379589	Andrew Tweedie	Individual	Individual	Review of the Consultation on a draft referendum Bill SG October 2016\rAndrew Tweedie 10th January 2017\r Page 6 paragraph 1.6 The Question[Ref 1]\rParagraph 1.6 states that it is expected that the same question, “Should Scotland be an independent country?” would be used again. Section 1(2) of the consultation draft Bill states this question. Section 1(3) (a) states the ballot paper is to be printed in the form set out in schedule 1. On examination of schedule 1 it is revealed that the “voter” is not in fact presented with the question but “Should Scotland be an independent country? YES/NO”. The words “Yes” and “No” being options to consider and select in answering the question. There is no mention of these two options related to the question in the body of the text under Referendum in section 1 of the draft Bill [Ref 1].\rCould it be considered that the options are added to the main body of the text. To further add clarity and understanding for those considering the draft Bill and the voter, could the answers to each option be written in full in section 1. i.e. Yes, Scotland should be an independent Country and No Scotland should not be an independent country. However for the sake of clarity both options should be described in a positive format. Therefor the No option of “not independent” is simply replaced with “dependent”. Written in full this option becomes “No - Scotland should be a dependent country”.\rThis raises the subject of Scotland’s existing relationship within the UK. \r Dependency\r It could be argued that Scotland has been a dependency of the UK for many years in that it is has been allowed/able to spend beyond its means. The UK supply of an annual block grant to Scotland (for the last 38 years as at 2016) via the Barnett formula [Ref 2] to fund public services being one example. The GERS [Ref 3] figures as the August 2016 report [Ref 3] show 5 years of budget deficits being in place. Though the significant financial concern is Scotland’s share of the long term ever increasing large scale UK national debt, reported as over £1.6Trillion [Ref 4] as at June 2016. \r Fragility\r The issue to address is that arising from the dependency condition. That being the condition of national fragility. Here fragility [Ref 5] is taken to be large scale harm causes by stressful events. Scotland’s Fragility, a real and current condition, places the country in harm’s way, large scale harm. The scale of harm includes a significant negative impact in the standard of living of the majority of its residents and an event level where the country of Scotland ceases to be. It is evident that Scotland’s interests are not protected while being in a state of fragility. It is somewhat disturbing that 2,001,926 residents [Ref 6] in Scotland endorsed this condition in the referendum of 2014.\r Electoral Commission\r Page 6 Para 1.5 [Ref 1 ] It is stated that the SG is committed to ensuring the highest standards of propriety are maintained. Para 1.6 states that if the SG is minded to propose a variation on the question it would submit the proposal to the Electoral commission for independent testing in the usual way. Therefore in order that the highest standards are clearly demonstrated could the following be considered. In the event that the Electoral Commission produces a question (as previously in 2013 [Ref 7]) could their report summary confirm that their question assessment guidelines [Ref 8] had been fully complied with or if not a statement detailing any non-compliance and their reasons for acceptance. As the Edinburgh agreement [Ref 9] inferred a referendum result based on a question that fails to command confidence should not be accepted. \r REFERENCES\r 1 Consultation on a draft referendum Bill SG October 2016.\r2 What is the Barnett formula – BBC website Northern Ireland 23 Nov 2016.\r3 Government Expenditure Revenue Scotland (GERS) – Financial Year 2015-16 published August 24th 2016 on SG website.\r4 How large is the UK debt – the Telegraph website business page 21st June 2016.\r5 Antifragile-Things that gain from disorder Nassim Nicholas Taleb 2012 – page 8 on the measurability of fragility and page 268 a simple rule to detect the fragile.\r6 Independence or Union T.M. Devine 2016.\r7 Referendum on independence for Scotland Advice of the Electoral Commission on the proposed referendum question January 2013.\r8 Referendum question assessment guidelines 2009 The Electoral Commission.\r9 Agreement between the UK Government and the Scottish Government on a referendum on independence for Scotland (Edinburgh 15 October 2012).	none	none
6465	137185852	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	I wish to commend the Scottish Government for their continued commitment to inclusivity in the election franchise. Any constitutional referendum, and indeed any election, should be decided by the people habitually resident in the jurisdiction in question. I would like to particularly express support for the inclusion of EU nationals in the franchise, as was also the case for the 2014 referendum. This stands in sharp contrast to the highly disappointing approach taken by the UK Government in the recent EU Membership Referendum when the equivalent group were excluded from the franchise, which may well have had a decisive impact on the ultimate result in that vote.
6466	698496727	Ian Sinclair	Individual	No Answered	Individual	I agree	I agree
6467	381296002	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am in full agreement with the proposed arrangements.	I am in full agreement with the changes proposed.	I agree with proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
6468	998630132	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't think there should be another referendum. We've had one and the result was conclusive.	as above.	As above.
6469	613276226	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Do not want another referendum	We do not need another referendum	A referendum is not required we had one and the country said No
6470	948804807	Brian harvey	Individual	Individual	I don't have any issues with the governments proposals	No objections	No objections
6471	48776494	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There shouldn't be another referendum, the outcome would be the same if not more of a majority for no, folk are fed up of Sturgeon bleating on about Brexit and independence, SNP are finished in Scotland, have done nothing in the past ten years, high timr we had an election where we can get rid of SNP before they do any more damage	Doesn't make any difference result will still be no	The question that should be asked is do you want a referendum, not waffle about technical changes and permissible applicants. I have always voted SNP but never again.
6472	520186256	JOHN RICHARD TODD	Individual	Individual	I hope it will be less possible to misrepresent the arithmetical result.It does seem to be fair.	I do not support allowing nationals other than Scottish citizens to vote in a referendum on Scottish independance.	It would appear to be fair.
6473	62786552	Michelle Wilson	Individual	Individual	We are in agreement with most of the recommendations. However, we are not in agreement with the members of the House of Lords resident in Scotland being able to vote. We have concerns that place of residence will be 'flipped' to suit their circumstances. They were not elected by the Scottish electorate and only represent their own viewpoint therefore they should not have a second opportunity to do so during elections. \r Secondly, we believe that all Councils should be required to examine their records of second homes, temporary accommodation and ensure that the registration of votes are NOT permitted at these addresses. \r Thirdly, our members have expressed concerns the fact that the leader of the Scottish Conservative Party admitted on TV that she had knowledge of the result before such results should have been available, which gives rise to suspicions that the control of postal votes is insufficient.\r Finally, again in relation to postal votes, we agree with 100% checking of personal identifiers. Ideally, we would like to see the cessation of postal votes unless full confidentiality can be guaranteed to ensure individuals are not being coerced into voting in a certain way to suit their relatives.	In agreement with all proposals but would add :\rAll counting staff must ensure that no votes have been taken or registration allowed by those who have been deceased in past 12 months!\r All counting staff must ensure that no votes have been taken or registration allowed by those who have emigrated.\r Not only should staff not be involved in campaigning during referendum, they should not be a member of a political party and should confirm this in writing.\r All staff should complete mandatory training and test.\r There should be no less than two counting officers at each voting registration desk/station at all times.	We are in agreement with all proposals.
6474	626883322	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No referendums	I never want another divisive referendum in Scotland	I strongly object to non Scots residing temporarily in Scotland and non UK citizens being allowed to vote while Scots residing in England or abroad temporarily are denied a vote. Therefore I repeat No more referendums.
6475	509676615	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements. The referendum should be run in the same way as other elections in Scotland. Elections can be confusing, especially to new voters. Keeping the referendum the same as elections means that guidance is easy to obtain, rather than having to learn a new system for such an important vote.	Quite simply, I agree with the proposed technical changes as listed. It is a vote on Scotland's future and that effects all the people of Scotland. People who have legally made their life here are as much a part of this country as those born here.\rAll personal identifiers should be checked in every election or referendum. Not just a percentage.\rVerification statements should always be produced, that way there are no questions as to validity of results.	Paragraphs 1, 2, and 40: Because of allegations made in other elections around the UK, transparency is essential.\rParagraph 3: Responsible persons should sign a declaration as a matter of routine. That way not only do we have a record of who takes on responsibility, but the person also knows what they are signing for.\rParagraph 3A: The Commission should already have this authority. I am shocked to find out this is new.\rI agree with the paragraph 4 update.
6476	718902837	Stephen McDonald	Individual	Individual	I approve of the suggested changes in the consultation paper.\rI'd like to add that we should arrange that all votes are kept under scrutiny and should not be transported without a clear audit trail to ensure that no grounds for concern are raised on this occasion.\rI would wish for a similar audit trail to be clearly in evidence for postal voting\rIt would be ideal if an independent adjudicator body (from an impartial country preferably) were able to monitor the count to ensure that no doubts are raised as to the veracity of the result.\rI see no reason for there not to be exit polls and would encourage these.	I approve of the technical changes where they help to achieve the above.	I agree that residents of Scotland ages 16 and over irrespective of their nationality should be able to vote. I feel that it is important however to establish some residency criteria to ensure that we do not have opportunistic influx of people whose purpose is to influence the vote. (Apologies if this sounds a bit 'conspiracy theory' but I feel that the last referendum was subject to some dubious practices in this respect.
6477	240086794	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There needs to be an Exit Poll as a double-check on the results of the vote counting. Can the Electoral Management Board arrange/commission such a thing? If not, could the Scottish Parliament? Could this be carried out by an EU body or the OSCE?	I think that it is a serious mistake to have Postal Voting in this Referendum. As well as checking on eligibility of the person who has applied to vote, checking on whether they actually used this vote is needed. In addition, there is the question of the security of the ballot papers collected ( bin bags in the foyer of the local council office is not acceptable), the security of the result once the papers are opened for checking, the security of the computer register of returns, the security of storage before the votes are counted. In the 2014 referendum, 5 areas in Scotland had 'world record' turnouts of 96% or above for the Postal Ballot. Until research is published showing that this phenomenon was benign, I do not think that Postal Voting should be permitted. The limits and cut-off dates for proxy voting will need to be strictly enforced.\rI do not understand why there has to be a separate heading for a member of the House of Lords. If the Lord does not fall into one of the three resident categories (British citizen, EU citizen, Commonwealth citizen), he should not be eligible to vote.	no comment
6478	432724853	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am broadly in favour with management arrangements\rbut I have reservations about the security of the ballot boxes between the polling office and the counting station. I think independent observers should be allowed to travel with the boxes	I am in favour of these proposal, particularly the tightening up on postal votes\rIt might be worth thinking of checking voters identification at the polling station	these rule changes are good
6479	285725501	Andy Law	Individual	Individual	Sounds ok although the system seemed weak when subjected to accusations of malpractice at the counts. Maybe this should be looked at and additional safeguards introduced?	Eh? Are there members of the House of Lords resident in Scotland who are not British, Commonwealth or EU citizens? Why do they get a mention? (Is that class of being not classified as a citizen? :-) \r More seriously, could there be a possibility of non EU, non Commonwealth citizens who have been resident in Scotland for, say, 5 years being eligible?	No Comment
6480	262409207	N/a	Individual	Individual	I don't agree with another referendum. The 2014 one was "to last a generation" but it appears to me that the First Minister does not accept the results and the darkest of her work appears to be a determination to break the union with the rest of the U.K. I an agreement with the results of the vote on leaving the EU. The first Minister can't accept the result and wants to interfere with the Government's discreet communications with the European officials.\r I do not wish to remain ruled by unelected officials and their ridiculous rules harming our industries and legal system, yet abandoning our union with the other UK countries. I see this determination as racist or a hatred for our fellow UK countrymen many of whom are Scots who were forced to seek work south if the border.	I think that Commonwealth or EU persons should live permanently in Scotland before they can register to be included on the voters role. I think it is a good idea that voters should show legitimate passports or driving licences to be able to cast their vote.\r Absent voters should register beforehand and have their credentials checked before taking part in local and UK elections.	No group votes should be permitted. Unions should not be able to have influence on elections of any kind.
6481	767992931	Alexander John Mcnamara	Individual	Individual	Any referendum should use authorities outwith the UK to oversee so that there can be no questions over any party "rigging"	I fully agree with emphasis on the ability for EU citizens to be able to vote when stayang within Scotland as they are a fundamental part of any vote thwill country makes	As long as everything is within regulations then any changes are accepted
6482	836053414	michelle Wilson	Individual	Individual	There should be no council workers permitted to be returning/counter officers. COs should be closely vetted. \rBallot boxes should always be accompanied by no less than 3 officials in attendance.\rI'm in agreement with most of the recommendations. However, I'm not in agreement with the members of the House of Lords resident in Scotland being able to vote. There are concerns that place of residence will be 'flipped' to suit their circumstances. They were not elected by the Scottish electorate and only represent their own viewpoint therefore they should not have a second opportunity to do so during elections. \r In relation to postal votes, I agree with 100% checking of personal identifiers. Ideally, I would like to see the cessation of postal votes unless full confidentiality can be guaranteed to ensure individuals are not being coerced into voting in a certain way to suit their relatives. No percentage of postal votes should not be opened.\r There should be intensive and mandatory training for all those selected ROs. Not just a couple of days training, finishing with a test.	Non permanent residents of Scotland (those who have not lived in Scotland for past five years), such as students, those with holiday homers, 'surprise' lodgers from england and NI should not be allowed to vote.\r People should be registered to vote 6 months before election. Anyone wishing to add their new details to register should provide sound evidence of residing at address and Scotland for certain period of time.\r People diagnosed with advanced dementia/alzheimers (severe mental impairment) should not be allowed to vote, unless they have a full awareness of what they are doing and ballot paper question.	In agreement with all proposals
6483	155286903	Rob Worthing	Individual	Individual	I don't think there should be a referendum	I don't think there should be a referendum	I don't think there should be a referendum
6484	1027228920	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	system needs updated\rEletronuc voting would be a improvement
6485	608730920	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In principle I agree with this statement, however the maximum effort must be made to prevent voter fraud, impersonation and illegal registration and voting.\rWhilst I do not believe it is yet right to allow convicted prisoners to vote, the Scottish authorities must make every effort to assist persons held on remand to be able to register and vote.	It is essential all Returning Officers ensure there is no voting fraud, impersonation and illegal registration and voting.\rFollowing the 2014 Referendum I discovered (on social media) several persons resident in England boasting they had voted No by postal votes which they had received by asking Scottish Councils to register them using genuine Scottish addresses and then getting the postal votes sent to them in England. This included one ex-Army Officer, who was resident in Florida, USA, but still voted. If my memory is correct, another boasted they voted even though they had never set foot in Scotland.\rAll Returning Officers and their staff must make use of the extensive information held by each Council to ensure there is no voting fraud. I recommend:\rNobody can be permitted to register by using an address which is listed (for Council Tax purposes) as a holiday or second home or a property which is in receipt of Council Tax discount due to an uninhabitable condition.\rAny property which qualifies for 25% Council Tax Single-Person discount can only have a maximum of one registered voter (with the exception of 16 and 17 year-olds).\rAll Returning Officers and their staff must cross-check the Electoral Register against all lists held by each Council, including the registers of deaths, to ensure nobody tries to impersonate a deceased person. All these lists must be kept up-to-date and examined continuously up to the polling day.\rIn particular, extreme scrutiny is required on all applications for postal ballots.\rAny requests to send postal ballots to addresses outwith each Council area must be examined in conjunction with the Electoral Register for the "voter's" apparent temporary address. For example - if someone claims they live in Hamilton but wants the registration paperwork or the postal vote sent to an address in London, then that London Borough's register must be examined, as it's illegal to be knowingly registered in two different places.\rI do not believe members of the House of Lords should be able to register to vote in a Scottish referendum (or elections) unless they have opted to designate a Scottish address as their main residence and forgo any other property as a registered address. This applies to many other people and all Returning Officers and their staff must ensure that all persons do not "flip" residences in order to vote in one referendum or (election) then "flip" back to another address.\rWhilst I have no objection to Service Personnel voting, this must only be permitted if they are normally resident in Scotland and have opted to designate a Scottish address as their main residence and forgo any other property as a registered address. The Returning Officers must ensure that they do not "flip" residences in order to vote in one referendum or (election) then "flip" back to another address. In addition, specific safeguards must be taken to ensure the secrecy of the polling station is maintained at all Service establishments and these are supervised only by authorised civilian officials and all other persons (except official observers) are not permitted to be present within the polling station or polling place. This also applies to the handling of postal ballots.	I have no opinions on this question.
6486	782516069	John Lindsay	Individual	Individual	Postal votes should be sealed until the count, also there needs to be verification of validity of postal votes. Finally there needs to be validity that people voting are actually resident in Scotland.	No Answered	I agree with the safeguards put in place. Also to ensure that transfer of ballots to places where they are counted should be supervised, where possible by members of both campaigns.
6487	65643041	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am broadly in favour of the proposed arrangements except that I think it is important for 16-18 year-olds to have a vote as, by the time independence is achieved, they will be of UK voting age anyway. \rOn another issue, I would urge a review of postal voting controls given Judge Mawrey's scathing report on the weaknesses of the UK's Postal Voting arrangements. My view is that it would be impossible to skew the results of votes cast in Polling Stations to any significant extent, but that the inherent weaknesses of the postal vote controls could make significant tampering possible, especially if unauthorised cyber intrusion is deployed. I would therefore take advice from the Electoral Commission and from system security specialists in the fields of audit and IT security.	As stated in my response to question 1 above, I would urge a review of postal voting controls given Judge Mawrey's scathing report on the weaknesses of the UK's Postal Voting arrangements. My view is that it would be impossible to skew the results of votes cast in Polling Stations to any significant extent, but that the inherent weaknesses of the postal vote controls could make significant tampering possible, especially if unauthorised cyber intrusion is deployed. I would therefore take advice from the Electoral Commission and from system security specialists in the fields of audit and IT security. \rThis therefore goes beyond the changes proposed for a future referendum and, in my view, we should approach this topic from a startpoint of incorporating best practice principles of internal control, IT security etc. It is a known fact that Intelligence Agencies (foreign and home-based) routinely probe electoral security and, where advantageous, may interfere with due processses. We should be alert to this danger and make it as difficult as possible for anyone to compromise the integrity of the poll.	I'm in favour of anything that will produce a true and fair result.
6488	27237294	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not believe there should be another referendum. The last one was two years ago and gave a very clear answer to remain as part of the UK.	No technical changes should be required, as there should be no referendum.	Permissable participants should include t those born in Scotland but not currently living there. However, it remains the case that I do not believe there should be another referendum. The last one was two years ago and gave a very clear answer to remain as part of the UK.
6489	977145715	Joseph Dolan	Individual	Individual	Closer scrutiny of media coverage is required to ensure that honest views and opinions are expressed while dis information is strictly prohibited	Tighter controls of the actual count including postal votes needs to be put in place	Every person over 16 living in Scotland should be allowed to vote.
6490	1051994975	David Macqueen	Individual	Individual	Not good enough. The security of the count has to be validated. It wasn't in 2014	Only Scottish citizens resident in Scotland should vote, not British. For the same reason EU Nationals could not vote in the EU referendum on British Sovereignty. British Nationals cannot vote on Scottish Sovereignty. Scottish service personnel should be allowed the vote but not Commonwealth or Irish. The people of Britain did not vote in the EU referendum. Only selective British people did\rAbsolutely no postal voting should be allowed after the corruption displayed by the leader of the Scottish Conservative party at the last Scottish Referendum	same criteria as question 2
6491	113851360	Kevin McNeilliewelsh	Individual	Individual	I fully agree to these however for postal votes not to be checked until the night	All goid	Fine
6492	530494285	Malcolm Macgregor	Individual	Individual	The sooner the better	Seems reasonable	As long as they're long term residents not just grabbing wages for few years and returning money to others or salting it away if they get tax bill
6493	59808596	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I'm happy with the arrangements but I don't believe that the already overpaid Chief Executives should be paid more money as Returning Officers. Returning Officer duties at ALL elections should be regarded as part of their jobs.	I think that people from any country who have lived in Scotland for five years should be able to vote. Other than that, I am happy with this.	I have no problem with this.
6494	655543878	Bob Steele	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Individual	Only partys no one else
6495	733308473	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not support the proposal for another referendum at all!! \r All Scottish citizens were informed by the SNP that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity this was repeated time and time again. \r The decision was made and therefore no further referendum should take place otherwise it shows the SNP to be lying on this simple fact. \r More importantly the SNP should be using all their attention on improving Scotland. For example education has slipped so far since the SNP have been in sole power focusing all their attention on this independence issue and not growing Scotland as a country.	The arrangements for the first referendum were perfectly acceptable. The only amendment would be to increase voting age to 18 in line with other major decisions e.g. Smoking and drinking.	Should be 18 and UK citizens
6496	255900901	Brian Dunsmore	Individual	Individual	I accept this but I am unhappy at the registration process for the EU referendum which I hope is not the new standard for voting in a Scottish referendum	The onus should be on the Electoral Commission to prove that I am not a Resident and Citizen of Scotland.	"Offensive language "usually consists of offensive ideas, not wholly unapproved language
6497	854813449	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	1.6 - The Question must be changed.\rFor a fair and informed second referendum, if there were to be one, the question must be changed so that the vote to leave must this time be "no" and the vote to remain be "yes". This ensures that were there to be a second referendum, it starts afresh and pros and cons be argued afresh. \r It is arrogant to suggest that the Scottish Government should have sole discretion over the question. The UK Government must take the lead if ever there were to be a second referendum \r 1.7 A simple majority for any potential future referendum is not adequate and would be undemocratic, illegitimate and a betrayal of the sovereign wishes of the Scottish people as expressed in the 2014 referendum. \r Your paper makes no reference to the democratic deficit, which favours one side that could re-run referenda until it got the result it wished, while the other side could not reverse the result in a further referendum. \rIf there were to be a second referendum this point must be addressed and resolved for legitimacy. A second referendum, called because one side does not accept the outcome of the first, is a different beast from the second and to address the democratic deficiencies, it must therefore have higher thresholds to change the status quo. \r The Scottish referendum was framed by the Scottish Government as "a once in a lifetime" referendum. Both sides assured the electorate that they would adhere to and respect the result. That was the environment in which people voted. Therefore, to overturn that referendum result, as a minimum, the turnout must equal or exceed the 2014 referendum if the result is to be valid. \r Further, members of the Scottish Government - including the First a Minister - have argued that people might have changed their mind and so should be given a second chance at the issue. This could only be legitimate if after a potential second referendum that had a different outcome a THIRD referendum was conducted to ensure people had not changed their minds again. A poor way to run the affairs of state. \r Instead of the possibility of multiple referenda, for the sake of legitimacy any further referendum, were one to be called, should in addition to matching the turnout of the 2014 poll, have a threshold not of 50%, but of 66% to ensure there is a clear and unambiguous mandate.	No Answered	I disagree with the suggested eligibility criteria. \r There should simply be two criteria. Either you should be:\r 1. A British citizen (by birth or naturalisation) resident in Scotland at the time of the vote\r Or\r 2. A British citizen born in Scotland that has permanently lived in Scotland for a year after they have reached the age of 16\r Commonwealth, EU or other citizens should heave no right to vote unless they fall into the above categories. \r It is disgraceful that people born and bred in Scotland who may be temporarily resident in other parts of the world should be denied a vote on their country's future because they are not considered residents on an arbitrary date. This must not happen again.
6498	43838006	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity". This was the statement the SNP Government repeated time and time again. Should another independence referendum be allowed by the SNP Government this would show to all citizens and countries that the SNP Government cannot be trusted and held out as liars. A further independence referendum is not available to the SNP Government because the Scottish citizens made they decision and the SNP Government needs to uphold the decision of the public and their promise to all. \r There are far more important matters that the SNP Government needs to focus their attention on. The falling price of oil and the failure of the Scottish education system, which is worrying. Going back to independence talk would appear to be a diversion from the issues that Scotland are facing.	Many changes were made to the first vote, such as reducing the age citizens can vote to 16. Any proposed changes is just a method of trying to gain more votes and not improving democracy.	Many changes were made to the first vote, such as reducing the age citizens can vote to 16. Any proposed changes is just a method of trying to gain more votes and not improving democracy. \r Furthermore, allowing 16 year olds to vote should not have been allowed.
6499	249589860	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Ok with that.	Sounds ok.	Ok
6500	324698201	James	Individual	Individual	Unnecessary waste of money	The election	It should be for British citizens only
6501	516124586	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The 2014 referendum was well run so it makes sense to follow those arrangements.	I have no objection to these proposals - they seem sensible.	The Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014 is a step in the right direction but doesn't go far enough. However, under the circumstances, it's reasonable that its effect should reflected in the referendum bill.
6502	554032603	William McIlroy	Individual	Individual	I have no issues with the information as presented	I have to say that as a postal voter I believe the verification process is fair, but also as someone who has officiated at many elections, the relative checks on personal voters is substantially less stringent. Should it not be that, as with postal voters, some sort of verification process is put in place? Simply to verify the register information with a voter is not enough. If there is some concern about postal voters verification, and these are by far and away the minority of votes cast, then a similar view (and process) should be instituted for people attending at the polling station.\r Those who officiate at elections are often serving or former Council employees benefiting from the old boys network and this should be curtailed.	I believe this is fair and right
6503	474004097	George Farlow	Individual	Individual	agreed	I am concerned that some residents in Scotland register to vote when they normally vote elsewher in UK and perhaps Europe. It should be unacceptable for absentee property owners in Scotland to vote in other countries as well. One person, one vote and perhaps consideration should be given to proof of length of residence if a new application to the the Scottish electoral list is made during the 12 months prior to the referendum date. And, certainly no new applications to be accepted within one month of that date for whatever reason.	Agreed
6504	38516028	David MacDonald	Individual	Individual	I think these proposals are rational, and sensible, apart from denying Scots living abroad the right to vote.	The only thing I disagree with is that being a Scot abroad denies me the opportunity to vote. I have as much of a vested interest in the outcome of an independence referendum as anyone living there; it is therefore extremely disappointing to find I have no voice in my home country.	Ultimately, any changes need to be fair, and pass scrutiny; I feel that these changes do both.
6505	746448712	Simon Barrow	Individual	Individual	We support the Scottish Government's proposals for the management and regulation of the referendum, for the split of responsibilities, and for eligibility for voting rights.	The draft bill restricts the access to emergency proxy votes to electors\rwho require it on particular grounds set out in section 2.4, where the grounds have arisen after the cut-off date for a normal proxy application. We understand the administrative burden created in 2014 as a result of this provision, but have a concern about its (albeit small) impact on the franchise. In particular, we believe that an exception from this restriction should be granted for disabled people. It is quite possible that a disabling incident or condition may arise for a small number of people after the cut-off date for normal proxy applications. It would be regrettable, and we believe unacceptable, for such persons to be denied a vote in these circumstances. We would also urge the Scottish Government to give due reconsideration to the other grounds in this restriction, but the one that gives us greatest concern is in relation to disability. Discrimination legislation principles may apply in terms of reasonable adjustment here.	We have no objection to the technical changes, though we would object in principle to attempts to outlaw reasonable comment from civic and non-party organisations using restrictive provisions from the Transparency of Lobbying, Non-party Campaigning and Trade Union Administration Act 2014. (Along with civic faith and charitable organisations, plus some other think-tanks, Ekklesia worked hard to seek significant amendments to section 2 and 3 of that Act in particular. )
6506	539830420	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	At the time of the Indyref consultation, I expressed grave reservation with regard to the involvement of the Electoral Commission. Given the blatent bias of the BBC at the time of Indyref (and now with a new BBC apparatchik who sees little wrong with her organisation's performance in the last Indyref) the Electoral Commission demonstrated their lack of impartiality by ignoring the BBC's performance both prior to purdah and post, nothing has changed my reservations. Indyref2 should be overseen by an independant international body such as the UN.	No Answered	The postal vote system was seen to be open to abuse prior to Indyref, and I believe it is a weakness in our system (for any election). Given that the Westminster Civil Service (Treasury) was suborned by the government of the day to publish "reports" indicating fallacious weaknesses in the independance case, it is impossible to believe that the Secret Service organisations, whose sole purpose is to maintain the State's status quo, did not engage actively. The most obvious means to do so would have been through manipulation of the vote registration and postal vote. Measures should be put in place so that postal votes are only eligible for people who are unable to vote in person because they are either serving in the armed forces, or they are unwell and that is supported by a doctor's objective evidence.\r The changes to the verification of postal votes are to be welcomed.\r "...the counting officer “must not knowingly” appoint or employ anyone who has been involved in campaigning during the referendum..." This is fine and dandy, however the person who did campaign and who did subsequently perform a count function should be subject to harsh penalty, say a minimum jail term of 3 years without parole. Sounds tough but effectively such folk are subverting our sovereignty, they are being treacherous.\r There were stories of counters who were consistently miscounting. One example that was reported was that No votes were in piles of 19 making up a lot of 20, while the Yes vote lots were the full 20. Such activity should lead to the immediate removal of the counter from the premises, statements taken by the police as a precurser to arrest, and if proven the person should be subject to a minimum 3 year jail term without parole. Upon removal from the proceedings, a full recount should commence immediately. It would be interesting to consider that in such events, the side who stood to gain by nefarious means would lose say, 100 votes for every one vote which would have been gained by underhand methods.\r The votes should be held in a secure place until all parties had a chance to consider the overall workings of the process. Perhaps a (large) percentage of the voting slips could be counted by an independant international body prior to their destruction?
6507	224612302	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no more referendums you are making a mockery of democracy it was 'once in a lifetime' \rThreats of another referendum are also harming the Scottish economy	All irrelevant no more referendums	All irrelevant no more referendums
6508	162380491	Richard Cowling	Individual	Individual	No comment	No comment	No comment
6509	587974753	Alan Kirkwood	Individual	Individual	Good.	Good.	Good.
6510	61707712	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum or independence.	i do not want another referendum or independence.	i do not want another referendum or independence.
6511	115649018	Tom Murphy	Individual	Individual	I agree, although I would limit postal votes and would look for additional oversight of the process, for example ODIHR.	I agree. It is too important a decision to have people with strong vested interests having some control.\r Given some of the events from Ireland, 40 plus years ago, nothing is beyond the British State.	I have no strong views. My concern is what punishment is there for breaching the rules? Given Tories are caught up in election fraud scandal, but nothing appears to be happening!
6512	132243482	Robert James Barclay	Individual	Individual	In the purdah period before the 2014 referendum, I believe that the Better Together Campaign under the guise of the then PM Rt Hon David Cameron, the then Deputy PM Rt Hon Nick Clegg and the then Leader of the Opposition Rt Hon Ed Milliband broke those rules in being complicit of the production of 'the Vow' which basically offered 'Devo-Max' to the citizens of Scotland.\rMy problem is that it seems no one has been taken to task for this breech of the rules of Purdah and there appears to be no indication of what consequences could happen to the guilty party committing the rule breaking.\rIf the Electoral Commission are indeed in charge of this, then I would like to know what exactly they intend to about it if the same sort of illegal campaigning should occur again.	I feel that there should be more information given to voters on how to elect proxy voters. From the huge postal turnout at the last referendum (which seemed to be record breaking), I simply do not trust the Postal Voting Structure.\rI cannot fathom why counts were allowed to take place outside of Scotland's borders. I believe that all counts should have video footage that can be scrutinized upon completion of the counting to ensure that they are conducted correctly and fairly.\rI do not believe the information provided for nominating a proxy are adequate. I work away from home just now and have used postal voting until now. I have wanted to nominate a proxy for quite some time and yet, the information on doing this is somewhat lacking when I try to find the information on any of the Electoral Boards websites. For instance, it does not mention whether the nominated proxy has to live in the same electoral ward as myself; it does not mention if my nominated proxy has to travel to my polling station in order to have my vote processed; it does not mention how my nominated proxy would receive my polling card.\rThese are very simple items that could easily be rectified.	No views
6513	151567514	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fully support.	Fully support.	Fully support.
6514	1045267241	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Individual	No do not agree with this .
6515	730727758	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the referendum again would be a waste of public money. I do not support the idea that because of BREXIT you gave the right to call another referendum and continue to waste public money. \r Concentrate on improving the economy, education, health and we'll being of your citizens.\r I also think if you do go ahead with another referendum the whole of the uk should have a vote and the Scottish govt should be fully liable for all costs.	No Answered	I think anyone who us Scottish regardless of where they live should be eligible to vote.
6516	679873599	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Recent polls are evident that appetite for independence has decreased. Scotland voted No in the once in a generation vote. It's time to shelf this for at least the next 5 years and the goverecent start focusing on the real issues in Scotland.	Only British residents registered to vote in Scotland and armed forces personnel living overseas who are registered to vote should be allowed to participate.\r The counting should remain the same. The absent voting proposal is acceptable.	None
6517	388241945	Gavin Mitchell	Individual	Individual	I am OK with this, I think.... your 'more information' is not clear enough. Does this mean same as the last Independence Referendum (inc 16 yr olds)? If so, I think it will be fine.	No Answered	Totally fine.
6518	395209081	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I do no consider that another referendum is needed, useful nor worth the expense. Use the money on something more useful for children, the ill or elderly. The result of the last referendum was clear. Work with your English neighbours, we all work better together, Stop point scoring and look for areas of mutual benefit. There are so many areas of conflict and war in this world please reduce tensions not look for ways to create more.
6519	379719698	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No referendum. We already had one.	No referendum.	No referendum
6520	266055518	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no more independence referendums -the answer was clearly received in 2014 .	There should be no more independence referendums -the answer was clearly received in 2014 .	There should be no changes as there should be no more independence referendums -the answer was clearly received in 2014 .
6521	946749118	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with this proposal.	I am happy with this proposal as the postal votes situation and security of the ballot boxes were both questionable in 2014.	I am happy with this proposal.
6522	29687577	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As Nicola Sturgeon often says about "Brexit", you should respect the result of the referendum and not be wasting public money on another referendum.\r The views of the Scottish people were made very clear and 2 or 3 years does not represent a 'generation', which was the minimum time the SNP promised before another referendum would even be considered.	I approve, although this does seem like 'make-work'. Why should there have been any difference in voting arrangements compared with other elections in the first place?	All elections should follow the same rules.
6523	62427569	Sandy MacQueen	Individual	Individual	Concerned about the postal votes being tampered with as alleged very strongly in the last referendum, this time the should be stored and protected and opened at time of count.	Agreed	Agreed
6524	978811348	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposal seem fine.	Fine	Fine
6525	869128069	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements for elections work well when people of all persuasions remember that free speech is a valuable part of our democracy. Unfortunately I witnessed some people trying to bully others during the last referendum. These were SNP supporters who were unwilling to allow others to listen to both sides of the argument.	I approve of the proposed technical changes.	I agree with this.
6526	560515078	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I want no more referendums.	I want no more referendums.	I want no more referendums.
6527	989714424	Jim Hamilton	Individual	Individual	No views, I do not want another referendum, end of story.	See above	See previous answers.
6528	267718953	Andrew McKirdy	Individual	Individual	Arrangements seem fine.\rMy concerns will be the same as Indyref1, that people opposed to our independence will play too big a part in managing it.\rHopefully results in May will alleviate "town hall" concerns.	My biggest concern, bar none.\rThere should be absolutely no postal voting unless an individual cannot physically make it to a polling station on the day and there should be stringent checks on these persons and their reasons for requiring a postal vote.\rI'm sure I'm not alone in suspecting foul play with regards to postal voting the first time round and it was also plainly ridiculous that around 800,000 people were allowed a vote this way most of whom could easily vote at a polling station, AND postal votes going to England for some sort of verification, what's that all about.\rI'm not as conspiracy theorist and I'm not daft( I'm a retired police officer) but when this sort of of process allows so much scope for the people totally opposed to Scottish Independence to have easy opportunities to manage it their way we can expect trouble. \rAlso, I have no problem with People not born in Scotland getting a vote but there should absolutely be a minimum qualification period, say 3 or 5 years continued residency in the country. I can't see any other country in the world giving such an important vote to people that have been in the country 5 minutes!!!!	No strong views here.
6529	795465303	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for another referendum so therefore the arrangements are unnecessary and are a waste of both time and money.\r The people have spoken twice, NO to independence and then as part of the U.K. we voted to leave the EU.\rThe Scottish Government cannot keep looking for excuses to hold a "Sturgeon" Independance vote.\rWhat happens when the result is NO again, another excuse for a 3rd vote.\rThere are regions in England that had more votes against the Brexit result than Scotland and they are not trying to leave the UK!!\rGive it a rest, Alex Salmond tried for Independance and failed on the understanding that it was a once in a lifetime event - the Scottish Goverment, the SNP and Sturgeon should respect this.	16 and 17 year olds should not be allowed to vote.	No vote required.
6530	748640048	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	We do not need another referendum, the government should concentrate on managing the failing health and education not a back door referendum	We do not need another referendum, see above	We do not need another referendum, see Q1
6531	270869455	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No referendum	No referendum	No referendum
6532	938302228	Andrew Watt	Individual	Individual	I do not agree with the proposed arrangements. When the subject of a referendum is of such significant national importance that it takes a long time to implement and an equally long time to undo should the view of the people change, I think it is of absolute importance that the result is clearly the will of the majority of people in the country. I therefore believe the criteria for saying the proposal had been carried should that 50% of the electorate +1 had voted for it, and not simply a majority of those who voted. In the last two referenda the "result" was only the opinion of a minority of the electorate. This is wrong. Those who support making such a fundamental change to the status quo must be able to clearly demonstrate that this is the will of the majority of the electorate and not just those who turned out to vote. After all, if someone really believes in the change being advocated, they would go and vote for it. As referenda are held on subjects of such major national importance, potentially leading to significant changes, they are unlike elections for Parliament or Councils where the electorate know they will be able to make a change in five years time if things don't work out as promised.	I think Scots living in England should also be eligible to vote as they may well be there just temporarily in connection with their job. They should be able to apply for a special kind of postal vote and would need to be able to demonstrate they had a genuine link with Scotland.	Changes which implement recommendations of the Electoral Commission are to be welcomed.
6533	159694585	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I was not happy with the way in which postal voting was handled in 2014. I personally know of one person who was surprised himself that he was allowed a vote by post as he had been living and working in London, and before that in New York, for more than the 2 year period which allowed voting. I can only think his family in Scotland had registered him as still living at home? Of course this type of action could be undertaken by those both pro and against independence but there should be strict checks on those requesting a postal vote. Asking for national insurance numbers, with a view to checking where a postal voter is working, and for how long he/she has worked there, might deter those who are tempted to lie about where they live.	No Answered	Eligibility to Vote\rIs 'resident in Scotland' sufficient to allow a vote without also checking that these individuals are not also residents elsewhere and therefore eligible to vote elsewhere? For example members of the House of Lords who live in England might, I'm guessing, also feel they had a right to vote in English elections? Members of the Armed Forces may not own or rent a home anywhere in the UK - but can they request that they are registered to vote in Scotland (rather than elsewhere in the UK) even if they were not born in Scotland and have never lived there?
6534	773332820	Ian Thomson	Individual	Individual	This is not managing, this is handing over another no vote.\r Who said the system worked well? Clearly it didn't. Ruth Davidson "sampled" votes and nothing was done?\r No exit polls? Blank ballots? No foreign observers? The list goes on, 2014 was laughable, amateurish and fixed to lose.\r Why were the ballots destroyed after a few months, why was a known Tory allowed to organise and oversee the whole thing? \r Seems to me this whole excercuse is absolutely pointless, minor changes and minor technicalities amended.\r The percentages published about 98% and 94% of people being happy with the way the referendum was ran? Utter tosh, it was a disgrace and an embarrassment, the whole world laughed at you.\r I am an SNP member and an ardent supporter of total independence,\r SAOR ALBA GU BRÀTH	To be expected	Ok
6535	121080656	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree with the consultation. Especially to include EU & UK nationals resident in Scotland	Agree	Agree
6536	894630236	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be a referendum - we have had one and it is very damaging to the business I work for	Again, irrelevant as another referendum should not be called	As above
6537	328681578	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	II believe that there is no need for a second referendum\rMy reasons are as follows\rWe voted to remain part of UK in 2014\rBy voting to remain Scotland chose to abide by U.K. Rules\rThe EU referendum on which this paper has been based was a democratic U.K. Decision therefore this consultation is a moot point	I do not believe that at 16 years old you can fully understand the ramifications of a political decision\rAny further referendums should have clear simple guidelines and links to FACTUAL research however full disclosure of why and how we would be successful as an independent country should be included to allow young people to research exactly what their futures would look like	As above
6538	227166521	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No more referendums. Vote held 2014. Clear result to remain in UK. That's democracy even if SNP ignore the democratic will of the majority.	No more referendums. EU vote was UK vote not Scottish. Regional results are irrelevant but again SNP choose to ignore democracy for their own ends.	No more referendums
6539	1045603009	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no more independence referendums	There should be no more independence referendums	There should be no more independence referendums
6540	265066106	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Good	No Answered	Good
6541	909250393	alex cuthbertson	Individual	Individual	no change to existing management or regulation	All overseas Scottish nationals (British) allowed to vote.\rExclude 16/17 year olds.	Obfuscation
6542	578087486	Jonathan Fyfield	Individual	Individual	I dont want a UK referendum!	No EU citizens should be allowed to vote in our referendums.	As long as there is ABSOLUTELY NO conflicts of interest, then I see no issue with these amendment's.
6543	365949751	Ric Bailey	Individual	Individual	No views on these issues	No views on these issues	This submission to the Scottish Government’s consultation on the draft Referendum Bill is agreed by the Broadcasters’ Liaison Group, which represents all the UK broadcasters carrying party political and referendum campaign broadcasts. Both BBC Scotland and STV are members of the group and assent to the views expressed here. The Electoral Commission attends BLG meetings with observer status.\r We note the proposed changes regarding permitted participants in Chapter 3 and that “the Scottish Government would…seek agreement with the UK Government on campaign broadcasts.” The BLG’s sole concern in this matter is with regard to “one-sided designation”, which, as we understand the proposal, would remain unchanged from the provisions set out for the 2014 referendum.\r In the course of correspondence with Mr Steve Sadler, Head of Elections and Referendums team for the Scottish government during September and October 2013, I have previously raised concerns about the potential effect of one-sided designation, before the 2014 referendum. In summary, the broadcasters have, of course, an obligation of due impartiality, underpinned through the BBC Charter and the Ofcom Code (as required by the Communications Act 2003). In addition, under section 127 of PPERA 2000 (which applied to the 2014 referendum) broadcasters are obliged to show Referendum Campaign Broadcasts from any designated organisation and they are prohibited from showing such broadcasts from any non-designated organisation. The consequence, therefore, of one-sided designation would have placed the broadcasters in an unenviable position, as impartiality in respect of Referendum Campaign Broadcasts would be impossible to achieve without breaching the applicable legislation. \r The suggestion from Mr Sadler that the broadcasters could be obliged to balance a Referendum Campaign Broadcast (which broadcasters are required to carry by law and the content of which is determined by the respective designated organisation) with the broadcasters’ own editorial output is fundamentally flawed as the two are simply not comparable. It would, in any case, leave the broadcasters entirely vulnerable to complaints that coverage was not impartial, but, more fundamentally, would be an unacceptable interference with broadcasters’ editorial control over their output and Article 10 rights of freedom of expression. \r In the 2014 referendum, of course, in the event there was designation on both sides, but the broadcasters were still concerned about the precedent. In his letter of 26th November 2013, Mr Sadler acknowledged that this should not be regarded as a precedent for any future referendum.\r The Electoral Commission – which had recommended one-sided designation following the Welsh referendum of 2011 – subsequently recognised the difficulty one-sided designation alone would cause the broadcasters. This was explicitly set out by the Electoral Commission in its report (December 2014) following the 2014 referendum where it recommended in respect of future referendums “we would not expect campaign broadcasts to be included in the package of benefits available in the event of one-sided designation”.\r Further, in its briefing to the House of Lords at Third Reading of the European Union Referendum Bill (1st December 2015), the Commission’s recommendations for amendments said the following: \r “…we recommended that steps should be taken to reduce the potential advantages of the current PPERA designation model for a prospective lead campaigner to decide against applying for designation – for example if a campaigner sees a tactical advantage in not seeking designation to frustrate the other side’s access to the additional campaigning benefits. We also recommended that one-sided designation should only be considered alongside the overall package of benefits available to designated campaigners in order to balance the reduced incentive to make a tactical decision against applying for designation, whilst not artificially creating a one-sided campaign. In the case of one-sided designation at the EU referendum, this amendment would mean that the lead campaigner will not be entitled to campaign broadcasts or a publicly funded grant. In relation to campaign broadcasts in particular, this approach will address concerns raised by broadcasters about having to show a referendum broadcast for only one outcome. It would also go some way to mitigate the risk that voters may be less easily able to access arguments for one of the referendum outcomes compared to the other.”\r As you will be aware, this amendment was accepted and Schedule 1, Sections 10 and 11 of the European Union Referendum Act meant that in the event of one-sided designation, there would have been no Referendum Campaign Broadcasts for either side in the 2016 referendum. This successfully and wholly deals with the difficulties the broadcasters raised during the 2014 referendum.\r The Broadcasters’ Liaison Group submission to this consultation, therefore, is to urge the Scottish Government to accept the same amendment to the 2014 legislation for a second referendum; our view is that entitlement to Referendum Campaign Broadcasts should be specifically withdrawn in the event of one-sided designation, in line with the recommendation of the Electoral Commission contained in its European Union Referendum Bill briefing and in line with the European Union Referendum Act itself.
6544	269022438	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	there should be no referendum, Scotland did not vote for it and SNP do not have a majority government, so have no mandate to hold one.	this is fine.	no comment
6545	639719172	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Is the referendum of 2014 was fair and transparent, why do we now need another Referendum costing the country more expenditure which could be used on other more pressing issue. \r Focus should be on more autonomy passing to the Scottish Parliament from London in relations to taxation and expenditure.	Whilst I agree that decisions on Scotland's future should be made by people who live and work here. The proposal including EU citizens would appear to in the hope that this would swing the vote for independence, as these citizens may be disadvantaged after the UK enters Brexit. Focus should be on putting pressure on the London Parliament to ensure long term EU citizens are able to remain without senseless applications and going forward free movement of EU citizens.	I have no views on this.
6546	1060274701	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No further referenda required. The people of Scotland spoke 2014 in relation to independence.	N/A	N/A
6547	17144662	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with these arrangements to be put in place	I am happy with these arrangements	I am happy with these changes
6548	301262739	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	These appear straightforward.	I think the inclusion of young folk over 16 was, and is, an important electoral issue as they are the seedcorn of any new democracy that will develop in an independent Scotland.\r If the UK govt. leaves the EU before the date of a referendum on independence, existing eligible ROI and other EU citizens should still be allowed to vote as they are part of this consultation period.	Appears straightforward.\r Any input from UK govt ministers or senior officials should not be allowed - they must be considered as 'declaring an interest' if in office or employed to serve the UK govt. during the campaign period of a referendum.
6549	219265628	douglas prophet	Individual	Individual	Not sure as last count was dubious	good changes	right decision
6550	963299891	mary baxter	Individual	Individual	INTRODUCTION\r They are grossly insufficient changes from the running of the First Scottish Independence Referendum and thus have highly damaging consequences for Scottish democracy and the stability of Scotland. \r Changes to the procedures from the running of the First Scottish Independence Referendum to running the Second Scottish Independence Referendum must be significantly greater than tinkering at the edges. For the result of it to be accepted there must be full confidence by the people that the referendum was fair and honestly run. My experience of The First Scottish Independence Referendum gives me cause for anxiety that the referendum result was not accurate.\r I was not a member of the SNP until after Scottish Independence Referendum One and I believed that the running of the referendum would be very carefully controlled; but my observations on the day did not agree with my original complacency that all would be conducted with honour and accuracy. \r ISSUES\r 1) At 9.00 pm on the 18th of September 2014 I stood outside the Craigie Church polling station in Perth. I introduced myself to the officer in charge who was very offhand to me whilst very friendly to the person representing ‘no’ . What I mean by this observation is that he had no issue with displaying his partisan views in a very open manner. He started to take down polling station signs at 9.45 pm making comments, ‘well lets get this nonsense over with as soon as possible’. Two police officers walked away on the dot at 10.00 pm and the doors of the polling station were locked with me on the outside. The ‘no’ representative left. I waited feeling most unhappy with this lack of security and observation of the ballot boxes. At about 10.20 pm a small plain white van arrived and the sealed ballot boxes were loaded into it. There was only one person in the van, the driver. Thus many boxes were transported by one person with no one to give corroborative evidence as to the progress of the sealed boxes from the polling station to the counting location, I can not even verify if they were sealed. There is no way to prove that tampering with the boxes took place, either in the polling station with a declared opponent of Scottish Independence in charge of the boxes nor on the way to the counting station. Equally there is no way to prove that tampering did not take place. The security of the vote was not given, guaranteed or observed. This standard was way too low.\r 2) Three fire alarm bells and lights going out at the Dundee count turned the process into a farce, a ‘third world type’ count. Further destroying confidence in the vote.\r 3) I am, by nature and occupation an administrator. It would not be possible, if I had been running the counts for a large pile of ‘YES’ votes to be placed onto a ‘No’ table. This major error destroyed my confidence in the quality of the administration of the count.\r 4) In about 1971-3 I counted votes at a counting centre in Bearsden. I counted and observed all around me including the candidates and their agents. I have no doubt that count was very accurate and fair. The counts I watched on the TV for the Scottish Independence Referendum had observers far too far away from the counters and the ballot papers.\r 5) I watched the results of the UK GE in 2015 with amazed joy and excitement. One result still stands out in my mind with total clarity. The announcement of the new SNP MP for Falkirk. The returning officer was Mary Pitcaithly, the person who had been ultimately responsible for the Scottish Independence Referendum. The behaviour and body language of Mary Pitcaithly was well out with the bounds of acceptable. She struggled to announce the new SNP MP. Her voice was distorted by angry tears, she did not shake him by the hand. As a line up started to form on the stage for photographers and speeches Mary Pitcaithly edged herself to her right and appeared desperate to remove herself from the cameras and run off the stage in unseemly haste. I conclude from my observations that Mary Pitcaithly was a totally inappropriate person to have held responsibility for the First Scottish Independence Referendum.\r 6)Issues with the Postal Ballot also caused me disquiet. \r i) I was told by a clerk at a registration office that she had highlighted to her boss that she knew of a mother and daughter who had obtained postal votes even though she knew the Perth address they used was a property they hardly ever visited and that their normal residential address was in London. Her boss ignored her concerns. She was sufficiently upset by this to tell me when I was checking my sons eligibility to vote in the UK GE 2015 but was also too scared to put her job at risk by making a public formal complaint. She made a point of running out of her work to tell me this in the car park. One example is sufficient to cause concerned but how many times did this happen? \rii) The outer envelopes of postal ballots being opened before the close of the poll. \riii)Recording on computer systems who has voted by post well in advance of the close of the poll; even the Pentagon has had their computer systems hacked.\riv) Issues with Ruth Davidson sampling the postal ballots glossed over when it is clear she should have been no where near the ballots with out full impartial supervision to ensure she broke no rules. \rv) Postal ballots leaving Scotland and then returning to Scotland. \rvi) Postal ballots being added to the main count. \rvii) Postal ballots being stored in partisan council locations with poor security procedures in place. \r SOLUTIONS\r 1) Ballot boxes and the votes they contain must be under much greater scrutiny at all times. I suggest partisan and independent observers sitting silently in polling stations throughout the day with a discrete and competent system in place for challenges to be made, if required.\r 2) Polling stations locked down at 10.00 pm and the count to take place within each individual polling station within the presence of many partisan and independent observers who must come to an agreement re the veracity of the count before the count is announced. The verified count should then first be electronically sent to the main control centre and then physically sent, by police escort, to a different control centre for a second parallel count to be administered by different staff. All discrepancies should then be documented, checked and resolved.\r 3) Postal ballots posted to a central postal ballot control centre in Scotland and held in cages under observation by partisan and independent observers at all times. The outer envelopes only removed after 10.00 pm on the day of the vote and counted separately and the results announced. \r 4) Ballot papers not destroyed but held for legal purposes and available for academic study for a minimum 30 years.\r These solutions are extremely labour intensive and costly but essential for democracy. The result of the count will certainly be delayed but accuracy must be the objective not speed.\r CONCLUSION\r The Second Scottish Independence Referendum must have much better procedures in place. This is essential for the people of Scotland to have faith in the democracy of Scotland. If there is no faith in our democracy then an unstable society will develop with grave consequences. Getting the procedures of The Second Scottish Independence Referendum right is thus vital to the cohesion of Scotland and vital for the protection of the SNP Government as a body which is seen to be fit to govern Scotland.	They are grossly insufficient changes from the running of the First Scottish Independence Referendum and thus have highly damaging consequences for Scottish democracy and the stability of Scotland. Please see expended comments above.	Fine
6551	547657724	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	"The current Scottish Government was elected with a clear mandate that the Scottish Parliament should have the right to hold an independence referendum if there was clear and sustained evidence that independence had become the preferred option of a majority of the Scottish people – or if there was a significant and material change in the circumstances that prevailed in 2014, such as Scotland being taken out of the EU against our will."\r Scotland is not being taken out of the EU against its will. Scotland is part of the UK and it is the UK that is a member of the EU. A majority in the UK voted for the UK to leave the EU. Scotland was not mentioned on the EU referendum ballot paper.\r There has been no 'clear and sustained evidence that independence has become the preferred option of a majority of the Scottish people'.\r It follows that there is no mandate to hold a further independence referendum . This question is therefore irrelevant.	"The current Scottish Government was elected with a clear mandate that the Scottish Parliament should have the right to hold an independence referendum if there was clear and sustained evidence that independence had become the preferred option of a majority of the Scottish people – or if there was a significant and material change in the circumstances that prevailed in 2014, such as Scotland being taken out of the EU against our will."\r Scotland is not being taken out of the EU against its will. Scotland is part of the UK and it is the UK that is a member of the EU. A majority in the UK voted for the UK to leave the EU. Scotland was not mentioned on the EU referendum ballot paper.\r There has been no 'clear and sustained evidence that independence has become the preferred option of a majority of the Scottish people'.\r It follows that there is no mandate to hold a further independence referendum . This question is therefore irrelevant.	"The current Scottish Government was elected with a clear mandate that the Scottish Parliament should have the right to hold an independence referendum if there was clear and sustained evidence that independence had become the preferred option of a majority of the Scottish people – or if there was a significant and material change in the circumstances that prevailed in 2014, such as Scotland being taken out of the EU against our will."\r Scotland is not being taken out of the EU against its will. Scotland is part of the UK and it is the UK that is a member of the EU. A majority in the UK voted for the UK to leave the EU. Scotland was not mentioned on the EU referendum ballot paper.\r There has been no 'clear and sustained evidence that independence has become the preferred option of a majority of the Scottish people'.\r It follows that there is no mandate to hold a further independence referendum . This question is therefore irrelevant.
6552	614233039	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should not be another referendum, as the people have already spoken. We need stability in the current climate. However if I was forced to vote again, no comnents to add on management.	There should not be another referendum, as the people have already spoken. When did the SNP get a guarantee from the EU, that Scotland would ever gain access immediately to the EU after becoming an independent country? Nope don't think so. But again, if I was forced to participate in another destabilising referendum, no objections to technical changes on polling, counts etc.	There should not be another destabilising referendum, but should there be no comments on the participants.
6553	438703807	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Content with most principles of the referendum process as described but not with the appropriateness of a second independence eferendum at this time. This 'consultation' is merely seeking views on technical aspects of a potential referendum and appears to be underpinned by an assumption of support for Indyref 2.\r The people of Scotland voted on this issue in 2014 and the case for independence, as previously argued by the Scottish Government, has been thoroughly discredited particularly in respect to the underpinning fiscal arguments.\r The decision of the UK - as a whole - to exit the EU has created major future uncertainty which will not be enhanced by a further divisive and distracting independence campaign .\r I wish to see the UK government's plan for Brexit and assess its' potential outcome prior to consideration of a further independence referendum in Scotland.\r I think the population is referendum weary and would prefer the government to focus focus its' attention on public service, education and health care priorities rather than relentlessly and opportunistically pursuing their political ambitions.	Would question the appropriatenesss of citizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland having a vote in an independence referendum.	No views
6554	499831624	Edward tallett	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
6555	753731212	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	How does this differ from the Independamce referrendum vote, have the SNP made changes which would sway the vote in their favour which would be fundimnetlly different from the Independance voting procedures?	I feel that those who were born within Scotland but at the time of the election may not reside in Scotland should be given the opportunity to vote. And should note be excluded, they may at somepoint return to Scotland to live and would wish to have a say on how that may affect there desire to return 'home'	no comments
6556	876088074	Colin MacFarlane	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	1) Eligibility to vote should include 16 year olds and those living in Scotland or temporarily outside Scotland from whatever background who are eligible to vote in Scottish Parliament Elections. \r2) The referendum should not conflict with any other elections in Scotland or the UK as a whole.\r3) There should be an information campaign on individual registration starting now to try to ensure the maximum potential turnout.\r4) The gap between the earliest postal vote submission and the election date should be minimised or some other mechanism found that means that all voters are considering their choice against as similar a background of information as possible.\r5) The period of time before the referendum when political initiatives are restricted (the proposed 28 day referendum restricted period) should be reduced to, say, 14 days. Experience suggests that it is not possible to limit official and unofficial interventions and a reduced interval has more chance of being observed and noted as a 'restricted' interval in the public's perception.\r6) National broadcasters should develop and apply before the referendum a Code of Conduct for a) the treatment of campaign press releases so that they are attributed in any broadcast; b) the treatment of numerical information so that it is put in perspective correctly with bounds of uncertainty and relative impact c) the teatment of numerical and other information so that the original source, the limitations on the information and the source's independance or otherwise is made clear.\r7) Any permitted participant who releases numerical or other information must give the original source and state any uncertainty applied to the information.
6557	155551931	Glen Isla	Individual	Individual	Not needed, a referendum was held in 2014 which gave a clear democratic expression of the will of the Scottish people. This was to remain as part of the UK. The EU vote was taken as a UK wide vote so my vote was counted as a UK citizen irrespective of my home address.	Not needed, the result of the 2014 referendum was clear and democratic.	Any changes should be carried on to all other elections and other parts of public life, why can a 16 year old vote but not be classed as an adult?
6558	11466691	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They seem fair and legitimate.	They seem fair.	I would like to see an ammendment which also allows the Electoral Commission to reject a declaration on the grounds that a name is far too similar to another campaign.\rie. Vote No Borders, being too similar to the already existing No Borders campaign.
6559	447397888	MALCOLM MacINNES	Individual	Individual	In agreement.	I agreement.\rThe potential to abuse the proxy/postal votes in 2014 needs to be addressed.\rThe extension of the ballot in 2014 was exemplary democracy in action.	In agreement.
6560	173631651	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They seem eminently sensible, there seems little point in changing things.	It is a good thing that 16 & 17 year olds will be able to vote as before, as someone who most commonly uses a postal vote, I have no issues with a greater degree of verification.	No problems with any of the above.
6561	669410828	Will Langlands	Individual	Individual	I agree	I agree.	I agree.
6562	760337612	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposals for the management and regulation of the referendum seem the same as last time - in my view this was and will again be a waste of money. \rShould Independence win, I fear Scotland will go backwards.	If you think it will help the SNP why not lower the voting age to 12?	None.
6563	1004561818	David Mogg	Individual	Individual	Content with these arragements	Happy with this	Content
6564	986782523	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The proposals seem fair and reasonable. However, the issue of the Question is not covered in this consultation. The Electoral Commission did research regarding the proposed question in the recent EU Referendum which showed that a "Should" question with a Yes/No answer gave "Yes" a 9% advantage. Its research showed that a Remain/Leave question was more neutral.\r The Scottish Government should commit now to using the same format in any future referendum, ie the Question to be is "Should Scotland remain a part of the United Kingdom or leave the United Kingdom" Remain the UK /Leave the UK.	The technical changes seem fair.	The rules need to be tightened. In 2014, one side of the referendum set up a number of smaller local organisations, all with identical branding to the main campaign. Often these included high profile shop branded shop locations and distribution and use of material with branding of the main campaign.\r The rules must specify that such multiple local "campaigns" must include their spending total within the main campaign they are branded as. This was a blatant attempt to subvert the spending limits and the rules must be changed to prevent this.
6565	366708816	Stewart Nicol Soutar	Individual	Individual	My only concern is with the company who runs the 'postal voting....Is this not Peter Lilley's company? Hardly someone to be trusted.	Members of the House of Lords?...No, not keen on that.	OK
6566	809675810	N/a	Individual	Individual	Given that it is difficult to quantify the exact cost of the 2014 Referendum on Independence what procedures are in place to prevent a person who has been sent (and returned a postal vote) being sent a voting card to attend at a voting station on Election Day? This would reduce printing and postal costs which amount to a vast sum.	Given that it is difficult to quantify the exact cost of the 2014 Referendum on Independence what procedures are in place to prevent a person who has been sent (and returned a postal vote) being sent a voting card to attend at a voting station on Election Day? This would reduce printing and postal costs which amount to a vast sum. Re the rights of citizens of other EU countries resident in Scotland to vote - I am appalled and distressed by the vast amount of child benefits sent abroad to the families of migrant workers where the children do not even reside in the UK. Is there a reciprocal agreement with for example Poland or the Czech Republic? If so, how do the figures compare?	It is surely common sense that there could be the strong possibility of conflict of interest including the swaying of impartiality by financial inducement.
6567	723791511	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree.	I agree	I agree
6568	264960994	Dr Geoff Black	Individual	Individual	Much tighter restrictions are needed on postal votes. The Electoral Commission has a poor record in this regard.	I am now resident in Cyprus but I have a proxy vote under the 15 year rule. I would be keen that I am able to vote. Can you please confirm?	Ok.
6569	955903738	Henri Macaulay	Individual	Individual	I would like to see more invigilation - oversees observers - and representation of both sides present with ballot boxes at all times. GPS tracking would be safer than noting numbers. Transparent ballot boxes.	Postal votes should only be given to those genuinely unable to get out to vote. Proxy voting is safer - but must include providing proof of ID. Holiday homes were used last time.\r(96.4 turnout in Argyll and Bite Postal vote is approaching impossible. ) checking that signatures match doesn't prevent fraud. Fraudsters signatures match! A census of who ACTUALLY lives where would strengthen the franchise. Many anecdotal cheats.\rI know of one definite fraudulent postal vote for no. There will be many more if we don't tighten up the electoral role. \rCounting staff should have to sign an undertaking of honesty with consequences of dishonesty laid out	Seems fair..
6570	706721307	John Morrison	Individual	Individual	OK	I agree with the changes.	I agree with the changes.\r We should ensure that the BBC provide a platform on which a balanced view of the arguments are presented. It would be difficult to do this with other media outlets but the BBC should be seen to be independent of political influence.\r I agree that a referendum should not be held until polls demonstrate a clear majority e.g. 70% in favour of independence.\r Do not be surprised if Westminster force a referendum during the brexit discussions when they have a better chance of success. \r Support for independence will increase if Scottish governments demonstrate that they can manage Scotland better than Westminster can. If this takes a bit longer then it would be worth waiting until a vote in favour of independence is a formality.
6571	519238566	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The referendum must be approved by teh UK parliament first, otherwise it has no legitimacy. \rThe referendum should be considered binding with a time limit on when another poll can be held. It is quite frankly ridiculous to have these votes every 2-3 years.	No Answered	Those not normally resident in Scotland should not be allowed to vote.\r Anyone involved in campaigning at any level should not be allowed to be involved in administering the poll.
6572	657005167	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The Brexit referendum was deeply damaging and divisive. The Scottish referendum in 2014 was arguably less so, but did stall the economy. The last thing we need is another referendum.\r Setting that aside, if a referendum is planned, a key learning from the Brexit one is that if the result is not decisive the result will not be accepted by the 'losing' side. Clearly, a vote of 50.001% of votes cast with a turnout of 50% could not by any stretch of imagination be portrayed as decisive. In such cases it is appropriate to give the benefit of the doubt to the status quo. A vote of over 60% of votes cast, with a turnout of 80% would probably be accepted as decisive. Therefore, any future referendum on a major constitutional change should require both a super-majority of votes cast, and also a large percentage of registered electors (for example the 40% that was required in the first Scottish devolution referendum) , for the proposed change to be taken forward.\r The other learning from Brexit is the need for plans to be put in place for either possible referendum result, not just the one the government wants.	The proposal to retain paper based voting and hand counting is the correct one, electronic ones would not command public confidence.	No opinion.
6573	782104836	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Satisfied.	Satisfied.	Satisfied.
6574	228326122	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I gave my response to the referendum in 2014 I voted to remain part of the UK This was a once in a life time vote according to Salmond There is no need for another vote and do not use my Remain vote in the EU referendum as an excuse for another independence vote.Not	Not needed No referendum Not needed	Not needed
6575	718600199	Andrew Fisher	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I find no place appropriate place to record my view on the proposed referendum so I will record it here.\r I find this proposal unnecessary and disturbing. The Scottish people have stated their view the remain part as the United Kingdon and therefore to abide by the decisions of the whole nation. The views of the people in Scotland on the Brexit question are the same as other parts of the UK; it is not conceivable that those others parts should seek independence just because they do not align with the views of the whole. Such a pretext sets a wholly unsatisfactory precedent for any future referendum or election.\rScotland does not need another referendum on independence, such a move would cause significant disruption to people, organisations and governments when other matters are more important. \rFurther the outcome of such a referendum may result in a wholly undesirable situation that Scotland becomes neither a member of the UK or the EU. \rWhy would we wish as a nation to give authority and power to the EU as opposed to sharing it with the remainder of the UK. \rAnother independence referendum should not be held.
6576	654956391	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I beleive the scottish people voted No in 2014 , so there should not be another referendum	You cannot continue to change the rules to get the answer you want. By you I do mean the SNP which I do not consider is the government of scotland.	As above
6577	645697369	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	1. I am not confident that the postal vote is free from fraud or manipulation.\r 2. At the last referendum our Council Leader was allowed to roam freely in both the election voters' area and in the counting area while wearing her Labour badges and rosette . This was not just in the area where she was allowed to vote. No one stopped her while she was in amongst the voters in the booths.\r 3 Ruth davidson appeared to know the results of the postal vote before the results were declared.	Eligibility: How can we be assured that their permanent address is in Scotland? There were claims by some that they succeeded in cheating.\rThere were also claims by soldiers abroad that they were lectured on the need to vote in a particular way.\rShould counting officers be allowed to employ relatives?	At the 2014 referendum a bus party from Cumbria comprising local Lib Dem councillors arrived at our canvassing point next to a Lib Dem canvassing team. I would be very surprised if their costs were included in the election returns of the Lib Dems.
6578	400958745	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would like to see international observers appointed to oversea every part of ballot, especially during the last six weeks and primarily on the day of the ballot and at the counting stations, I would also like to see the transfer of ballot papers from polling stations to "the count" being the responsibility of the international observers and not local authorities.	Residency and not ownership of a property in Scotland should be the criteria and proof of residency for those who own properly i.e. Holiday Homes, Private Rental, Vacant Property. If a person is claiming residence they should provide proof of income within Scotland for a 6 month period, prior to the date of the ballot. I also think there should be a provision for Scots living abroad on a temprery basis, i.e. if living and working abroad for a fixed term and proof of a return date given.	I agree in full with this proposal.
6579	780466726	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	On the whole I agree with them	I have concerns about the number of postal votes delivered to care homes for people who do not have capacity and their relatives voted on their behalf without any checks some relatives actively came to staff asking for the postal vote	I agree with these changes
6580	856928399	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree	I agree with this	I agree
6581	944071	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Please do not hijack my Remain vote in the EU referendum and use this as a reason for holding another Independence vote. We gave our answer to this once in a generation vote in 2014 We stay part of the UK Get on with sorting out Scotland's problems instead of constantly harping on about independence and also give the people the facts about the damage to Scotland' economy if we left the single market of the U.K. All we hear is the cost of leaving the EU Let us have a cmparison
6582	831542321	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I basically agree with these	This is better and tightens up areas that could possibly be abused	Agree with this
6583	939570010	Scott Macdonald	Individual	Individual	I write this response from the perspective of someone who campaigned for a Yes vote in the 2014 referendum.\r I hope the process of guiding the new bill through Parliament will allow recent changes to voter registration to be reviewed and revised. The changes proposed by the Electoral Commission in the transition to Individual Electoral Registration failed to take account of the large number of voters, including vulnerable people, brought into the electorate through the work of campaigners signing up new voters to the electoral register during the referendum campaign from 2012 to 2014.\r We recall the great successes in 2014, in achieving a 84% turnout, and a 97% registration - hundreds of thousands of previously unregistered working class and vulnerable people grasped the opportunity offered by independence. Much of the legwork done by the hundreds of local Yes campaigns, the Scottish Socialist Party and Radical Independence Campaign was rewarded by a full and representative ballot.	These seem fine.	These are good.
6584	127723351	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No objections	No objections	No objections
6585	256797186	Calum Williamson	Individual	Individual	In terms of the eligibility I would think that participants should have been domiciled in Scotland for a minimum period prior to the date of the referendum, but otherwise should be the same as the Scottish Parliamentary elections.\rI would also think that to prevent "irregularities" in the count that it should either take place in a single central location with the ballot boxes being collected and delivered to that location by the Police Scotland and counted by Scottish Government employees. An alternative may be to introduce electronic voting using machines at polling stations or online. \rIf the polling station use is continued then proof of identity should be required to be shown prior to being able to cast your vote. \rPostal votes should not be accepted.	The only amendment I would make to the eligibility is a restriction on the minimum length of time the elector has to have been resident in Scotland at the time of the referendum.\rAbsent voting should be excluded.	The amendments seem reasonable
6586	416127724	Duncan McGregor	Individual	Individual	There should not be another refer do as the result in 2014 was a clear and concise indication of the will of the people	See previous answer	See previous answer
6587	253181316	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not think that there should be another referendum - the result of the 2014 referendum should be respected	no comment - and again there should be no further referendum	no comment
6588	875562928	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements sound robust enough.	In regards to the appointment of polling and counting staff, a statement should be signed by individuals appointed (if it is not already) to declare that they have not been involved in campaigning and are not affiliated to or a member of any particular political party or campaigning group.	The changes seem fine, transparency is essential.
6589	1004952224	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This seems a fair and transparent way to approach the question and the arrangements have already been tested in normal elections. The 2014 referendum proceded smoothly and rules and procedures were clear and simple to follow, at least for individuals.	Proposed eligibility to vote is fair and in line with normal voting practice in Scotland so I am fully in agreement with it. I welcome both the tightening or rules relating to postal votes and the requirement for polling and counting staff to be, as far as it is possible to verify, uninvolved in campaigning.	I do not understand these changes as they refer to things I have not been involved in. As they are stated to reflect current law and recommendations I have no objections to them.
6590	967265787	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Same as 2014	Agree with technical proposed changes	Agree with proposed procedural changes
6591	220196352	Andrew Wilson	Individual	Individual	I have issues with postal votes. The return rate for several areas during the previous indy ref were unprecedented to the extent of being fraudulent.\r Also, Labour were touring old folks homes "helping" the to complete their postal votes. Cathy Jamieson in the Kilmarnock & London area visited every home with her activists. That surely has to be outlawed.	Polling staff have to be better vetted, again there were reports of shenanigans during previous indy ref. People told to leave their votes on top of the ballot box, actual completed ballot slips being found in bins (all Yes votes) and other areas. Sworn statements of foul play even before the count had finished.	No view
6592	394131159	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree with residency rules, emergency proxy and 100% identifiers. I applied for a postal vote for the 2014 referendum because I was waiting on a date for surgery. As it happened I was able to take my vote to the polling station on the day. The clerk took it. I would have liked to see what happened to it on receipt, or to be able to put it in the ballot box so it was subject to the same transparency of scrutiny as other votes. Also, I was an observer at the count. The postal votes were handled in a different room and I was not able to find out what the process for observing was. This was my first time as an observer, so I am not saying I thought there was anything wrong, simply that that the processes for handling and counting should be seen to be the same. Maybe also tell voters what happens with their postal votes so they are reassured.	Agree
6593	400387323	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements appear satisfactory. Openness and transparency in all areas is essential and should be a requirement.	The changes appear in line with standard practice. Should non-UK or non commonwealth citizens be voting in a referendum about a part of the UK?	The key issue here is the SNP party's role as the government and therefore as a aprty with a clear view on the ouytcome having the use of public money and access to government machinery and civil servants time and in-put in support of their agenda. This should not be allowed agaon.
6594	688794035	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My view is there were some perceived irregularities by counting staff and the postal vote process. There should be oversight by an international independent commission to ensure this is addressed. If there are any issues that arise they should be investigated and the full weight of the law applied with imprisonment as a penalty for those found guilty of attempting to subvert the electoral process.	There must be a mechanism applied that prevents second home owners from being eligible to vote. As happened in 2014, people domiciled in other parts of the UK changed their main address to become eligible therefore attempting to alter the result.	No comment to add.
6595	436210283	Margaret Johnton	Individual	Individual	I would like polling stations and the count monitored by an "outside" company to ensure all processes are carried out in a proper manner.	It will be important that everyone who is eligible to vote is made aware that they must be fully registered to vote. This must be done well in advance of the date as during the previous Referendum for Independence vote many voters were turned away at the polling station as they were not on the register to vote even although they had completed the registration process. This must not be allowed to happen again.	No comments on this section
6596	326596956	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My view is that a second referendum should not take place as there has not been a sufficient time period from the first referendum in 2014.	Comments as 1 above.	Comments as 1 above.
6597	227317269	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	If the arrangements are the same as for 2014 then I have no issue with them. I am very disappointed that the first question in the consultation is not "do you want there to be another referendum?" as my answer to that would be absolutely not.	I do not believe that 16 + 17 year olds should have the vote and I see no reason why any changes to voting should be made to allow 16/17 years olds to take part. If we still believe that you become an "adult" at 18 then why are we giving what are essentially children a vote?	No further comment
6598	1028548513	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Fine by me.	No problem with anything therein.	Seems acceptable/sensible.
6599	507326652	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Voting should be restricted to British nationals 18 years and older, and any further referendum should not take place until 2050 at the earliest.	No Answered	See above\rCommonwealth citizens resident in Scotland\rcitizens of the Republic of Ireland and other EU countries resident in Scotland should not be eligible.
6600	793060171	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This is a referendum on constitutional issues not devolved to the Scottish Parliament or Ministers and so the Electoral Commission should report to the UK Parliament.\r Representatives of both the Scottish Government and The SNP made it quite clear during the 2014 Referendum that the Yes/No vote gave an unfair advantage to the Yes side. The same mistake must not be made this time. Although the Leave/Remain choice of the UK EU referendum was an improvement the simple question with no clear guidance of what it meant or what would happen with a leave vote was a disaster. Although weighty the Scottish Government (SNP) white paper for the 2014 Referendum was no more than a collection of unsubstantiated wishes and assertions similar to the EU referendum.\r The term Independence is similarly vague, especially as the justification for this Bill is to ensure that Scotland stays in the EU and hence not Independent.\r There should be a two stage process with the first authorising the Scottish Government and Parliament to enter into negotiations with the UK Government and EU Commission to produce a future Scottish Constitutional settlement that would be then subject to an accept/reject referendum\r A significant change to the question should be made so that it is not just rerun of the 2014 referendum and would make voters think again about the issues and not just follow the tribes from before. This is another reason for a change to the Yes/No question and the only justification for anything but the briefest of a campaign period.\r The UK EU referendum has shown us that the use of simple majorities for major constitutional changes causes serious problems. Most countries in the world require 60-75 % majorities for major constitutional changes and this should be the case for this referendum. At very least there should be a 50% of the potential electorate threshold for any change to the status quo.	No Answered	The Scottish Government through its Named Person legislation has made it quite clear that it does not consider under 18's to be capable to make their own decisions unsupervised and so should not be allowed to vote in the referendum.\r This a vote about Scotland as a nation not a power grab by the current residents and politicians. The vote must be open to persons of Scottish descent living in the rest of the UK and the World. Any third generation descendant of Scottish born person should be eligible to vote.
6601	1064817069	William Cooke	Individual	Individual	I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed arrangements for managing a second referendum	I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements	I do not accept that there is any need for a second referendum on the question of separating Scotland from the United Kingdom. A clear majority 55:45 No vote against separation was conclusively and democratically made by the Scottish electorate in September 2014. The SNP categorically stated that this result would be respected, and that no further referendum would take place for a generation. Accordingly, I have no views on the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
6602	164925936	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no second referendum, prior to the 2014 vote it was agreed by all that it would be an enduring result. This current draft bill is the product of an economically damaging obsession of the SNP whose interpretation of the Brexit vote is dangerously skewed. The UK is a far more important market than the EU. The pretence that the EU is more important than the UK is pure fantasy to justify the SNP obsession for independence. Instead can we have competent governance.	There should be no second referendum, prior to the 2014 vote it was agreed by all that it would be an enduring result. This current draft bill is the product of an economically damaging obsession of the SNP whose interpretation of the Brexit vote is dangerously skewed. The UK is a far more important market than the EU. The pretence that the EU is more important than the UK is pure fantasy to justify the SNP obsession for independence. Instead can we have competent governance.	There should be no second referendum, prior to the 2014 vote it was agreed by all that it would be an enduring result. This current draft bill is the product of an economically damaging obsession of the SNP whose interpretation of the Brexit vote is dangerously skewed. The UK is a far more important market than the EU. The pretence that the EU is more important than the UK is pure fantasy to justify the SNP obsession for independence. Instead can we have competent governance.
6603	967359940	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need to consider this as a second referendum is not required nor in the interests of the Scottish electorate. The sovereign will of the Scottish Electorate of 18 September 2014 must be respected.\r If it were to be run again, the question should also be subject to change and consultation. As it would be a significant constitutional change the majority to change needs to be much higher, i.e. at least 60 to 70%. Consideration must also be given to regional electoral boundary outcomes.\r The questions in this consultation are too limited and do not cover several other key issues that must be considered.	16 and 17 olds should only be allowed to vote if all elections are changed to include their eligibility, i.e. not just for referendums.	A referendum should not be allowed to be funded other than by direct party funds only. No more tax payers money should be committed to something that has already been voted on in September 2014.
6604	23381176	Colin Todd	Individual	Individual	I am delighted that the same process will be taken as before, I would however like to say that the counting must be done in more easily monitored spaces, as opposed to a concert hall. There can be no claims of voter fraud this time.	The decision to let 16 - 17 year olds vote with the Scottish Elections (Reduction of Voting Age) Act 2015 was a delight. I loved seeing how so many young people are keen to be involved with politics. This is an incredibly forward thinking move.\r As for the rest, to the best of my knowledge everything seems entirely fair and reasonable.	The decision to let 16 - 17 year olds vote with the Scottish Elections (Reduction of Voting Age) Act 2015 was a delight. I loved seeing how so many young people are keen to be involved with politics. This is an incredibly forward thinking move.
6605	421605243	John currie	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
6606	364999584	Professor Ailsa Henderson	Individual	Individual	There are two ways to evaluate referendum processes. The first is by measures that attempt to determine whether it was free and fair (but which I mean that it would be judged to be free and fair by organisations tasked with evaluating the quality of democracy). The second is whether it is perceived to be fair by voters themselves. We conducted a number of surveys before and after the 2014 Scottish referendum (including the three wave Scottish Referendum Study) and so have considerable information about what voters thought of the process, including timing, question options, the extension of the franchise, the behaviour of the Electoral Commission and so on. The following response outlines the results of these data where they are relevant to the draft referendum bill but we have a wealth of other data on policy learning and engagement if it would be useful.\r According to Scottish Referendum Study data, approximately 2/3 of respondents believed that ‘Both sides of the referendum debate have had a fair chance to present their point of view’ and over 80% believed ‘The independence debate gave ordinary people a say in Scotland’s future’. To a certain extent, the high levels of public engagement with the referendum – measured as levels of political interest and political knowledge – where a function of something not mentioned in the draft referendum bill, namely the considerable length of time between the agreement on a referendum date and the eventual referendum. While the regulation and oversight role of the Electoral Commission was no doubt essential to the referendum being perceived as free and fair, the extent to which the referendum could be considered a success is in providing opportunities for deliberation ahead of the vote itself. We can see the impact of the absence of these two features in the Brexit referendum, where there were lower levels of policy learning and engagement.\r Less than seven percent of respondents believed the Electoral Commission had acted unfairly during the referendum. It is worth pointing out that 30% said neither fairly nor unfairly and a further quarter of respondents said they didn’t know. These figures compare favourably to, for example, assessments of the behaviour of the BBC, where one third of respondents believed it had acted unfairly. Equivalent figures for the Scottish and UK governments are 20% and 39% unfairly respectively.\r This suggests that there would be public support for the provisions in paragraph 2.3, namely a continued regulation and oversight role for the Electoral Commission	No Answered	With respect to the extension of the franchise to include 16 and 17 year olds, over 40% of respondents to the Scottish Referendum Study believed it to be a good idea. A slightly smaller proportion disagreed with the policy change and one fifth of voters neither agreed nor disagreed with it. \r Appointing returning officers who have not been involved in campaigning is a wise move. Following the 1995 referendum there were concerns about the behaviour of returning officers who were believed to be partisan, a function of them having been appointed not by the equivalent of the Electoral Commission but by the government.
6607	808810115	Brian Fleming	Individual	Individual	I do not think the Electoral Commission should be oonvolved at all, as it is a thoroughly compromised institution. if the SG is serious about Independence, it should have no truck with the electoral Commission, whose role should be delegated to the Council of Europe body responsbile for the oversight of elections.	No Answered	I think there should be NO postal voting, as it presents an open door to massive electoral fraud. There is NO POINT holding a referendum at all, if the poll and the count cannot be secured against fraud. If a voter cannot make their own way to the polling station, means should be provided (e.g. an ambulance). But there must be no repeat of the doubts surrounding the outcome of the 2014 vote, particulalry the allegations of systematic fraud via the postal votes.
6608	808979735	Lindsey Houston	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
6609	685692452	Lindsay Bruce	Individual	Individual	Agree with these.	Agree with these.	I'm wondering what this means for genuine grassroots organisations and individuals. There was a lot of "astroturfing" during the 2014 campaign where organisations claiming to be community led were actually PR companies engaged by the UK government or political parties. These, I believe, should have to register as participants and have spending monitored appropriately.\r However, for genuine grassroots organisations who simply wish to organise events to inform the public and raise awareness, registering as a participant is likely to be onerous. I'm wondering how a distinction may be made between these two types of activists that places sensible restrictions on the activity of professional companies paid to achieve an outcome, while protecting the genuine debate and information sharing than comes with grassroots movements.
6610	860016483	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Satisfied with the proposed arrangements.	Satisfied with the proposed arrangements.	Satisfied with the proposed arrangements.
6611	724978032	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The arrangements sound decent, but we dont need another referendum. The vote was cast in 2014.	The use of non-active vote staff is fair. This should not be automatically carried out by public sector staff.	Always good to know the person responible is aware of this.
6612	530523249	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Aside from the fact that I do not believe that there should be a referendum for the next 50 years or so, I am happy with the proposals, bar that I think there should be a turnout criteria put in place, and a voting criteria for a change on top of this e.g. 60% of people need to vote for independence before it goes ahead, so that a slim majority (as in brexit) cannot result in a change.	Happy with this.	Happy with this.
6613	219634014	David Lowden	Individual	Individual	1 TRIDENT\rThe renewal of Trident and its continued existence on Scottish soil is a red-line issue for myself and my wife. If there was a pre-emptive nuclear attack on the British mainland, the only people to survive unscathed would be the submariners on the Trident boats and anyone lucky enough to be in a nuclear shelter at the time.\rWhat Scotland should be deploying is an anti-nuclear missile shield system along the lines of those in Israel, Poland and South Korea, for example, while at the same time removing Trident from Faslane and its ever-mounting cost.\r2 COUNTERING PROJECT FEAR\rWith the best will in the world, when faced with a debate on a public platform or TV where there are 3 parties all opposing independence against 1 party (and a ½) promoting independence, those voters who are undecided, unsure and/or unaware of the misinformation being peddled, will understandably opt for the status quo. This, I am sure, was one of the main reasons why we lost in 2014.\rTherefore, such situations must be avoided at all costs and a 1:1 debate platform adopted wherever possible. When a TV debate is held, a more balanced panel should be the norm, especially where BBC Scotland is the programme presenter.\r3 TEAM INDY\rThis idea is in part wrapped up with 2. There is a wealth of talent in the SNP party which is, up to now, seriously underutilised. The ‘party’ needs to select carefully 2 spokespersons who can work closely together on specific topics such as the economy, currency, central bank, trade, environmental issues including renewable energy, human rights, workers’ rights bringing out the benefits of being in the EU, immigration, research & development and so on. Having more than 2 SNP spokespersons per topic would probably make it difficult for all 3 to “stay on message”. \rCoupled with this is the need to take the ‘focus’ of the Project Fear side away from Nicola Sturgeon. Some of the ‘hatred’ of Alec Salmond by the Better Together NO voters has been transferred to Nicola with the result that the SNP runs the risk of being labelled a “one man/woman band”. I speak from my experience prior to 2014, of the ad hominem comments on The Glasgow Herald, The Guardian and from friends who voted NO. Although I do not profess to understand this unjustified blind hatred, nevertheless it has to be acknowledged that it exists and every effort should be made to counter this at the earliest opportunity.\r Redacted text	Insufficient time as I only learned of the consultation from The National last week.	Insufficient time as I only learned of the consultation from The National last week.
6614	1017856995	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am glad the voting age will be the same as Scottish Parliamentary elections and I support the management being the same as usual.\rThis particularly shows a fair attitude towards the democracy of the occasion.	I am happy with the proposed changes suggested.\rI would like to see restrictions on postal voting because I think it is far too prone to fraud.\rEarly voting would be nice but is probably unlikely and since it would cause upset is probably not worth going for.	I am happy with these.
6615	238592204	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As a Scot, I strongly object to the inclusion of EU citizens living in Scotland in the vote. The vote is for people whose core and deepest loyalties are to Scotland. The vote should be for Scottish, UK citizens living in Scotland.	As a Scot, I strongly object to the inclusion of EU citizens living in Scotland in the vote. The vote is for people whose core and deepest loyalties are to Scotland, not to another, non-UK country. The vote should be for Scottish, UK citizens living in Scotland. That should include members of the British armed forces normally resident in Scotland but serving outside Scotland at the time of the vote.	No comment at this stage, but I am extremely worried that the First Minister's office has been refusing to publish her office's expenditure on the matter of Scotland and EU membership since 23rd June 2016. This refusal is counter to the First Minister's own policy and avowals of transparency. This is a very worrying sign.
6616	70470007	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In agreement	In agreement	In agreement
6617	401442498	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no issues regarding this and am happy with the procedure.	I have no issues regarding this.	I support this change.
6618	960389960	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	A waste of time and effort
6619	89954972	Monica Worley	Individual	Individual	The purdah period rules need to be strengthened as they were misused last time.\r Is there any way to let people here from outside the EU but with indefinite leave to remain vote? They are not allowed to vote in Scottish parliament or local elections.	Is there any way to let people here from outside the EU but with indefinate leave to remain vote? They are not allowed to vote in Scottish parliament or local elections.\r Absent voting needs to be severely limited (but with care that those in actual need can vote this way). It may be 'inconveninet' to get to the polls but the risk of misuse of absent ballots is extreme. I don't think what you've laid out here is strong enough. It should be allowed physical inability to get to the poll only.\r I'd love to see a requirement to show your ID with a check list that shows you're allowed to vote, but I guess that's going too far?	No comment
6620	756426391	Duncan Hothersall	Individual	Individual	No view.	No view.	The changes do not go far enough. I believe both Scottish and UK governments, including Scottish government agencies, Scottish ministers, UK government agencies and UK ministers, should not be permitted to participate in campaigning.\r The referendum of 2014 was seen by too many people as a debate between the Scottish and UK governments, partly because it was framed that way by the Scottish Government. In reality that referendum and any future referendum is a debate between Scottish voters.\r The referendum of 2014 saw Scottish taxpayers money used to fund a White Paper which was an entirely party political document. This should be prevented from happening again.
6621	697965420	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements. \r In addition I will say that I feel very strongly that it must soon be enshrined in law for this and all future Scottish Government's that follow - they being freely and legally elected by the citizens of Scotland - to legislate for a referendum upon Scotland's independence of the United Kingdom, or any other Union of which Scotland forms a constituent part.\r Attempting to block a legal and democratic vote to any constituent part of the United Kingdom upon its continued membership of the United Kingdom itself would be a gross perversion of the principles that underpin UK and modern global democratic systems of government.\r The Scottish Government mandate to legislate in this area is in my view entirely reasonable based on the manifesto upon which it was elected. \r Any referendum is to put the issue of independence to the people of Scotland - not the unilateral declaration of a republic by its government. This is a matter of conferring free choice to the people of Scotland, when current circumstances of Scotland's relationship with Europe might be changed irrevocably. \r This is an event in extremis and so it seems reasonable to me that the people of Scotland should again speak on her future direction. This is not a 'neverendum', it is a response to real events. The result of the 2014 referendum was undeniable but the political events have moved beyond recognition of that plebiscite.\r The competence of Scotland's government to put the question of its continued membership of the UK, or other union, to a referendum of the people who elect it should be as basic a principle as there is. No union will endure without consent AND the ability to articulate that consent.\r To seek to deny free choice to Scots at this time of unprecedented change would be to make a lie of the very foundations upon which the British state has so far endured.	I agree with the proposed technical changes.	I agree with the proposed technical changes.
6622	242910575	Chris Baird	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the proposed arrangements.	I am happy with the proposed arrangements.	I am happy with the proposed arrangements.
6623	622560896	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Please see comments on eligibility to vote below.	No Answered	Assuming no referendum in 2017, any second Scottish independence referendum will be held after the UK's triggering of Article 50 of the relevant EU treaty. To allow EU citizens resident in Scotland a vote in Scotland's independence referendum surely then raises many legal issues - for instance, why exclude others resident in Scotland who do not hold a UK passport?\rMore importantly, surely eligibility of EU citizen resident in Scotland will give the Scottish government, and current and future generations of Scots, an inaccurate picture of the will of the Scottish people?
6624	944050411	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't agree that the vote in the European referendum creates a need for a second independence referendum in Scotland. \r I think someone needs to have established residence and interest in Scotland's future to be able to participate. For example main residence, family / spouse / children also living in Scotland. To have been present for minimum of 5 years.	No Answered	No view - other than it is quite unnecessary to plan changes and create new administrative arrangements for a second referendum.
6625	678394617	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Serving members of MF Forces who are Scots but because of their service commitments were UNABLE to vote in the last referendum this needs to be corrected if there is to be another. You can only vote in Scotland if you have a residential address there if you have served for a number of years you are unlikely still to have a home in Scotland. This does not mean you do not intend to return at the end of your service.
6626	14124724	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	This consultation is a con on the public. Why are we not asked to comment on the need for a new referendum at all? This is merely a procedural consultation and has no relevance to the real concerns of citizens : the failure of the present Scottish government to focus on the country's real problems. Focus on failing education , the staggering and shrinking economy , the health service and our dire infrastructure. In other words build a strong country, use present powers and stop evading your responsibility. \rNow there's a espouse worth publishing.
6627	208591861	Alan Brown	Individual	Individual	The 2014 referendum seemed to go well enough, bar the handling of postal votes. There should be fewer of these - limited to people who physically cannot get to a polling station on the day.	Some sixteen year olds are mature enough to vote and some just are not. Perhaps we could make clear to everyone - not just youngsters - that if they are overwhelmed by the decision it's alright not to vote?	Seems fine.
6628	649622573	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The need for the consultation paper and a second referendum is based on flawed reasoning. Paragraph 2 of the Foreword and Section 1.2 of the main text vote that 'Scotland voted to remain in the EU'. This statement is incorrect. The majority of the people of Scotland voted for the UK as a whole to remain in the EU. No question was raised surrounding the individual membership of Scotland and therefore the statistics from the EU referendum have been clearly misused.\rThis misuse, if permitted, sets a clear precedent on which to examine the results of any future Independence Referendum. If results are to be broken down, as the SNP has done with those of the EU referendum, then the Scottish Government must allow the separate local authorities to remain within the UK if the majority of the voters chose to vote against Independence.	No Comment	No comment
6629	708874952	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	You got our answer in September 2014. \r Please now respect that and please also stop hijacking my vote for the UK to remain in the EU as support either for independence or for an iScotland to join an EU that does not include the UK. It is not.	You got our answer in September 2014. \r Please now respect that and please also stop hijacking my vote for the UK to remain in the EU as support either for independence or for an iScotland to join an EU that does not include the UK. It is not.	You got our answer in September 2014. \r Please now respect that and please also stop hijacking my vote for the UK to remain in the EU as support either for independence or for an iScotland to join an EU that does not include the UK. It is not.
6630	816411207	Zoë Dingwall	Individual	Individual	Referendums should be as transpare as possible and if new regulations facilitates this it should be done.	While I agree that all residents in Scotland should be allowed to vote. I believe that postal, proxy and absence votes should end as this has been an area most open to abuse and is central to most cases of electoral fraud.	Seems reasonable
6631	857730772	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	same as 2014	agree with proposals	agree with the proposals
6632	283013389	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the referendum consultation paper.	I agree with the consultation paper.	I agree with the consultation paper.
6633	433758054	Craig Murray	Individual	Individual	I believe it is essential to add an element of independent international observation of the referendum process.\r The referendum is about the creation of a new nation state. Neither the referendum itself can create a nation state, nor the subsequent negotiation between Scotland and Westminster. The nation state is only created by recognition by the United Nations. The international community therefore has a strong interest in the process.\r There was a great deal of disquiet in Scotland over the fairness of the referendum campaign in 2014, and particularly the role played by the broadcast and print media, and especially the state media. There is significant public perception of BBC bias against Independence.\r Electoral monitoring of the referendum should be undertaken by the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The Scottish Government should write to ODIHR and OSCE and request such monitoring, and at the same time write to the UK government and ask them to support such request. The request must be supported by the UK government to be accepted by OSCE, but it would be politically very difficult, and look suspicious to members of the international community, if the UK government refused it when the Scottish government believed it to be necessary.\r Not only will the OSCE send a large team to observe the conduct of the campaign and physical balloting and counting process, they will send an advance team of experts with international experience in monitoring media bias in campaign situations, with a particular emphasis on state media. These experts will produce a careful and scientific quantitative and qualitative analysis of the extent of media bias, and this analysis will be presented to all the member states of the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe. The very presence of the international monitoring team will be a strong deterrent to bad media behaviour, and will boost public confidence in the process.\r I wish to strongly commend this work by the ODIHR and I believe this proposal is essential to another referendum campaign.\rhttp://www.osce.org/odihr/92057?download=true	See comments on international observation above.	See comments on international observation above
6634	185295799	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am generally happy with the proposed arrangements.\r If possible in the timescale, I would be in favour of some form of identity check being carried out at the polling stations.	I am happy with the proposed technical changes.	I am happy with those changes.\r Perhaps not strictly relevant here, but it must be part of the agreement on conduct of the referendum that purdah is FULLY respected. In addition, UK Civil Servants must not be allowed to make statements, or leak information, on behalf of UK Government at any time after the campaign starts.
6635	624997268	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with arrangements agreed fir 2014 referendum\r Main point of concern not covered in this consultation is that only FACTS should be allowed to be presented by all parties in any future ref.	The number of postal votes should be drastically reduced. There was concern over the control of these ballots in 2014	Happy with these proposed arrangements
6636	342821512	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I don't disagree with any of the arrangements outlined but would also like to see some official independent international overseer(s). I don't have any reason to doubt the integrity of the Electoral Commission but there are those who will. Given that this 2nd referendum could provide an even closer result than the first it's vitally important that all allegations of bias can be refuted.	No Answered	I think in recent elections and also following the 2014 referendum there has been increasing speculation around the potential fraudulent use of postal voting. I think the chances of this also increase substantially when real change is proposed and opinion is polarized with strong feelings on either side. For this reason I would prefer that potal votes were not used for this referendum or indeed for any future elections until a more robust validation procedure can be put in place. Similarly proxy voting should be discounted for many of the same reasons.
6637	689581963	Frank Clarke	Individual	Individual	Proposed arrangements are unnecessary as there is no need for another referendum given the clear wish of the Scottish people expressed in the "once in a lifetime" first referendum.	Totally redundant in view of illegitimacy of holding a second referendum contrary to the democratic wishes of the Scottish people.	Unnecessary in view of illegitimacy of holding a second referendum contrary to the democratic wishes of the Scottish people.
6638	526297820	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	First and foremost exit polls must be permitted. Apparently in the 2014 referendum postal votes were redirected to London by the Post Office where they were seen by conservative politicians before being returned to Scotland. This must definitely not be allowed to happen again, the whole eligibility process for postal voting should be revisited. There were also videos of the counting process which cast doubt on the integrity of some of the officials involved, and statements from some of the counting officials that pro independence ballots had been destroyed or deliberately miscounted. There were also reports of pro independence ballots having been dumped in plastic bags and left in bins and lax to non existent supervision and security of the vans collecting ballots from outlying polling stations. There must be a much higher level of security and supervision of the whole process from beginning to end. If it is necessary for a disinterested foreign power or agency to undertake this supervision then this should be done.	This all sounds good	OK
6639	443956927	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no further referendum hence no need for managing of it.	Those who fail to vote at all should be counted as NO votes.	No views
6640	409369124	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	There should be no second referendum. There is no ground for calling for a fresh referendum, a mere 2 years after the previous one. The last referendum was appallingly divisive, and stimulated considerable social unrest. Besides it was a complete distraction from the job of government, and – as many have pointed out – there is plenty to put right in Scotland. If the Scottish Government could demonstrate ability to govern the country in such a manner as to improve the nation's health, wealth and education, then there might be case for considering different constitutional arrangements. Getting anything out of the EU for Scotland is a remote possibility, in or out of the UK, and certainly not worth the turmoil of another referendum campaign. And the EU is liable to go break up anyway. Get on with good government, please.
6641	357651537	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	We do nit require a referendum the last one was conclusive and Scotland needs a Government who will lead the business and social community without \rthe black shadow created by another possible referendum\r The country said no so please accept that decision
6642	1041274878	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is no need for another referendum as the electorate was told that the 2014 referendum was a "once in a generation" event. Why has this result not been honoured? I don't agree with the result of the Brexit referendum but won't be harping on and pushing for another EU referendum just to get the result I want. Politicians need to grow up and stop using the electorate as pawns for their own end - stop complaining and start governing Scotland.	No issues	No issues
6643	712556028	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposal but returning officers should not excessively profit when they are already publicly paid officials.	The changes are sensible and will tighten up procedures.	I agree with the changes
6644	1070714306	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no arrangements for managing the referendum as one is not required. The voters gave there view on this subject in September 2014 and despite the 'protestations' of the so called 'Scottish Government' nothing has changed	These changes are irrelevant as another referendum should not be held at this time. To hold one is to ignore the democratic wishes of the Scottish people.	This again is irrelevant - see answer to Q3. In any event for any member of the public to have access to the detail on these technical changes and make any meaningful contribution.
6645	448550406	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The management process satisfactorily delivered the referendum in 2014.	Following the voting analysis demographics from 2014, I read that the open voting structure offered to all who lived in Scotland resulted in an referendum outcome that would have been different if we had assumed that a longer residency would show a commitment to the future of Scotland as a country, as opposed to a region of the UK. \r I wholeheartedly believe in the grounding of Scotland being an inclusive nation, however I also believe that this decision should only be made by those who understand Scotland, its uniqueness in the UK and have a stake in its future and on that basis I would wish to exclude temporary residents from voting in a constitutional referendum.\rI believe a 5-10 year residency would be required as a minimum to vote in a constitutional referendum.	No opinion on this, seems reasonable
6646	864713758	William Roxburgh	Individual	Individual	The whole exercise appears contrived to suggest that this is a consultation about the independence question per se and the potential desire to have another referendum - whereas in fact it is a consultation regarding the specific process/rules should another referendum be called. It would be unfortunate I and indeed disingenuous should the magnitude of response to this 'consultation' be contrived to suggest support for another referendum.	No comment	No comment
6647	778407561	Carole Inglis	Individual	Individual	If the Electoral Commission is responsible for the running of the referendum the SG should also have independent International Observers, either from the UN and/or from the EU to oversee this referendum including postal votes and the counting process .\r We would like all the votes to be processed and counted in Scotland, and an exit poll and sampling verification of postal votes to be carried out, as postal vote turnout at the 2014 referendum appeared to be abnormally high in, for example, Argyll and Bute.\r The Electoral Commission should consider the removal of postal votes for the proposed referendum, and instead only allow proxy votes on the grounds of a disability, occupation, service or employment, where the grounds have arisen after the cut-off date for a normal proxy application.\r This referendum must be purer than pure, carried out to the highest level of integrity, as postal votes cause concern globally and historically.	We are pleased that the emergency proxy vote restriction is being amended.\r We have however great cause for concern with regard to postal votes, particularly in the rural areas, where there are high levels of holiday home (second home) ownership. \r There are recorded instances of voters registered at both their main home in the UK, or beyond, using their holiday/second home to gain a vote (mostly by postal vote). \r Following the 2014 referendum, officials commented that they were unable to prevent people from registering to vote if they had a second or holiday home address in Scotland \r Whilst it is an offence to vote more than once in an election or referendum in the UK, i.e. voting at both your main home and holiday/second home address, there is no actual offence in voting via your holiday/second home address in a referendum which is restricted to Scotland, when your main home in the UK is not in Scotland. This is a serious loophole in the current arrangements.\r A mechanism must be found to ensure that UK residents domiciled outwith Scotland cannot vote in a Scotland only referendum, unless they can demonstrate it is their main residence. Further, they would need to be recorded as normally voting from that address (Scottish holiday/second home) in other Scottish or UK elections. \r Without this safeguard, there is a risk that wealthy, non-residents of Scotland will have an unfair influence on the future of Scotland. This negates the view of the Scottish Government that Scotland's future should be decided by 'those who live and work in Scotland'. \r This could be achieved simply, by only allowing postal votes to be sent to a verified address within the relevant constituency. In addition, council tax records and/or the new Scottish tax codes could be applied as part of the verification process.	We agree with the technical changes on permissable participants.
6648	340022108	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am Not Happy that a second referendum is being considered as there was a clear result to the 2014 referendum	No veiw	No Veiw
6649	578427949	James Wright	Individual	Individual	Postal votes should be collected, opened and counted in Scotland under the scrutiny of independent observers from the point of collection to the count.	No Answered	Everyone of voting age resident in Scotland should be entitled to register and to vote, including non-EU nationals and prisoners. All have a stake in Scotland's future.
6650	95047292	james davidson	Individual	Individual	I am in agreement with arrangements.	Agree with them.	Agree with them.
6651	928822710	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Adequate. Eligibility should include all aged over 16 years with residency.	Strongly approve of eligibility rules.	Would like to see greater transparency of donor arrangements for all campaigns.
6652	739297684	Patrick Coffield	Individual	Individual	Seem fair and reasonable although I believe that the whole idea of a second referendum is a bad mistake, a waste of time, counterproductive to the best interests of the Scottish people	At first sight I have no issue with these proposals although I think the idea of a second referendum so soon after the previous one is unreasonable	OK although I think a second referendum on independence is unnecessary and a waste of time and resources
6653	269690484	Linda Meikle	Individual	Individual	There should not be another Indy referendum	There should not be another Indy referendum	There should not be another Indy referendum
6654	335565171	Sharon Ferrie	Individual	Individual	I believe it is essential to add an element of independent international observation of the referendum process.\r The referendum is about the creation of a new nation state. Neither the referendum itself can create a nation state, nor the subsequent negotiation between Scotland and Westminster. The nation state is only created by recognition by the United Nations. The international community therefore has a strong interest in the process.\r There was a great deal of disquiet in Scotland over the fairness of the referendum campaign in 2014, and particularly the role played by the broadcast and print media, and especially the state media. There is significant public perception of BBC bias against Independence.\r Electoral monitoring of the referendum should be undertaken by the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The Scottish Government should write to ODIHR and OSCE and request such monitoring, and at the same time write to the UK government and ask them to support such request. The request must be supported by the UK government to be accepted by OSCE, but it would be politically very difficult, and look suspicious to members of the international community, if the UK government refused it when the Scottish government believed it to be necessary.\r Not only will the OSCE send a large team to observe the conduct of the campaign and physical balloting and counting process, they will send an advance team of experts with international experience in monitoring media bias in campaign situations, with a particular emphasis on state media. These experts will produce a careful and scientific quantitative and qualitative analysis of the extent of media bias, and this analysis will be presented to all the member states of the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe. The very presence of the international monitoring team will be a strong deterrent to bad media behaviour, and will boost public confidence in the process.\r I wish to strongly commend this work by the ODIHR and I believe this proposal is essential to another referendum campaign.	I believe it is essential to add an element of independent international observation of the referendum process.\r The referendum is about the creation of a new nation state. Neither the referendum itself can create a nation state, nor the subsequent negotiation between Scotland and Westminster. The nation state is only created by recognition by the United Nations. The international community therefore has a strong interest in the process.\r There was a great deal of disquiet in Scotland over the fairness of the referendum campaign in 2014, and particularly the role played by the broadcast and print media, and especially the state media. There is significant public perception of BBC bias against Independence.\r Electoral monitoring of the referendum should be undertaken by the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The Scottish Government should write to ODIHR and OSCE and request such monitoring, and at the same time write to the UK government and ask them to support such request. The request must be supported by the UK government to be accepted by OSCE, but it would be politically very difficult, and look suspicious to members of the international community, if the UK government refused it when the Scottish government believed it to be necessary.\r Not only will the OSCE send a large team to observe the conduct of the campaign and physical balloting and counting process, they will send an advance team of experts with international experience in monitoring media bias in campaign situations, with a particular emphasis on state media. These experts will produce a careful and scientific quantitative and qualitative analysis of the extent of media bias, and this analysis will be presented to all the member states of the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe. The very presence of the international monitoring team will be a strong deterrent to bad media behaviour, and will boost public confidence in the process.\r I wish to strongly commend this work by the ODIHR and I believe this proposal is essential to another referendum campaign.	Everyone from the ages of 16 who lives in Scotland should vote
6655	705742922	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum, as the people of Scotland spoke very clearly	There should be no referendum, as the people of Scotland spoke very clearly	There should be no referendum, as the people of Scotland spoke very clearly
6656	796042173	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not agree there is need for a second referendum as clear majority voted to \rstay in the United Kingdom on September 2014\rTherefore I have no views on the proposed arrangements.	Again I see no need for a second referendum.\rTherefore I have no views on the proposed technical arrangements.	I do not feel there is any need for a proposed second referendum.\rTherefore I do not have any views on the changes on permissible participants.
6657	742710801	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No arrangements are required as the sovereign will of the Scottish people must be respected and that was to remain within the United Kingdom. We are democrats and as democrats we must respect results and Scotland voted to stay in the UK. It is undemocratic to rerun the independence referendum. You said once in a generation and the sovereign will of the Scottish people would be respected.	The changes are sensible however, this referendum is not required as the sovereign will of the Scottish people must be respected and that was to remain within the United Kingdom. We are democrats and as democrats we must respect results and Scotland voted to stay in the UK. It is undemocratic to rerun the independence referendum. You said once in a generation and the sovereign will of the Scottish people would be respected.	The changes are sensible however, this referendum is not required as the sovereign will of the Scottish people must be respected and that was to remain within the United Kingdom. We are democrats and as democrats we must respect results and Scotland voted to stay in the UK. It is undemocratic to rerun the independence referendum. You said once in a generation and the sovereign will of the Scottish people would be respected.
6658	1024607651	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There is hard to dismiss evidence in the public realm that postal ballots at the last referendum were interfered with and did not accurately reflect the vote. \r There is also a very large amount of distrust in Scotland regarding the process at the last ballot. The arrangements need to be totally secure in order to win back people's trust in the process. \r Additional observers and if possible regulators should be appointed. Oversight of the postal ballot process needs to be much more stringent and convincing.	Over reliance on local authority staff in positions of responsibility regarding the count should be avoided.	Fine
6659	979025277	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Overall I am content with the provisions as they generally work well in parliamentary and local elections. Reports of large numbers of ballot papers being found in bins after the 2014 referendum do concern me and I would like to see enhanced scrutiny of the whole voting process by independent observers.	Revelations that Ruth Davidson and the Conservative party had access to postal votes in the 2014 referendum have never been properly addressed. I would like to see rigorous scrutiny of the postal vote system by independent observers during the next referendum.	Generally content with these changes.
6660	242845374	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	While the arrangements for managing the referendum should be broadly the same as the 2014 referendum, there should be some consideration as follows.\r Question - The question should be a repeat of the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum question. If the a repeat of the 2014 question is not permitted, then there should be no secondary question and the question should result in a binary Yes/No outcome so as to provide clarity as to the electorate's position.\r Regulation of Campaigns - Although the Electoral Commission is considered to be the authority for regulation of election campaigns, due to the significant and fundamental nature of an independence referendum, consideration should be given to some oversight of the Electoral Commission (either by a newly created independent authority or by international observers) as allegations still persist that the Electoral Commission did not take action where they should have during the 2014 Referendum Campaign. The Electoral Commission should also be given wider powers to ensure that the rules of the referendum process (e.g. purdah) are followed and procedures are in place to censure those organisations that do not follow the process.\r Eligibility to Vote - Should reflect the fact that those residing in Scotland will be most affected by a change in the constitutional arrangements for Scotland and should therefore be included in the franchise.	My contribution on this item is as follows:\r Eligibility to Vote - The overriding principle should be that those in resident in Scotland and therefore most affected by a decision regarding independence should be the only individuals franchised to vote. Ensuring that those who are 16 or 17 at the time of the vote and EU nationals are included is extremely important to ensure the franchise is as wide as possible.\r Absent Voting - Due to multiple allegations of issues with Postal Voting, consideration should be given as to how robust the checking procedures that Postal Voting is used in the referendum by those who have a genuine reason not to attend their local Polling Place on the date of the referendum (similar to those that require emergency Proxy Votes). There should also be consideration given to restricting political parties or campaigning groups in 'arranging' postal votes for individuals, some of which can be amongst society's most vulnerable groups and therefore could be at risk of coercion by those who wish a particular outcome in the referendum.\r The items regarding Polling and Count Staff and Verification Statements sound sensible and feasible with regards to common polling practice.	All changes to rules regarding permissible participants sound reasonable and as will reflect the recommendations post-2014 referendum should therefore be implemented.\r Consideration should also be given to communication to the public of the rules of participation so that the electorate at large are more aware should any of these rules be broken by any participant. The Electoral Commission should be given wider powers to pursue any participant who breaks these rules more timeously than previously.
6661	1003743080	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Eligibility to vote is fine but it the Chief Counting Officer and local returning officers, in fact the entire vote (especially postal) needs to have EU or UN observers holding them to account.	No Answered	Vote should be open to anyone registered to vote who has been resident in Scotland for at least five years.
6662	929771788	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy that any arrangements closely mirror what currently happens for local and parliamentary elections. I do not however agree that there should be a referendum based on the outcome of the Brexit vote. As a Scottish voter who voted to remain within the EU, i nonetheless respect the results of the referendum across the UK and do not expect my vote to be erroneously used as evidence by the SNP that an independence referendum is now a necessity. In my view, the First Minister needs to focus her government on delivering improvements in education, the NHS and transport rather than continually pursuing an independence outcome.	Content with proposals.	Content with technical changes proposed.
6663	911683706	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have grown increasingly distrustful regarding the activities of those opposing Independence and would like to see the involvement of neutral observers. This is not, I believe, a sign of paranoia - just a reaction to past experience.	No Answered	Pleased to see the changes regarding postal voting checks - honest, I'm really not paranoid.
6664	470884452	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Referendum should go ahead. The Westminster government has lied to us.	All good	All good
6665	535463785	Gregory Scollin	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I strongly support the idea of International Observation of the proposed 2nd Independence Referendum.\rAfter the bias shown during the first Independence Referendum and since by the mainstream media and BBC i feel independent international observation would only strengthen the process and enhance the legitimacy of the result.\rIf a fair and open referendum is the true wish of both sides then surely neither side would wish to object.
6666	1064885002	Arthur L C McLay	Individual	Individual	Agree completely	Agree completely	Can see no problem with proposed changes
6667	490635319	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	We do not need another referendum we had one in 2014 I said no them and it is still no.\rThe Scottish government should get on with the job of governing instead of wasting their time and our money doing this rediculis exercise .	We do not want another vote we have done that! Move on.
6668	26545773	Ann Ballinger	Individual	Individual	I agree fully with the proposals. It is particularly important that New Scots, EU Nationals living in Scotland and young people 16-18 are entitled to vote. These are the people whose future we are determining.	My only concern is with the security of postal votes. There must be stringent security measures taken to ensure that no-one can possibly tamper with these votes. \r The result must be, and must be seen to be, absolutely secure.	Happy with this and have no further comment to make.
6669	516114392	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am opposed to a further referendum, but satisfied with the manner in which the previous referendum was managed.	I am satisfied with these arrangements, but do not agree with the pretext of another referendum. \rFundamentally I disagree with the view that Scotland is being used as a bargaining chip. \rWhilst the Brexit vote was in favour of staying in, this was true in London and Liverpool, it is no grounds for a referendum to leave the UK.	I am satisfied with the changes, but reiterate the fact that I am opposed to another divisive referendum.
6670	700195896	Sandra Marshall	Individual	Individual	Satisfactory.	Entirely satisfactory. It is crucial that the 16 and 17 year old voters are included and that this is clear to everyone. Similarly for resident EU citizens.	Entirely satisfactory
6671	226860810	Ian MacDonald	Individual	Individual	I am broadly in support of the proposals. However, I would like to see the following changes:\r 1. Some provision for additional, independent, spot audits of the impartiality of the system, that would enhance public confidence in the validity of the result.\r In the 2014 referendum, some claims emerged after the vote that had at least some credibility that postal voting rates in particular areas were unfeasibly high, with some potential to affect the outcome of the vote.\r In addition, on the election night, it was reasonably clear that certain interests had more knowledge of the voting pattern in advance than can easily be reconciled with the guidelines then in place.\r I believe that there is a need for changes to the arrangements that would allow for the publication of additional key statistics (such as postal voter turn-out/preference) both in real-time and in retrospect. In additional, restrictions and checks of parties with an interest in the outcome of the referendum should enhanced and included within the arrangements and procedures.\r 2. There should be a move toward electronic collection of votes, and casting of votes, in order to enhance the security of vote counting, and the reduction of fraud. The next referendum may be too soon to make such changes, but I would like to see the Scottish Government actively pursuing this.	I would like to see non-EU/Commonwealth citizens resident in Scotland (for example those with indefinite leave to remain, such as my wife, and mother to my children, who is an Indonesian citizen) included in the general voter register, and in those eligible to vote in the referendum in particular. This is for the same reason as set out above under eligibilty, in that such individuals will benefit to and bear responsility for our nation's future, and will be more engaged citizens if enfranchised.	I broadly agree with these changes.
6672	218677904	Paul leese	Individual	Individual	No more indy referendums	No more indy referendums	No more indy referendums
6673	981756832	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No view but why is there no question asking if we as a nation want this again	No view	No view
6674	601715809	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I feel a bit misled about this consultation as I was expecting my Government to consult on whether or not a Second Referendum is necessary. You are jumping the gun by reviewing the rules around a Referendum without consulting the people of Scotland's opinion on having one. This is not a consultation exercise - it is a confirmation exercise.\rI am completing this consultation to exercise my democratic right but it seems to me to be undemocratic to have to do this in a paper which is already preparing for a Second Referendum. This feels like a piece of political chicanery.	I agree that action must be taken on voting by proxy and absent voters.	No comment as it all sounds very complex. If you genuinely want to consult with the people of Scotland, can you cut down on the technical language, please?
6675	746587155	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The "pass" mark for this Referendum should be 60%. It is completely unfair that in the event of a No vote the Referendum can keep being re-run, but in the event of a Yes vote that is it and all of Scotland has to accept the result. The people of Scotland will not accept this.\r EU nationals should not be allowed to vote due to the recent EU referendum.	No Answered	16-17 year olds should not be able to vote, as the likliehood is that they will still be in education and not understand the impact the vote may have. As demonstrated during TV interviews, some 16 year olds were not even aware that Scotland and England used the same currency (they thought the Scottish pound was a different currency).
6676	619378994	Stuart McGuinness	Individual	Individual	I am concerned about the openness and fairness of the count. Incidents and events surrounding postal votes at indref#1 particularly the unexplained world record postal vote turnouts in four regions, the (hearsay) possibility that votes were shipped to England for counting and the live TV comments by Ruth Davidson all raise doubts that the outcome was might have been affected by malfeasance. I never heard of any follow up or investigation on these matters, even to dismiss them as internet nonsense.\r That aside I am very supportive of the 16+ vote age and the inclusion of all legally resident people.	I am highly supportive of the changes.	I am in favour of implementing the Commission's recommendation and also of more transparency and accountability of political spend on all plebiscites.
6677	206637061	Jamie McArdle	Individual	Individual	It is important that we have additional external oversight, completely independent of the UK and UK organisations - the Electoral Commission on its own is not sufficient. This is critical in ensuring that all parties are seen to play by the rules and will be very important in delivering a settled and acceptable result for all	I agree with these changes	I agree with these changes
6678	290521449	George-Terence Aitchison	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum	I agree with these changes	I agree
6679	507863544	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the votes cast should be counted in the place they were cast with independent supervisors present.If this is not practical the sealing and opening of the seals on the boxes must be closely monitored and their numbers and boxes cross referenced. When the boxes are being transported two people must be present at all times. An exit poll should be allowed. Very tight security on the postal ballot is essential too although I would like to have seen postal voting only available where essential\rThis is such an important poll that International Independent Supervisors should be present at the count.	I agree with the changes.	I agree with the changes
6680	843054864	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think some consideration should be given to inviting a panel of impartial international observers to oversee or even assist in regulating the referendum period and count. The benefits would be two-fold - firstly, in the event of a clear majority in favour of Independence this would verify that the outcome was honestly achieved. Secondly, they should have some say in ensuring that purdah was respected, and that balance in the media was achieved. This would probably still not be possible in commercial print, radio or TV media, however should certainly be the expected position of the State Broadcaster. \r I would also like to see some clarification around the eligibility of second-home owners to vote in Scotland's Independence Referendum. I believe that a second-home owner can apply to the Returning Officer for a vote at their holiday home and approval is at the Returning Officer's discretion, provided they do not vote in two places for the same purpose. This is manifestly unfair as second-home owners from other parts of the country and even outside the UK can then influence the outcome (by virtue of having the financial clout to purchase additional property) without having the same stake in the aftermath as those who have made Scotland their permanent (for the foreseeable future) home. It is even possible that this could be manipulated to ensure voters against an Independent Scotland could be added to the Electoral Register for the sole purpose of voting against it. For example (and I'm not seriously suggesting this would happen, but it's possible) in my own local authority, there is a high ratio of second-home ownership compared to permanent residents and a number of empty properties available at comparatively low cost - it would not be hard to fill them with temporary voters should the will be there. Applicants with more than one home should require to demonstrate a period of residency when applying for a vote.	No Answered	There have been some concerns expressed that ballot boxes were not handled in the same way as with other elections, with all boxes being emptied and ballot papers piled up away from counting staff before being brought forward in batches to be counted in public. I am not sure if this was indeed the case, however since misgivings have been expressed since the September 2014 referendum regarding counting procedures, it is important to ensure all boxes are handled in full view of observers please. \r While I do not believe that the postal voting system was systematically manipulated in Sept 2014, the number of theories which show how it COULD have been done, indicate that this is a very unsafe way of ensuring legitimate votes. Would it be possible for all existing postal voting arrangements to be suspended for the purpose of this referendum, with those legitimately unable to vote in person or to find a suitable proxy ONLY being permitted to vote by post?
6681	96907319	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not have a great deal of faith in the Electoral Commission. I would like international observers involved with our next referendum. Clear ballot boxes and added security for transference of boxes to counting stations. (Perhaps counts should be done at polling stations) Postal votes are at most risk for foul play and should be monitored very closely. They should not be opened and counted in another country. As this will be the most important vote of this century I want it to truly reflect the people who live and work in Scotland.	Great care must be taken to ensure all votes are bona fide. All ballot boxes should be clear perspex and increased security when transferring boxes to counting location. All votes to be counted in Scotland including postal votes. The weakest link in my opinion are the postal votes. Can we abolish them and use a proxy instead?	Fine
6682	560530283	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My views are that:\r•\tIt is extremely unlikely that Scotland’s interests would be best protected by leaving the UK, due to the social, economic and financial damage that this would cause.\r•\tThe continued uncertainty caused by the Scottish Government’s threat of a further referendum is damaging investor confidence in Scotland, resulting in lower GDP growth and higher unemployment within Scotland compared to the rest of the UK.\r•\tUntil the details of the arrangements for the UK leaving the EU are known, it is not possible to fully understand the impact of the decision to leave the EU on either the UK or Scotland.\r•\tAs a consequence of the above points, there is no requirement at this stage for a further referendum or a Referendum Bill. This consultation and the preparation of a Referendum Bill is therefore a waste of the Scottish Government’s financial resources, and of Government officials’ time.\r•\tThe proposed referendum question is biased towards a Yes vote due to the negative connotations of a No vote. An unbiased question would be based on a Leave or Remain choice, as was used in the 2016 EU referendum.\r•\tThe Scottish Government objects to “Scotland being taken out of the EU against our will” as a result of a UK-wide referendum. The Scottish Government should therefore ensure that in any Scotland-wide referendum, none of the 32 local government areas of Scotland could be taken out of the UK against its will. Accordingly the Referendum Bill should require all local government areas to vote to leave the UK for Scotland as a whole to leave the UK.\r•\tExperience from the 2014 and 2016 referendums show that many parties on the losing side do not respect a marginal result (as in the 2016 referendum) or even a clear result (as in the 2014 referendum). The Referendum Bill should therefore require a substantial majority of voters (such as two-thirds) to vote Leave for Scotland to leave the UK.	No comment.	No comment.
6683	11975668	Graham Hewitt	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
6684	478830028	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No comment	Those who can vote should be limited to those who are citizens of Scotland or who have resided in Scotland for a period of 5+ years.	No comment
6685	807239135	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think they are adequate and appropriate.	I think they are adequate and appropriate.	I think they are adequate and appropriate.
6686	115828356	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Seems fair enough	Tightening of the postal vote is crucial. It is far too easy to manipulate the postal vote. The postal vote and normal ballot box votes should be checked separately and not mixed together (if this happens at all). All votes should be counted in Scotland and not sent to other parts of the UK for counting or pre-counting checks. Random testing of postal votes and ballot box votes could be made throughout Scotland in order to ensure that the voter ID matches the vote card, that the voter acknowledges which way they voted and ensure that everything matches up. That ballot boxes are delivered to the counting venues with more security (lids not just held together by cable ties; at least 2 people from each side of the Yes/No debate must accompany the box and not 1 person alone in a car as happened in 2014).	seems fine
6687	980055670	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy.	No Answered	Where other referendums have narrowed the franchise for constitutional questions, excluding people whose future would be determined by the decision made, one very real achievement of the 2014 referendum was in expanding it. At the very centre of legislation that put Scotland's future in Scotland's hands was a clear understanding of what Scotland in fact is: a melting pot of people who live and whose future is in Scotland. Commonwealth, EU citizens and 16-17 year olds had the right to participate and they participated and campaigned and debated and leafleted and voted.\r That it was right to do that is, I think, now universally agreed.\r But we can — and I think we should — improve upon it. Voting rights are human rights, there is an essential relationship between voting and citizenship and the UK as a state is regularly criticised by international institutions like the ECHR for failing to uphold the standards expected of a modern democracy. \r Although the ECHR has ruled that it is legal to exclude prisoners from referenda, even constitutional referenda, Scotland has an opportunity to join other European countries as a model for democratic best practices by recognising that prisoners should be able to vote; and should be able to vote on an issue as fundamental is this. In combination with the inclusion of 16 -17 year olds, we could be a model for progressive democratic practices as well.\r I don't expect enfranchising every prisoner will be popular or judged as politically acceptable to the public, or those reading this, but I hope the compromise of including some prisoners would be a compromise that is acceptable and — more importantly — a step forward. Give some prisoners, those convicted under less serious crimes the right to vote.\r Is that such a big step? In some ways, no: We already give the vote to criminals: given that they serve their sentences in the community, the vast majority of people convicted are unaffected by the present approach to prisoner voting. The distinction between those sentences which attract prison sentences and those that do not is not often clear cut: the distinction between those offences which remove a citizen's right to vote could be.\r In other ways, yes. The blanket exclusion of prisoners reinforces the idea that they are excluded by wider society, that they have no place in it. Given that the demographic profiles of those we incarcerate is disproportionately those from the most vulnerable and deprived backgrounds, can we afford to do that?\r If we are the inclusive, principled democratic society we imagine ourselves to be, I think it's a small step — but one we should take.\r And I hope we do.
6688	386546429	Mr	Individual	Individual	While support the proposed referendum and proposed arrangements I am concerned that lessons have not been learned from the 2014 referendum. In the 2014 referendum we saw an unfair campaign where media bias from media organisations controlled from outside Scotland influenced voters in Scotland with lies and misrepresentations to vote No. I do not see any proposals in these documents to address this.	While the proposals are acceptable there have been many claims of tampering in 2014. Extra controls are required and in particular international surveillance of the referendum is required to ensure fairness.	Those voting should have been living in Scotland for at least 12 months to ensure they are fairly represented as living here.
6689	801125662	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	as long as 16 to 18 year old are included, this makes sense	I believe that by not allowing Scots resident elsewhere to vote, the SG is missing a trick.	no comment
6690	959439128	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements.	I agree with the proposed technical changes.	I agree with the proposed changes.
6691	889180051	Stewart Bisgrove	Individual	Individual	Waste of time and money. We had a once in a lifetime opportunity and we all voted.	No change needed. All votes should be 18 years and older only.	Should be UK based tax payer only.
6692	63747530	Robert Ramsay	Individual	Individual	A binary question is in no way suitable to ask about independence in a post brexit world. Many may wish to be independent if within EU but not if out or any other of the permutations possible.	Seems reasonable	OK
6693	875643545	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	There should be no referendum. This was answered in 2014 when over 2 million voters rejected the proposal. The White Paper stated it was a once in a generation vote. The EU referendum is not a reason to change that as it was a U.K vote, not a Scottish one. I voted remain - this does not give any government the right to assume I want a second independence referendum. The country is failing and still bitterly divided. I believe the government should be working WITH the uk but have seen nothing other than disagreeing with them for the sake of it!\rIf the Scottish parliament is unwilling to accept democracy, the next vote should be on whether or not it is closed altogether.	See reply to question 1	See reply to question 1
6694	1025862025	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Absolutely fine....let's do it	Remove the votes of dead people if they cast them postally	OK
6695	210023273	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In total agreement with the proposals	Happy with the proposals and that the voting rights of 16 and 17 year olds, who are our future, have the right to vote enshrined in Scots Law.	In agreement
6696	729037976	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Scotland’s First Minister admitted Donald Trump's victory was “not the victory I had hoped for”, but that the verdict of the American people should be respected. Therefore she should respect the voters who voted NO in the 2014 independence referendum. Her predecessor , Alex Salmond, pledged there would be no second referendum for "a generation", even if he lost by one vote.\r Therefore my view is that under no circumstances should there even be another referendum or it shows the utter disrespect you have for the people who voted NO in 2014.\r.
6697	406372557	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	agree	postal vote procedure is open to abuse at multiple points, need stringent and consistent reconciliation.	permitted participants should live and be based in scotland, there should be additional scrutiny on particpants who love outwth Scotland.
6698	766314011	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	OK	fine	remove the votes of postal voters who have died before polling day
6699	148825461	Livio Morabito	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
6700	1068289551	Paul Whitton	Individual	Individual	General agreement	General agreement.	Agreement.
6701	412763679	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	In favour.	In favour.	In favour.
6702	1054680163	Stuart Middleton	Individual	Individual	Postal voting needs to be drastically overhauled. Stricter regulation required. Postal voting should not close until closer to the date of the referendum to prevent "vows" or other last minute UK Govt intervention/interference. \r Replacement postal voting forms only allowed if collected in person and vote cast at that point in time.\r All postal votes to be verified against individual voter ID .\r All postal votes to be counted in Scotland and independently verified by external auditors from EU.\r All ballot boxes to be witnessed at all times on transfer to their count by independent observers.	Please see answers to question 1. \r Polling and count staff to declare membership of any political parties in advance.	I agree
6703	345091714	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not want another referendum	I do not want another referendum	I absolutely do not want another referendum
6704	269373264	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Unnecessary, a Second referendum is not required or wanted.	An independence referendum is not required or warranted.	2014 returned a vote to keep the United Kingdom intact, RESPECT that vote, it is called democracy.
6705	969605896	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	the previous referendum should be analyzed to determine ballots at risk of interference.\r the elderly were a majority in favour of Union - is there a risk that ballots of individuals with dementia/Alzheimer be used and manipulated? how is this accounted for?\r the english were a second majority in favour of the Union - was an analyses conducted 'postmortem' to verify that these voters continued to reside in Scotland. As many in England own property in Scotland, how easy is it for them to move residence temporarily? \r furthermore - how easy is it for a student to move residence to Scotland from England, thereby securing a vote: a recent article written by a student indicated that she had done this prior to the previous referendum, and thereby voted for the Union.\r ----\r As a parent of four, I assure you there is but one way to split a cookie in two: one cuts, the other chooses.\r There is no neutral party in this debate - to assume so risks interference.\r I would ask that ballot transportation be observed, and counting be conducted by of members of both Yes and No parties.\r In effect, this would mean a stack of ballots placed on a table in between two individuals: one of the No party, and one of the Yes.\r The ballots would be counted twice: once by the No party, under the observation of the Yes party, and once by the Yes party, under the observation of the No party.\r It would also mean that collection and transport would be observed by a member of both the Yes and No party.	As a parent of four, I assure you there is but one way to split a cookie in two: one cuts, the other chooses.\r There is no neutral party in this debate - to assume so risks interference.\r I would ask that ballot transportation be observed, and counting be conducted by of members of both Yes and No parties.\r In effect, this would mean a stack of ballots placed on a table in between two individuals: one of the No party, and one of the Yes.\r The ballots would be counted twice: once by the No party, under the observation of the Yes party, and once by the Yes party, under the observation of the No party.\r It would also mean that collection and transport would be observed by a member of both the Yes and No party.\r -----\r the english were a second majority in favour of the Union - was an analyses conducted 'postmortem' to verify that these voters continue to reside in Scotland. As many in England own property in Scotland, how easy is it for them to move residence temporarily? \r furthermore - how easy is it for a student to move residence to Scotland from England, thereby securing a vote: a recent article written by a student indicated that she had done this prior to the previous referendum, and thereby voted for the Union.\r what measures can be established to unsure that unfair manipulation of the referendum does not occur - specifically by those who can easily relocate to cast a vote.	to clarify: are parties/party members permitted to participate in campaigning?
6706	575920355	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Must do better than 2014 to ensure ballots - esp postal -are not interfered with prior to the count. We should request unbiased international monitors to be present throughout the process. Need to ensure purdah is respected next time.	Also need exit polls.	Fine.
6707	833772231	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	This seems a reasonable approach	seems reasonable approach	Hard to say as this is rather jargon filled explanation
6708	36305647	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am not happy for Unionist organisations to have adminstrative control over a referendum. In addition, the postal vote does not have the confidence of the electorate. How can the Scottish Government be satisfied with the conduct of the postal vote in IndyRef14 when large numbers of independence voters are deeply suspicious of the result of that postal vote. Clearly the cases of Ruth Davidson and John McTernan indicate that security was lax in the postal vote. Regarding eligibility to vote, I would much prefer Scotland's rules to be the same as other major European democracies, like Germany, France and Spain, where, even very lengthy residence is insufficient to qualify for a vote in national elections and in ballots affecting sovereignty.	Residence qualifications ought to be much longer than at present and reflect a genuine commitment to live in Scotland for the rest of your life. There are examples of people having a vote in IndyRef14, who lived here only for a matter of weeks. As I have already said, why don't we have the same rules as Germany, France, Spain and others? What makes them wrong and us right? As far as saying that 100% of postal votes were checked for personal identifiers, I find this very difficult to believe in light of the fact that in IndyRef14 the uptake in postal voting was above 95%, a figure never before recorded and as I've already said, the results of that vote were clearly available to Unionist representatives, including Ruth Davidson. There is also the question of the extraordinary numbers of spare ballot papers, 800,000, in fact.	No comment
6709	31005058	Marion macAllister	Individual	Individual	There should be consultation on if there should be a referendum before this is discussed.\rThis consultation is premature.	Again consult as to the necessity for a referendum before discussing the technicalities.	Again, this is premature, there is no appetite for a referendum as far as I am aware. I do not wish to see another or to have my country experience the turmoil and expense.
6710	428345644	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would accept the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum	I would be happy with these proposed technical changes. I am particularly happy to see that residents from the EU would still have a say.	I am happy with this but would like to know who decides what is 'obscene or offensive'?
6711	469070946	Derick Tulloch	Individual	Individual	I agree with the split of responsibilities for managing and regulating the referendum\r I have concerns regarding the eligibility to vote.	Clarification is required as to whether holiday home owners, whose principal residence is either elsewhere than Scotland are legally entitled to vote in the referendum.\r Specifically, clarification is required as to whether the offences under Sections 15 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 (supplying false information to the electoral registration officer) \rand \rSection 40 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006, second bullet (making a fraudulent application for a proxy or postal vote\r- with the intention of depriving another of an opportunity to vote or making for himself or another a gain of a vote to which he or the other is not otherwise entitled) \r will apply in the referendum. The EA Act 2006 refers to local and Parliamentary elections, but is silent on referenda. \r The referendum Bill should clarify that registering at two addresses in Scotland, or registering at an address which is a recreational rather than permanent address is an offence.\r There should be a public information campaign to remind those registering to vote that registering to vote simultaneously at more than one address in Scotland in regard of the same poll is an offence.	I agree with the proposed changes to permissable participants
6712	705318865	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I agree with the proposed arrangements.	I believe that postal voting should only be allowed when there are genuine circumstances stopping someone from attending the polling station, which must be laid out when applying for a postal vote. I also would like a checking system so that people who have a property in Scotland but do not permanently reside in Scotland cannot register to vote.	I agree with the proposals.
6713	888156886	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	At the last independence vote, my paper was not checked for a bar code by the staff and I put it in the box but was unaware if there had been a bar code or not.\rStaff must be fully trained to follow correct procedure.\r As an observer at the count in last referendum, it was quite difficult to view and keep an eye on procedure\r The counting tables should be in a line parallel with the viewers rather than perpendicular or have the count taking place in the polling station instead of transferring all boxes to a counting station.	Temporary students should have a 5 year residency before being allowed to vote.\r People with holiday homes should be excluded unless also having a permanent address in Scotland.\r Apart from the above, the only other people who should be allowed to vote are those who work, pay taxes or are in receipt of benefits/pensions in Scotland .	No further comment
6714	710372533	Al Ballantine	Individual	Individual	These arrangements are acceptable.	There was great concern after the 2014 referendum of apparent irregularities in the administration and counting of the postal ballot, and the next referendum must ensure that there is scrupulous management of the postal vote procedure.	These proposals are acceptable
6715	602010637	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I believe that the vote should also be offered to Scottish citizens temporarily residing in other countries. I also think that there should be greater regulation of the campaigns for all parties as the 2014 campaigns degenerated into name calling and a farce.	I think that the vote should be available to Scottish citizens temporarily residing in other countries.	I think these are an appropriate change.
6716	251047675	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	It is sensible that the proposed arragements are based upon the 2014 procedures.	I also agree with the eligibility to vote. The wider franchising of residents is fairer than Westminster elections.\r The other changes (absent voting, polling and count staff, verification statements) are sensible and well justified.	I am not convinced Schedule 4 Paragraph 3A is necessary. It is not clear this is solving a real, as opposed to imagined, problem.
6717	68705413	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Managing the referendum similarly to local and parliamentary elections is sensible.	The provisions relating to 16 and 17 year old voters need to be widely publicised (including school presentations) to ensure that they all know of their franchise.	Accepted.
6718	130737368	keith robson	Individual	Individual	no major issue as its fair and transparent though whether the snp can believe what the scots vote for is worth the paper its voted on is debatable !	no major issue although I think giving 16/17 year olds a vote when there not entitled to vote for people in elections is worrying	reasonable conclusion drawn
6719	599529801	Christopher Robinson	Individual	Individual	I agree	I disagree with proxy voting	I agree
6720	824887071	Sharon Robinson	Individual	Individual	Happy with the arrangements	Happy with this except for the practice of proxy voting	Agree
6721	108921601	Stephen finn	Individual	Individual	If you take scotland out of the uk we will be out of the EU as well\rSo out of the uk and no barnet monies how is that going to work\rYou are DELUDED\rNO MEANS NO	...	..
6722	64434411	Ruvi Ziegler	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	It is regrettable that the consultation paper proposes to maintain the legal arrangements whereby all offenders detained in a penal institution in pursuance of an imposed sentence are disenfranchised. \r As you will be aware, the European Court of Human Rights has repeatedly found disenfranchisement pursuant to the (UK-wide) Representation of the People Act 1983 to violate Article 3 of Protocol 1 (A3P1) of the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR). The ECtHR's judgments against the UK span from Hirst (No. 2) (6 October 2005) through to Millbank and others (30 June 2016). Similar judgments have been rendered against other Member States of the Council of Europe, most recently in the case of Kulinski and Sabev v. Bulgaria (21 July 2016). It is noteworthy, in this regard, that, following Hirst (No. 2), the Republic of Ireland enfranchised all prisoners in the Electoral (Amendment) Act 2006.\r Indeed, the (UK) Parliamentary Committee on the Draft Voting Eligibility (Prisoners) Bill, unequivocally asserted in its 18 December 2013 report, at [229], that ‘the United Kingdom is under a binding international law obligation to comply with the Hirst judgment…it would be completely unprecedented for any state that has ratified the European Convention on Human Rights to enact legislation in defiance of a binding ruling of the European Court of Human Rights.’\r Prior to the 2014 Referendum, the Scottish government relied on a literal (rather than purposive) reading of the A3P1 stipulation which refers to the ‘choice of the legislature’ to deny its applicability to referendums. In legal proceedings, culminating in Moohan v. Lord Advocate, [2014] UKSC 67, the Supreme Court (by a majority, Lords Kerr and Wilson dissenting). As Lord Kerr noted [68] a fundamental purpose of the ECHR is to guarantee an effective political democracy; and that purpose is frustrated by preventing the safeguards applicable to ordinary legislative elections from applying to this most fundamental of votes.\r It is not controversial to assume that, were Scotland to become independent, pursuant to the proposed referendum it would wish to join the Council of Europe as a Member State and would ratify the ECHR. Presumably, an Independent Scotland would not wish to find itself, at the outset, in breach of A3P1, and so would adopt electoral law that would conform to the ratio of the ECtHR judgments. Hence, it is contorted for the proposed Bill to adopt a franchise which, had it been applied to general election in an independent Scotland, would violate the ECHR. \r---\rFor further discussion on the precarious status of the right to vote in the UK, see Reuven (Ruvi) Ziegler, 'Voting Eligibility: Strasbourg's Timidity' in Loveday Hodson, Liz Wicks and Katja Ziegler (eds), The UK and European Human Rights: A Strained Relationship? (Hart, 2015) 165-191.
6723	1058428201	John Wishart	Individual	Individual	The proposed arrangements meet with my approval. However more care should be taken to oversee results and postal votes	The proposed arrangements meet with my approval	The proposed arrangements meet with my approval
6724	997399177	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The question was asked in the past the country gave an answer - NO.\rThere is no need to waste time, energy and most importantly money on asking the same question again.\rAny Mother will tell you that continually asking the same question will get you nowhere the answer No is always No.	I've no idea of the ins and outs of the proposals - other than the question was asked an answer was given and the powers that be should abide by the countries decision.	I've no idea of the ins and outs of the proposals - other than the question was asked an answer was given and the powers that be should abide by the countries decision.
6725	424957737	William McIntosh	Individual	Individual	I think that is fine but I disagree that we need another referendum at all. The Yes side lost in 2014 and should move on.	Any Scots who are living in the rest of the UK should be eligible to vote on the future of Scotland. The independence question is fundamentally different from local government and Scottish Parliament elections as it actually is very important for the fundamental integrity of Scotland. Deciding to cut off the Scots in the rest of the UK looks like an attempt to gerrymander the referendum and will not satisfy the Unionists.	I agree with this
6726	1017575628	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The referendum should not be held, the snp should be concentrating on education, NHS,crime. We decided at the last one that we would remain part of the United Kingdom and that is the way it should remain	There is no change required	No oplnlon
6727	560870276	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The referendum result may be very close. Therefore it is very important that Scots can be confident there has been no attempts to rig the result. I believe we should adopt a belt and braces approach to the integrity of the referendum. Measures that can be implemented that will increase confidence in the referendum results integrity include International observers and exit polls. \rPostal votes are widely believed to be open to abuse. I don't know what can be done to increase confidence in them, however if measures are available that can reduce the possibility of mis-use of postal votes then it should be implemented.	I see that many changes are to be made to postal voting., with the aim of tightening up on their integrity. \rif there are any other measures that can reasonably be implemented to increase the integrity of postal votes then I think these additional measures should be considered.	These changes do seem fair and in order.
6728	691479651	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not consider that The Scottish Government has the legal authority to hold a second Referendum - although I doubt whether the UK Government would refuse it because it might anger the Scottish Public. A Referendum is different from a normal Election - there is no precedent for the UK giving permission a second time.	Fair enough.	OK
6729	65310296	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	They seem reasonable, and appear have more safeguards against mis-use of votes than were in the 2014 referendum.	I agree with them.	The response to these technical changes seem reasonable to me.
6730	403290503	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Only UK nationals should be able to vote in a referendum that affects Scotland. Any inclusion of EU citizens involving a decision on staying in the EU would adversely skew the result.	As previously stated only UK nationals should be eligible to vote on a matter of Scottish identity.	OK
6731	540221883	Anonymous	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	No Answered	Individual
6732	731948209	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree	Agree	Agree
6733	1067128113	Robert Miller	Individual	Individual	The arrangements are futile as there should not be another referendum for the foreseeable future. We had an expensive, divisive and damaging referendum only two years ago which gave a clear and unequivocal result. That should be respected and no trumped up excuses about "material changes" used to overturn it and mislead the electorate into another even more damaging and expensive campaign.\rThe very fact this consultation and all the civil service time and effort is being spent on draft legislation etc is an affront at a time when every public penny is a prisoner. It is also a clear demonstration that our SNP representatives are more interested in the nationalist agenda than actually using those scarce resources to address the many serious problems that afflict our country, from plummeting education standards to strangulation of local government by chronic starvation of funds. Shame on the Scottish Government for dragging this zombie referendum from the grave that the Scottish people so recently consigned it to.	Again to gerrymander the outcome the SNP are content to let foreign nationals ( no matter how transient their stay) vote in the zombie referendum, but withhold the franchise from Scottish born or Scottish ancestry voters who live abroad. This is of course because the former set of voters are most likely to vote yes and the latter no.....but let's face it this exercise is not about democracy but rather about getting over the winning line.	None
6734	564588821	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Since the Scottish Government concedes here that the Edinburgh Agreement delivered “a fair and transparent referendum” in 2014 - a referendum that voters were repeatedly assured by senior government ministers would be “once in a generation/lifetime” - why do they not accept the result as "decisive" and respect it, as the Edinburgh Agreement that they signed requires?\r Since any such proposed referendum concerns a matter not within the remit of the Scottish Parliament or local government, eligibility to vote in it should be wider. It should also include all those currently resident outwith Scotland but eligible to vote in UK elections on the basis of their previous Scottish residency.	No Answered	Eligibility of voters living/working overseas (including elsewhere in the UK) should not be limited to Service/Crown personnel, but should include all those who are eligible to register and vote in UK elections.\r If the identity of 100% of postal votes are to be checked, the identity of 100% of voters at polling stations should be checked, by production of their polling card and/or other suitable means.\r The restrictions on Polling and Count staff seem an unwarranted slur on their integrity. Since potentially everyone in the electorate could be involved in 'campaigning' to some extent, it may become impossible to run such a referendum.
6735	565924538	Frances Runcie	Individual	Individual	Must be foreign observers\rMust be exit polls\rElectoral commission must not be involved \rPostal votes should only be used in extreme circumstances\rResidency rule of minimum ten years to vote as above	As above	As above
6736	351888653	Scottish National Party (SNP) Sutherland Branch	Individual	Individual	Scottish National Party (SNP) Sutherland Branch agrees with the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum.	Scottish National Party (SNP) Sutherland Branch agrees with the proposed technical changes to polling and count arrangements.	Scottish National Party (SNP) Sutherland Branch agrees with the proposed changes to rules on permissible participants.
6737	330719606	Kate	Individual	Individual	They are fine. This is a fair and inclusive way to run the poll, everyone is included, especially our EU citizens. I'm happy for the SG's plans for this referendum.	These changes are excellent. I'm delighted that a more secure method is being employed to ensure that there is no doubt whatsoever that all means of voting, especially with postal votes, are going to be thoroughly checked and am very happy that lessons may have be learned from the previous referendum in 2014 in this regard.	All good security measures in my view, again this should lead to full transparency of all the players within the campaign on either side. Glad there is a provision for preventing any obscene and offensive words in any groups setting themselves up as campaigning groups.
6738	19345237	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not see the need for another referendum and disagree that there is any mandate. Polls consistently show at least 60% of Scots do not want another referendum and the number wanting to stay in the union has also not changed. Please get on with governing Scotland and stop using this as a distraction.	I see no need for this referendum and suggest the money is better spent on NHS/ schools etc	I see no need for a referendum.
6739	1027876961	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am more than happy that the Scottish Government under the SNP are content with the arrangements now in place.	I am concerned about 'vote swapping' with other constituencies, made on the internet to gain a vote for a prefered party. Is this legal?\r I am also concerned that Scottish troops have been removed from their base in Scotland and will now be based in Aldershot England, will they still be able to vote in our Referendum and other elections?	In agreement.
6740	92567799	Graham Mcleish	Individual	Individual	Foreign observers from outside the UK must be ensuring a fair campaign and vote. Independent polls must be taken at regular intervals in the run up to and exit polls must be in place on voting day to ensure there is no disparity between reality and main stream media and broadcasting agenda. Strict purda must be enforced on main stream media(newspapers etc) and broadcasters.	Postal voting must be stricter, specifically justified and closely monitored for fraudulant activity.	These rules seem adaquate.
6741	222843197	Alan Blythj	Individual	Individual	Total waste of time. Previous referendum involved "the greatest exercise in democracy seen in this country" - remember that one? So clearly, either it was and cannot be ignored, or it was not and so another one would just be, as I said, a waste of time , however managed.	Not relevant.	Again not relevant.
6742	484270459	AlanoThomson	Individual	Individual	This is not a serious consultation.\rHow about a two thirds majority necessary to change the status quo as with major constitutional change for most entities.	16 and 17 year olds were only added for political reasons last time and should not be included	OK
6743	689567260	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Everything reasonably possible should be done to ensure the integrity of the vote, as it could be a close run thing. \r I believe that the referendum should be monitored by international observers. Redacted texthas outlined how this may be achieved, I concur with a statement on his web blog \rhttps://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2017/01/international-observnation-indyref2/\r Another measure that will help to increase confidence in a future referendum would be exit polls.	I am relieved to see a tightening up of the arrangements for Postal Votes. There was much concern regarding them at the last referendum. \rI Believe that the tightest possible control should be applied to Postal Votes. Therefore if anything further can sensibley be done to increase confidence in P.V's then please do this.	Seems ok
6744	782248741	Peter Symon	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I strongly disagree with the proposed franchise. It is both too wide and too narrow. \r On a question of such far-reaching, irreversible, fundamental importance, it is unfair, constitutionally shallow and politically unacceptable to use the same franchise - habitual residence - as is employed in the considerably less significant matter of elections to local government and to a sub-national assembly or parliament, which is what the Scottish Parliament is (whether you like it or not). Citizenship should either be the sole principle for enfranchisement, or should be included as a significant element alongside habitual residence within the definition of those eligible to vote. \r There has been much debate about the franchise, although you wouldn't know it from the bland, smug and superficial statements in the Consultation Paper. You have adduced no evidence whatsoever to support the claim, which I do not consider to be a true one, that it is internationally accepted that the franchise for constitutional referendums should be defined by habitual residence and not by a combination of residence and citizenship, or even just by citizenship alone. \r That citizenship may be considered as a basis for eligibility to vote, however, raises the question of what is Scottish citizenship, as it may potentially come to exist if the country becomes independent. It also highlights not only the difficulty of deciding the principles on which "ersatz Scottish citizenship" may be operationalised for practical purposes of a referendum. Much easier, and pragmatic, just to go on about how good it is that people who live here should be the lucky ones who get to vote. \r Who are these "Scottish people" we keep hearing about, exactly? How do you legally define a Scottish person? By whether, as you would seem to have it mean, they happen to be living (and possibly working) in the country at a given point in time? Talk of "the sovereignty of the Scottish people" is not just meaningless guff, a dog-whistle crowdpleaser of a slogan to trot out when you've got nothing substantive to say, it's also the sort of stuff that could be the start of a descent down a slipperly slope toward more sinister political ideologies with some rather unpleasant historical track records. \r If I (as a Scottish resident and British citizen) took up residence for, say, a year or two in France I would be entitled (to simplify things) to vote in local government and EU Parliament elections. I would not be entitled to vote in the elections that really matter - legislative and Presidential elections - unless and until (again, to simplify) I was granted French nationality. That would take at least a number of years, if it was granted at all. By the way, the French are currently talking about extending the length of time before which habitual residents may be even considered for national citizenship by several years longer than at present. \r To take a hypothetical example, a 57 year old fitter, born and bred in Scotland to Scottish parents, who had lived and worked in Scotland all her life, whose adult children and grandchildren all lived and worked in Scotland, and who was made redundant and had after two years of unemployment in Scotland moved to Carlisle to take up an offer of employment but who intended to retire back to Scotland in a few years' time, would (if she had no residence in Scotland at the time) not be given a say by You in the most important constitutional matter facing the future of their country (Scotland) in the past 300 years. \r You, on the other hand, would give the vote on a matter of utterly life and death constitutional change to (for example) a (hypothetical) 17 year old French au pair who came to live in Scotland, to learn English which he cannot speak, for a year, even if he had no intention to remain in the country after having cast his or her vote. \r Scotland is, as you may know, a country with a long and sad history of emigration. Outflows remain high but have been balanced increasingly within the last 20 years or less by rising numbers of domestic and international inmigrants, albeit fairly concentrated in a number of specialist sectors. These are the people you claim have chosen to make Scotland their home, although you are not at all interested in how long they intend to make it or have made it their home, whether they are future return migrants, whether they are sending remittances back to their country of origin, or a host of other matters that go well beyond the simplistic notion of "living in a country" on which you propose to determine eligibility to vote. \r Emigration is a story of push and pull factors. Most emigrants moved because of such push factors as economic hardship, lack of opportunities at home, poverty and unemployment, and were pulled by the prospect of economic betterment in another country. Importantly, the scope of the field of choice open to many or most of them was very constrained. Many of them wish or intend to return to live in Scotland. One would have thought it reasonable that such emigrant Scots might wish to be given a say in the overwhelmingly crucial matter of the constitutional status of their home country. You on the other hand seem to be saying they chose to leave so they can go and get stuffed. Where is the sense of historical or social reality in such a banal and unfair position? \r If Scotland was an independent country, would you then extend the franchise for legislative elections or for constitutional referendums to citizens of the country who were living abroad? If yes, why should the franchise for the proposed independence referendum be different? \r When I was living away from Scotland I always considered myself to be a Scottish person, and indeed I was often told I was. You, on the other hand, don't seem to care less about emigrant Scots. These expats can just go and get lost as far as you are concerned, apparently, for the purpose of a constitutional referendum. \r Where is the reason in that glaringly unlevel constitutional playing field? Most other European countries would simply laugh at such a preposterously childlike and naive arrangement. Our international neighbours must think we are mugs, or that our politicians are completely dumb, or must at least wonder why the electorate is happy to let the politicians get away with selling them such a La La Land franchise. \r Last year's events highlighted the urgency to talk seriously about the franchise for legislative elections and for constitutional referendums. When the UK Government did not get the outcome they (and You) wished in the EU referendum, one of their very next steps was to issue a White Paper to consult on reforming the franchise for referendums to give such people as MrRedacted textthe vote that was denied him, as someone who had been living outside the UK for longer than 15 years, and who was denied the right to have the matter decided by the UK Supreme Court. As Ruvi Ziegler and other students of referendums have noted, there are some important human rights legal issues at stake here. And I have not even touched on the question of whether prisoners should get to vote in the referendum. These and many other interesting and important questions deserve serious consideration if you wish the franchise for the proposed referendum to have any moral, as opposed to simply a statutory, mandate. \r Don't try to push through another dodgy franchise like the discredited one used in the last referendum. Scotland's and the UK's constitutional future is not the same thing as voting in for local council elections. Give expats a voice.
6745	558662306	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	As the Referendum for Independence is very important and above any others in my opinion, I would like to see and international monitoring of the referendum as I'm not convinced that no underhand tactics will be used.	I agree but from a security point of view I would like to see better security of ballot boxes from the time they leave the polling station till they arrive at the count with a trusted member from both sides of the debate accompanying vehicles transporting ballot boxes.	Agree.
6746	695847970	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No objections other than this is feeble attempt by the first minister to overturn a democratically referendum that she lost. She seems hell bent of asking the question repeatedly until she gets the answer she wants.\r As someone who voted for independence the last time I accept that I lost in a democratic vote. To try and overturn this now by sleekit means is disgusting and if it goes ahead I for one will change my vote and vote to remain in the UK.	I see no need for non Scots to have a vote on this matter after all they would not be able to vote on such a similar matter if they were resident in another EU country	No comment
6747	528820836	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Last time the three unionist parties broke purdah with their 'vow'. Can we be sure that the Electoral Commission will take steps to ensure that absolutely does not happen again? If not, then we need a different mechanism to oversee the whole process. \r I think that second home owners, those who do not live in Scotland, and those who own property in Scotland, but do not actually live in Scotland, should not be allowed to vote. \rHow we manage that is something we really need to think about and discuss. I heard that there was almost an exodus out of Scotland the day afte r the referendum. It is unlikely that these people voted for Scotland to become independent, in my opinion. \r We do need to think about who exactly can vote next time, we cannot have people who do not actually live here for more than 6 months of the year, having a vote.	No Answered	These changes are certainly a good idea, and absolutely crucial to the democratic process. The way in which this was conducted last time leaves some serious questions over whether the vote was actually legitimate in 2014, in my opinion.
6748	28981457	Nathan McNaughton	Individual	Individual	I think that the scottish indref 2 should priorty of SG. i pearsenly think that the docoment shoulld be taken asap to 10 dowing street before its to late. sine westmister have the power to close SG wich is political sosicde. but this world is getting worse.	i think all legal scottish people born or who have seeked through law correct membership includeing all EU members aged 16 and over at the time of the election so someone who turns 16 on the day will get the vote. also think mandatory for all G schools to have mandorty debates with there puplies. that counils make this priorty and dont down the election. unlike the EU refredum wich has no creadibilty in my opion wich still weight for. seek as quik of pross as possible	N/A
6749	332115228	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Eligibility should be restricted to those 18 and over and resident on Scotland for at least 5 years and members of the forces no matter where they are stationed. But I would rather there was NOT another referendum. It will do nothing to heal Scotland.	Should be residents of Scotland for more than 5 years, 18 and over. Scottish members of the forces no matter where they are stationed and Scottish members of parliament and House of Lords who normally reside in Scotland	seems ok
6750	103173040	Douglas Hunter	Individual	Individual	Generally agree. Though some serious control/confirmation of postal votes needs to be addressed.\rPrivate companies involved in these events should also be vetted for polititians as board members or owners.	I believe no polititions should be allowed anywhere near counting houses or ballot boxes, sealed, postal or otherwise. Ruth Davidsons statements in 2014 caused serious mistrust around the postal system.	Lobbyist / donors must be transparent with there vested interest and be announced publicly.
6751	623952013	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I consider it appropriate for the referendum, and in particular the role of the Electoral Commission, to be observed externally by a group of appropriately experienced/qualified individuals from other (non-UK) countries and/or representing international organisations like the UN.\r A change which needs to be considered is how to tackle alleged breaches of the referendum 'rules' during the campaign period. It's no use to say that the Electoral Commission will investigate them after the referendum date - that's too late. There needs to be a procedure to review, within 24 hours, and if appropriate force a campaigning side or entity to correct misdemeanors or transgressions of the 'rules'.	Eligibility to vote: Consideration should be made to remove from the Electoral Roll anyone who is registered at a second or holiday home unless a valid reason can be provided in advance of the referendum for them to be resident at the property.\r Absent voting: Consideration should be given to not opening nor counting postal votes until polling places close. If this delays the announcement of the result then fine, we're deciding the potential creation of a new country with this referendum, we can wait a few more hours.\r Representatives from the campaigns should be able to travel in the same vehicle with the ballot boxes, election staff and police from the polling places to the count venues.	I suggest that campaigning and participation should only be permitted by individuals who are eligible to vote in the referendum. Donations in support of the the 'yes' or 'no' campaigns should only be permitted by individuals who are eligible to vote in the referendum. \r Organisations should only be able to campaign/participate/donate if they are incorporated or based in Scotland. Pan-UK (including other devolved administrations, UK parliament), Pan-EU, other international or other overseas entities should not be permitted to campaign/participate or donate.
6752	657372260	Ian Andrew Tully	Individual	Individual	I strongly oppose allowing non-Citizens to vote in a Constitutional matter. EU rules only require consultation at regional level, but this affects the whole of the UK so is not a simple regional matter. By the time the Referendum takes place we will probably not be a member of the EU anyway. No other country allows non-Citizens to decide matters of this importance.\rHad the EU citizens in the UK wished to commit their futures to this country they might have made more effort to become citizens.\rWhile 16-17 year olds clearly have an interest in the outcome by giving them the franchise we imply that they are adult. Since they are not legal adults in any other context this seems anomalous. I would not wish them to be treated as adults in the criminal justice system, for example.\rI see nothing in the proposals to require anyone to demonstrate their eligibility to vote beyond the current declaration. Any resident, whether EU or Commonwealth or Irish Citizen, or not can vote simply by making a false declaration.	These seem appropriate.	These seem appropriate.
6753	786436110	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Having been present to witness several counts at local and parliamentary elections 1998 onwards in Moray, it seems to me that the accuracy of the counting process when it was *not* done entirely by tellers was significantly compromised. Until a means of limiting errors in recording votes on a computer system has been trialled successfully, it might be wise to delay a major constitutional vote.	My preference would be for all eligible voters to have to cast their votes in person on the day of the vote, and to be required to furnish some form of valid ID in order to obtain a ballot paper from the electoral staff at the polling station. Any voting process in our country, especially in a major referendum or election, \rdeserves to be seen by the\r world as valid, clean and uncompromised.	Good.
6754	610901687	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think eligibility to vote should include at least two years residence in Scotland and exclude holiday home owners resident outside Scotland.	Postal votes are a weak point in the system, I agree that they should be used only when the voter is unable to visit the polling station personally. There should not be mass applications for postal votes or collection and delivery of completed postal votes, especially by party activists or campaigners. I strongly agree that postal votes should be checked.\rThe principle of not having campaigners involved in the count is sound but in practice it may be difficult. Define campaigning - taking part in a march?	Seams reasonable, no comment, however, the media become participants if they are perceived to favour one side. Are there any plans to try to control this e.g. by involving observers from third countries?
6755	699036152	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Electoral monitoring of the referendum should be undertaken by the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The Scottish Government should write to ODIHR and OSCE and request such monitoring, and at the same time write to the UK government and ask them to support such request. \r The request must be supported by the UK government to be accepted by OSCE, but it would be politically very difficult, and look suspicious to members of the international community, if the UK government refused it when the Scottish government believed it to be necessary.	No Answered	No postal votes should be allowed; the proxy vote method should be encouraged/advertised to replace this type of insecure voting option - this will dispel the risk of interference by other parties, for example, Ruth Davidson and Redacted textsampling votes and talking about them live on TV. If postal votes are decided to be used, they should not be sent to England to be counted. \r Ballot papers should be barcoded - a lot of 2014 ballot papers did not have the necessary bar code/sequencing on them.\r Ideally, votes should be counted in the polling stations themselves and if not, then international observers are necessary to oversea delivery, distribution and count of the ballots at the appropriate locations.
6756	497321249	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think eligibility to vote should be limited to people who have been resident in Scotland for a reasonable length of time, say five years	Acceptable, subject to voters from outside Scotland having been resident in Scotland for five years	Acceptable
6757	205926556	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Good.	Good.	All good.
6758	784587928	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	A second referendum is not required or wanted.	Unnecessary as a second referendum is not required or wanted.	Unnecessary. A second referendum is not required or wanted.
6759	57983633	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Foreign observers should be involved, preferably from the EU or on behalf of the OSCE.	Postal and proxy votes should be restricted as per emergency proxy votes. Postal votes should not be removed to England as per the 2014 referendum.	The BBC, as an agent of the British state, with a Charter obligation to ptomote the Union, should have to register as a participant on behalf of the anti-independence campaign and its expenditure allocated accordingly.
6760	640143497	---	Individual	Individual	A major weakness in IndyRef1 (which was not exposed due to the negative outcome) - and a similar weakness in Brexit (which has been exposed due to the outcome) is that the electorate was required to vote on a notion and not on a law.\r To clarify this, I draw on Swiss Referenda arrangements (in which the country is well versed, since the Switzerland votes on multiple issues every three months). Here the electorate ultimately says yes or no to a piece of legislation. In other words, each referendum question is underpinned with a legislative text that (after been tested by the federal supreme court for legal validity) which is an instruction to parliament and government with the terms and how it must be implemented. In this manner, the electorate assumes legislative power and overrides parliament. The strength of this approach is that for the most part it is reasonably clear what the legal outcome of the referendum is. Brexit on the other hand had not legal directive underpinning it (which is not the same thing as saying it needed legal assent to be voted on), and as a result it was never very clear what was materially being voted on (with all sorts of groups making promises/threats and disappearing in a cloud of smoke when the result came through), and it was not clear what "leave" actually meant or how the government was to go about it. In fact, it is still not clear. By the parochial of a small Central-European state, the venerable UK has made a complete Redacted textof itself.\r So in the hopeful positive outcome of IndyRef2, the question should be underpinned with a legal provision defining what independence means and laying out the road to how it is to be achieved. The would make it clearer as to what is being voted on and reduce the risk of it being derailed later on.	One might consider voters registered in Scottish constituencies living abroad. As one such contributor, I feel my interests in the future of my home country are every bit as important as those of 16 and 17 year-olds or Commonwealth citizens who may be there only for a limited period of time.	none
6761	231867665	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Happy with same eligibility. Especially so for EU citizens living here.	Is it possible to get counters from outside Scotland & UK? There was a lot of claims made on social media after 2014 vote of discrepancies . \rStill have concerns over postal votes.	Reasonably content with this.
6762	996073882	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Whilst the majority of the arrangements are acceptable, I think it is imperative we have independent counting officers on each counting table and ballot box overseers, preferably from the EU electoral bodies, to ensure no tampering of any sort is possible, including the opening of postal ballots BEFORE polling stations have closed. I also think Independent security officers need to accompany the vans DURING transportation of the ballot boxes from polling stations and counting venues.	I think the proposed changes are long overdue and will clarify the rules on who can and cannot vote and how they vote. I am particularly pleased to see that 16 - 17 yr old's will automatically be eligible to vote and I am very much on favour of the change from 20% to 100% checks in this respect.	I am in favour of these changes which ensure transparency regards donors and also makes it clear what the responsibilities are for those in charge of funds etc.
6763	1069124336	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I do not trust the Electoral Commission with this Referendum which is of such importance to the future of Scotland. This Referendum must be managed , monitored and scrutinised at every single stage to ensure the count is genuinely accurate.\rThe media bias must be stamped on ruthlessly, legal action taken where needed.\rThe Edinburgh Agreement was pretty much ignored by Westminster last time as was the so called Purdah period \r. This must not be allowed to happen this time!!!!!	I feel that considering the extremely serious financial loss to Ruk of Scotland leaving, Westminster will pull every dirty trick in the book and more, to deny us Independence.\rWe must have International / European monitoring through all stages of our referendum.\rI cannot stress in words how important this is to the very many people I have spoken to recently. Most of whom probably wont fill out this consultation!!\rI have never been one for conspiracy theories but I have serious misgivings as to the integrity of the count especially the Postal Votes in Indyref1,\rEnglish people with holiday homes in Scotland should not be allowed to vote. The West and North Coast and Highland communities are almost overrun with them. \rThese are not their main residences. Many voted illegally last time. This must be stopped.	WE NEED IMPARTIAL OUTSIDE, INTERNATIONAL / EUROPEAN MONITOTING TEAMS REGARDLESS OF COST!!!!
6764	44592888	Michael MacVicar	Individual	Individual	I fully agree that the count should be managed the same way as for elections. This will give voters more reassurance that votes are collected and counted in an official manner, removing the possibility of doubt.	I feell that only Scottish nationalists should be able to vote in a future referendum unless they have lived in scotland for 10 years or over. I don't think it is right for members of the commonwealth or other members of the united kingdom to have a vote in a movement that is solely a Scottish decision. I think that members of the other UK and commonwealth countries will be biased towards the effects of an independent scotland on their country of origin and not simply vote for what is the best for Scotland	I agree that participant bodies should sign the application for declaration as a permitted participant. I also fully agree that unfit declarations should most definitely be rejected. I feel that only serious participants should be allowed as this will hep lower meaningless voters who are easily influenced by others.
6765	562429000	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	All postal votes must go directly to Counting Officers to avoid outside interference.	Agree with amendments	Agree with amendments
6766	360914887	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	My main and strongly held view is that no Referendum on proposed independence should take place for a considerable number of years, if at all. At the 2014 Referendum, it was clearly stated that this would be 'once in a generation', and that the result, which was conclusive, would be accepted by all.\r While it is of course necessary to operate in a global environment, a balance should be found with also ensuring local matters are addressed. An overemphasis on wider, potentially speculative issues is costly in terms of time, energies and not least money. It can lead to lack of attention to matters such as education, health services, social care, local communities., employment. These issues have most impact on people's day to day lives.	No comment.	I consider that Scots who hold current UK passports, and their main home in Scotland, however may be living abroad for a limited time due to work commitments, should be able to vote in the event a Referendum takes place. The outcome is likely to have a greater effect on their lives in the future than on those who happen to be resident in Scotland for a relatively short time, and will leave to live elsewhere.
6767	1038877993	James Paul Dawson	Individual	Individual	Cannot agree that adding under 18's to the vote will give a fairer result, however that said the broad arrangements are OK.	Need definition of "resident" for non "born in" voters, does BRIXIT have any effect since we may be well on our way out of the EU by the time a Referendum takes place?\rOther provisions are OK.	Looks OK.
6768	723113935	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am opposed to a second referendum. I am opposed to a further waste of public spending on this matter. I am pro-democracy. We had a democratic vote in 2014 and the outcome was clea, please respect the electorate vote. Please do not confuse and conflate the EU referendum outcome with the SNP campaign for independence.	No Answered	Voting should be open to British citizens only.
6769	180890959	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I have no particular view on the proposed arrangements for managing the referendum, but I think it is premature to be consulting on the arrangements before consulting on whether voters wish a referendum to be held and what the proposals are for independence. I do NOT think there should be a referendum at this time. Scotland voted in 2014 to remain in the UK, I knew when I cast my NO vote that there was a chance that the outcome of the EU referendum (in which I voted REMAIN) might be to Leave, but I nonetheless felt - and continue to feel - that we are better off with the UK than separating from it, with all the problems that would entail - even assuming we would be acceptable to the EU under our present financial circumstances. The EU is changing, but under present circumstances, independence in the EU is not independence. It may be that sometime in the future another independence referendum would make sense, but not now.	No particular view. However, I think the lesson of the last two referenda, particular the EU, is that constitutional changes should not be made on the basis of a simple majority of those voting. There is a good reason why the US constitution called for a 2/3 majority for constitutional amendments. Scots did NOT vote overwhelmingly to Remain, only a large majority of those who voted. As a percentage of the electorate, there was no majority.	No particular view.
6770	978680405	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would like to see the Electoral Commission publish independent guidance on the projected financial costs for the duplication or replication of any organisations and government bodies that would be required in the event of Scotland becoming independent of the United Kingdom, including the provision of any new bodies and/or organisations for engagement with the European Union. \r The independence of such information and guidance is vital to ensure that the blatant lies of the Brexit campaigners are not replicated in a campaign for or against Scottish independence.	Agree with the proposed changes.	Strict adherence to the participant guidelines to ensure that partisan campaigning bodies, such as BusinessforScotland, must publish transparent accounts about their funding and significant donors and that this data must be published prior to any referendum or else be disqualified from campaigning as there was a blatant lack of transparency in the 2014 Referendum.\r A large number of SNP MPs appeared from the BusinessforScotland body after the Referendum was over, having previously hidden their political affiliations - some of whom have subsequently been seen to not be worthy of their positions... transparency is important and permissible participants should be held accountable for honesty and integrity.
6771	925859622	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I would like to have three questions on the ballot 1 do you want independence and out of the E.U. 2 do you want independence and in the E.U. 3 do you want to stay in the U.K. And leve the E.U.	The people who live in Scotland only.	No change
6772	587348023	Benjamin Sherlock	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	Non-resident scottish citizens should be entitled to a vote.
6773	358252952	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Greater transparency between snp publications and Scottish government publications.\rBut I believe it to be fair that there should not be a further referendum.	This has not received enough publicity.\rI believe it to be fair that there should not be a further referendum.	N/a\rI believe it to be fair that there should not be a further referendum.
6774	983133848	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think the conduct of the 2014 referendum was satisfactory. However, I was very aware in the 2014 referendum (in which I voted NO) that the outcome of the referendum could lead to major changes for the Scottish people and that, in the event of a decision for independence, it would be important that a clear majority supported that decision. Accordingly, for such a major constitutional change, I think the outcome should require more than a simple 50+% majority (any change to the Constitution of the USA requires a 2/3 majority in both houses of Congress and in the State governments).	No comment	No comment
6775	211744594	Uilleam Smith	Individual	Individual	Content with the proposals.	No person should vote by proxy for more than one person.	Changes seem reasonable.
6776	640276310	Tom jones	Individual	Individual	There should be no 2nd referendum on independence	There should be no 2nd referendum on independence	There should be no 2nd referendum on independence
6777	612025760	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No views. Its the way it has been done since I was able to vote. If it ain't broke why tinker with it.	No Answered	My only concern is that of those who are registered to vote but do not reside in Scotland for example you have a resident that lives in Amsterdam but keeps a residence in Scotland, under current rules that would still allow them to vote.
6778	984467042	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	Voting should be made compulsory in Scotland for all eligible participants	Permissable participants should include those domiciled in Scotland plus those Scottish born but domiciled elsewhere within the UK. Those domiciled abroad should not be included.
6779	397712289	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Electoral monitoring of the referendum should be undertaken by the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The Scottish Government should write to ODIHR and OSCE and request such monitoring, and at the same time write to the UK government and ask them to support such request. The request must be supported by the UK government to be accepted by OSCE, but it would be politically very difficult, and look suspicious to members of the international community, if the UK government refused it when the Scottish government believed it to be necessary.\rNot only will the OSCE send a large team to observe the conduct of the campaign and physical balloting and counting process, they will send an advance team of experts with international experience in monitoring media bias in campaign situations, with a particular emphasis on state media. These experts will produce a careful and scientific quantitative and qualitative analysis of the extent of media bias, and this analysis will be presented to all the member states of the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe. The very presence of the international monitoring team will be a strong deterrent to bad media behaviour, and will boost public confidence in the process.\rI wish to strongly commend this work by the ODIHR and I believe this proposal is essential to another referendum campaign.
6780	436796867	Jennifer Lyle	Individual	Individual	I would like to see an invite from an international impartial organisation to oversee regulation and count.	No Answered	I wholeheartedly think the postal votes were cheated at the 2014 Referendum. Therefore I would like to see checks that do not allow people who do not reside in Scotland to register to vote in second homes in Scotland.
6781	815926711	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I am happy with the arrangements	I am happy with the rrangements	I am happy with the proposals
6782	744627892	William Adams	Individual	Individual	As the Electoral commission, in my view, did not conduct the last referendum fairly, e.g. allowing purdah to be broken with the Vow at the last moment, I would prefer if the referendum could also be monitored by the EU or UN. \r Postal vote submission MUST be reviewed. The potential for fraud here is immense. I'm sure you seen the postal result for Argyll in the last referendum where if memory serves me well, more than 90% of the vote was from postal. An impossibility.\r Exit polls to be conducted and all completed ballots to be kept until a stated period of time after the referendum is finished. No shredding of ballot papers immediately after the count. If a recount is required, then it should be done.	Proxy voting should be restricted to people who are unable to make it to the polling booth due to ill health or legitimately out of the country. Likewise postal voting.\rPeople who have only holiday homes in Scotland from countries outside Scotland, including the rest of the UK, should not have a vote.	OK
6783	955652855	Margaret Brooks	Individual	Individual	Adequate.	Why should you exclude Scottish-born people who are working or studying out of Scotland? We should be encouraging them to be involved so they come back to live here later, not exclude them because it's too difficult to organise their vote!	No view.
6784	560019103	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I think these arrangements are sensible and fair.	I am happy that Commonwealth and EU citizens resident in Scotland will be able to vote. I hope that during the Referendum, EU citizens resident in Scotland will be made well aware that they can vote.	This seems sensible.
6785	396570723	Elaine Hamilton	Individual	No Answered	Individual	No Answered	i noticed that there was no mention in the above regarding possible voting at the weekend instead of during the week, that way families and volunteers would be able to help out with any person who is elderly, incapacitated or has difficulty travelling. I for one would be more than happy to volunteer for a role such as this and I am sure many others would too, getting people to the polling stations..safer than a postal vote..... ( if postal votes a must, it would hopefully bring down the number of postal votes), still safer.
6786	524055432	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	I echo the points made below:\r (Source: https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2017/01/international-observation-indyref2/)\r I believe it is essential to add an element of independent international observation of the referendum process.\r The referendum is about the creation of a new nation state. Neither the referendum itself can create a nation state, nor the subsequent negotiation between Scotland and Westminster. The nation state is only created by recognition by the United Nations. The international community therefore has a strong interest in the process.\r There was a great deal of disquiet in Scotland over the fairness of the referendum campaign in 2014, and particularly the role played by the broadcast and print media, and especially the state media. There is significant public perception of BBC bias against Independence.\r Electoral monitoring of the referendum should be undertaken by the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The Scottish Government should write to ODIHR and OSCE and request such monitoring, and at the same time write to the UK government and ask them to support such request. The request must be supported by the UK government to be accepted by OSCE, but it would be politically very difficult, and look suspicious to members of the international community, if the UK government refused it when the Scottish government believed it to be necessary.\r Not only will the OSCE send a large team to observe the conduct of the campaign and physical balloting and counting process, they will send an advance team of experts with international experience in monitoring media bias in campaign situations, with a particular emphasis on state media. These experts will produce a careful and scientific quantitative and qualitative analysis of the extent of media bias, and this analysis will be presented to all the member states of the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe. The very presence of the international monitoring team will be a strong deterrent to bad media behaviour, and will boost public confidence in the process.\r I wish to strongly commend this work by the ODIHR and I believe this proposal is essential to another referendum campaign.	Postal voting should be limited to people who have some compelling medical reason why they cannot vote in person at a polling station.\r If you can walk or drive to the shops, you can walk or drive to a polling station.\r A vote is a precious entitlement, which should be cast from a position of knowledge and conviction.\r Statements such as "If you're not sure, just vote No" are an affront to democracy. \r If you're not sure, don't vote at all. \r If you can't be bothered walking a few yards to decide the future of a country, your apathy is not something that should be encouraged by the easy availability of postal voting.	If at the time of a future referendum (or election), there does not exist a party called, for example, Scottish Labour, there ought be no-one campaigning under that name.\r If the party is actually called, for example, The Labour Party, that is the name campaigners should campaign under.\r It cannot be acceptable that campaigners can intentionally misled voters by pretending to be something they are not.
6787	192854994	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	Should permission not be granted by Westminster to hold the referendum, it should take place under the auspices of and audited by either the Council of Europe or the UN, or another suitable international body
6788	247647960	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Agree with managing referendum as is done for elections.\rUnsure about role of Electoral Commission as it is for the UK. Would prefer EU or UN regulations to be the standard.	British citizens ( UK subjects?) should have a residency period applied. \rDitto the other categories.\rH of L members are part of a non democratic system and not relevant to an independent Scotland and therefore should not be given a vote.\rOnly those service personnel with dependent families resident in Scotland should have a vote; or those of Scottish birth serving in Scotland on date of election.\rAgree with measures to check and confirm postal and proxy vote votes. \rAgree with changes regarding Polling and Count Staff and Verification Statements	no comments
6789	744224424	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	Anything that assists with the progression of another referendum then I strongly disagree.\r The referendum in 2014 divided a nation, split families and broke friendships. It was promoted by the SNP as "a once in a lifetime opportunity" and so I am extremely disappointed that the thought of another referendum is even being considered given its divisive nature in 2014.	I do not agree with the fact 16 and 17 years olds are entitled to vote.	Why risk going into a depression as Norway did when they became independent.
6790	23385407	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	The above all makes good sense to me. \r One thing I felt was missing from 2014 Referendum was Exit Poll. \r I Feel that exit polls in the next referendum would serve as another form of check and balance in the overall management of process. As much for public confidence as anything else, and means of tallying voting intentions in canvass reruns with polling day itself . not sure who would be responsible for managing these?	No Answered	I am very pleased to hear that these amendments regarding absent voting are being put forward. \r The postal vote in particular, is open to abuse and this was one of my main concerns regarding any future referenda. \rI had concerns about the integrity of any future vote given information that came to light after the 2014 referendum , regarding Argyll and Bute area. (I think it was this area) The matter was brought to light by experienced officials of elections. \r I also have a concern regarding the integrity/ security of the vote in relation to ballot boxes being left unattended or the vans not being followed. With the former, I refer specifically to Dundee count , where there were 2 (?) fire alarms and on both occasions the building was evacuated & ballot boxes were left unattended... while I understand that emergencies are emergencies, and life and limb come first, a cynic might say that it could be an opportunity to tamper with boxes or votes.. \rany way to legislate , literally, for emergencies while maintaining integrity of ballot boxes, votes? Or at least, as far as is possible, e sure the boxes \ vans are followed /accompanied at all times from the polling stations to the counts . \r These comments may seem untrusting to say the least, but I think it fair to say given certain "dishonest tendencies" in certain areas of current UK Gov , and the keenness to ensure a no vote, anything is possible. I don't forget the words of Sir Nicholas Macpherson lol
6791	686877598	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No idea/comment.	No idea/comment.	No idea/comment.
6792	620379011	Roy Hall	Individual	Individual	The arrangements seem to be appropriate to gauge the opinion, beliefs, and desires of the entire Scottish Population. The technical and practical aspects of the arrangements have, so far as I am aware, worked well and provided fair and transparent voting so far.	While it might be tempting to limit the voting to only those who we know would support our position, the inclusive nature of our eligibility rights definitely represents Scotland's nature as a forward thinking and inclusive society built for and by the people of Scotland, irrespective of the randomness of birth location.\r The modification to paragraphs 35 to 39 of schedule 2 of the 2013 Act raising the statutory requirement for checking postal/absentee votes is impressive, and represents a step forward in ensuring accurate and unbiased results.\r Ensuring that those who have been campaigning are not appointed by the counting officer is important, and I do feel that there should be checks beyond a requirement that the 'counting officer “must not knowingly” appoint or employ'. The onus should never be upon them to confirm that they have not breached this rule. This should be done universally and independently.	The adjustments here seem to be improvements, especially the conditions to ensure that only qualified persons are put forward. Additionally, the exclusion of obscene/offensive names is a good idea, as long as the nature of what is considered obscene or offensive is made within the overall social context of Scotland, and is not limited to one individual's viewpoint.
6793	538380848	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	"The proposals for the management and regulation of the referendum align closely with the arrangements used successfully to deliver a fair and transparent referendum in 2014."\r The 2014 referendum cannot POSSIBLY be described as fair and transparent as Purdah regulations were broken without consequence. This MUST NOT be allowed to recur.\r Furthermore, when blatant lies (e.g. re Scotland's ongoing use of the pound) emanate from such as the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, other UK politicians and the supposedly politically neutral Governor of the Bank of England the Scottish Government should immediately call out such lies for what they are.	Eligibility to vote should carry a 5 year residency qualification.\r Holiday home owners should be excluded with eligibility to vote being restricted to occupants of main residences.	None
6794	967902181	Dr Gareth Morgan	Individual	Individual	Background: I am a relatively new Scottish resident - I was unable to vote in the 2014 Referendum as I was living in England at the time. I still have considerable interests in England.\r I support the Scottish Government's decision to make plans for a possible second referendum, given the outcome of the EU Referendum, and the clear support in Scotland for remaining in the EU.\r Broadly speaking I think all the arrangements proposed in the consultation document make sense, and I am happy with the Draft Bill. \r However, the main omission from the consultation is a date is clause 1 of the Bill. I feel the date on which the Referendum takes place is crucial, and it is difficult to comment in detail on the practical arrangements if there is no idea of when the second independence referendum (IndyRef2) might take place.\r I understand that since the consultation was published that the First Minister has ruled out holding IndyRef2 in 2017, which makes sense. But it seems vital that the Scottish electorate has the chance to vote on this issue WELL BEFORE the date the UK formally withdraws from the EU. It seems very likely that the UK will formally leave the EU on 31 March 2019 assuming the UK Government gives notice under Article 50 just before 31 March 2017 and assuming the 2 year period allowed under Article 50 is not extended.\r Hence, I suggest that if the Scottish Government decides to call IndyRef2 it must take place NOT LATER THAN EARLY 2018 in order that a clear plans for Scottish independence can be in place by 1 April 2019 enabling Scotland to continue as an EU Member State without a gap. \r This is fundamental. If Scotland were to face many years outside the EU before being able to rejoin, much of the case for IndyRef2 would be lost.	I am not a specialist on electoral law, but I have read the proposals and they appear to be sensible.	I am not a specialist on electoral law, but I have read the proposals and they appear to be sensible.
6795	256301889	STEWART HENDRY	Individual	Individual	There has been much thought in preparing this consultation paper , most people would be supportive of it,s content unless they are politically bias. I would be surprised if public response has been satisfactory to the S.N.P. administration. The vast majority of Yes voters trust the S.N.P. - - Think tank - - to set their pitch out in a well constructed manner. In my opinion - - - - this is the most likely reason that the response has been disappointing. The people of Scotland must feel confident that Independence is a tangible option to the Union. There are many factors which would greatly increase the enthusiasm of undecided voters. I take this opportunity to document my views. - - -- - - - - - -- - - continue - - - -	No Answered	{ 1 } Media statements and interviews must be delivered by inspirational politicians. { 2 } There is no doubt in my mind ; the S.N.P. has many clever individuals who are well respected members of the - - - -Think tank . However, consistent with all other political parties - - - - a limited number who can address and inspire an audience. I do realise that a few spokespersons is unrealistic. { e.g. } It is obvious that Derek Mackay is an important member of the cabinet , however he is robotic /bland/dictatorial and uninspiring. { 3 } More emphasis must be placed on SNP achievements and the creditable footprint that has and continues to be implemented for the future of Scotland and its People.\r{ 4 } The future sustainable finances of a future independent Scotland must be clearly explained.
6796	795442304	Robert Trythall	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	This is a bogus consultation, based on a false premise, and advocated by a dodgy prospectus. \r It is a draft of humbug, and hypocrisy.\r• Bogus because there is no consultation on the Question Should Scotland be an independent country in the context that it is being asked again, notwithstanding it was answered (to the negative) in the 2014 Referendum.\r • False Premise;- because there is no evidence to support Scottish Govt's assumption that ,as a consequence of the Brexit June 2016 Referendum, the Scottish people would prefer to be in Union with the EU, or some unspecified European grouping, rather than remain in Union with the UK,\r • Dodgy Prospectus:- the consultation abjectly fails to address, or choes to ignore the primary substantive issue of its own drafter ie Scottish Government. \r Instead it merely offers a consultation on five minor non-substantive referenda procedural and technical issues . \r (1)What are your views on these suggestions for how the referendum should be run (2) What are your views on these suggested changes to the referendum rules(3)What are your views on these suggested changes to the rules about campaign spending(4)Whatat are your views on the suggested changes to rules on campaign spending(5)What are your views on the suggested changes to rules about campaign expenses?\r With ref to the above :-\r(1) Bogus: There is NO no provision to comment on the Question.\rThe Draft states : The Question :- 1.6 In the 2014 referendum the question was “Should Scotland be an independent country?” At this stage, it\ris expected that the same question would be used again - but if as a result of consultation the Scottish Government is minded to propose a variation on that question it would submit the proposal to the Electoral Commission for independent testing in the usual way. \r In the absence of any provision for a respondent to comment on the Question ie Should Scotland be an independent country?” then how can Scottish government be' minded' to propose a variation to the question? How /what does Scottish Government propose as the medium through which Scottish Govt may\rbe 'minded' to propose a variation to the Question?.\r Having omitted to address, in this consultation, as to how will Scottish Govt be 'minded' to propose any variation to the question, the assumption can only be that the over–arching motivation to hold any such Referendum is the sole pursuit of the narrow political objectives of the current SNP Govt. \r But will Scottish Government be required to propose a different Question,to secure the required Section 30 Order, to give constitutional legitimacy to this referendum, as proposed in this Consultation?\r This Consultation does not address the constitutional issue of whether UK Parliament will be expected to grant a Section 30 Order for a referendum, which proposes the same question which was addressed, and settled, in the 2014 Referendum. \r As Scottish Government's stated justification for holding such a referendum ,'is the best or only way to protect Scotland’s interests in the wake of the EU referendum' then the Question must be varied along the more apposite lines proposed by Alex Neil SNP MSP ie:- \r • Q1 : Do you want Scotland to be an independent country? Yes or No'.\r• Q2:If a majority answer ''YES' to the first question, do you want an independent\rScotland to re-apply to join the EU?' \r If a Section 30 Order requires a single Q then it should be:- Should Scotland be an independent country in order that it can re-apply to join the EU?\r False Premise: 'Europe' lacks a clear definition in the Documentation : The premis for holding such a referendum is the change in UK's membership a/o relationship with the EU as a consequence of the Brexit Referendum, and consequently - Scotland's membership of /relationship with the EU\r The Foreword to the Consultation on a Draft Referendum Bill states with reference to the EU states:-\r• The UK Government’s recent statements on its approach to leaving the EU raise serious concerns for the Scottish Government. We face unacceptable risks to our democratic, economic and social interests and to the right of the\rScottish Parliament to have its say. Indeed those statements contradict the assurances given before the independence referendum in 2014 that Scotland is an equal partner within the UK and that a vote against independence would secure our EU membership. \r The assertion 'that a vote against independence would secure our EU membership' is a SNP myth. This is contrary to all the evidence from the 2014 Referendum campaign. What is conveniently glossed over in this statement is the contentious debate, in the 2014 Referendum, as to whether an Independent Scotland could claim successor state status,and assume seamless EU membership. The then First Minister's statement, as to his supposed legal opinion, proved to be somewhat economical with the actualité.\r What is implied, but NOT stated in this dodgy consultation, is that Scotland must opt for independence before it can apply for EU membership, or indeed any other pan- European Trade /Economic. \r The Consultation makes the unsubtantiated assumption that an Independent Scotland would seamlessly qualify for EU a/oor any other pan- European Trade /Economic Association membership . Re the EU ,all the evidence suggests to the contrary ie Scotland with the largest budget deficit in Europe, would fail EU membership criteria .The SNP is in self denial on this crucial issue.\rhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/timworstall/2016/08/25/scotlands-budget-deficit-the-largest-in-europe-couldnt-join-the-eu-if-it-wanted-to/#19f50813543d\r But this dodgy prospectus then makes reference to a future relationship with Europe when it states :-this government remains willing to work with the UK Government to negotiate a future relationship with Europe that is in line\rwith the views of the overwhelming majority of the Scottish people and which works for the United Kingdom as a whole. \r So what is this 'Europe' referred to here ? Is it the EU? Or is 'Europe' a geographic entity incl Russia, Belarus ,Georgia,or what ? Or is this simply indicative of lazy drafting of a dodgy prospectus? \r This consultation fails to ask the Scottish people for their view on the consultation's stated objective ie 'What an Independent Scotland's future relationship with Europe should be, let alone one which works for the United Kingdom as a whole.' \r Dodgy Prospectus: The blatant failure of this consultation to seek views (1) as to what an Independent Scotland's future relationship with Europe should be, and (2) its failure to offer provision to vary the Question, notwithstanding it was answered in 2014, renders this a dodgy prospectus . \r Summary: This Consultation is a sham, and unfit for purpose
6797	517774407	Ian Milton	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	The SAA welcomes the overall approach to the management of the referendum. The Bill seeks to modify the Scottish Independence Referendum Act 2013 to reflect developments in legislation such as the Scottish Elections (Reduction of Voting Age) Act 2015 and The Scottish Parliament (Elections etc.) Order 2015 along with the implementation of individual electoral registration. It also seeks to reflect lessons learned from the referendum held on 18 September 2014 and subsequently reported to Parliament by the Electoral Commission, the SAA and the Electoral Management Board.\r In line with the Gould recommendations the SAA would seek assurance that the legislation in terms of the principal Act and any supporting secondary statutory instruments should be enacted a full 6 months prior to publication of any notice of the referendum. \r Technical considerations\r Section 2 sets out the franchise that equates to that of a local government elector registered to vote in Scotland. The Committee notes that section 3, that bars offenders in prison from participating, has been included in the Bill. The Representation of the People Act 1983 sets out the provisions for offenders that are detained in prison at section 3 of that Act. The provisions of the 1983 Act should therefore bar inclusion of offenders that are being held in a penal institution from inclusion in the registers of local government electors maintained under section 9(1)(b) of the 1983 Act.\r Section 4 makes provision for application of the Scottish Independence Act 2013 subject to modifications set down in Schedule 2 to the Bill (see below).\r Section 5 makes the necessary extension to apply section 14 of the Scottish Elections (Reduction in Voting Age) Act 2015 that deals with the disclosure of information about persons aged under 16.\r Section 6 makes specific provision for registration officers’ expenses. This is a welcome provision and reflects the position that developed during the 2014 referendum where extraordinary demands were placed upon the resources of registration officers due to the unprecedented levels of engagement of the electorate. The Committee considers that given the reactive nature of their duties; where workloads are elector-driven in terms of registrations, enquiries, absent vote applications & cancellations and ultimately appeals, the arrangements for recovery of expenses will need to be sufficiently flexible to cater for the unpredictable nature of resource demands placed on registration officers.\r Sections 7, 8 and 9 make provision for secondary legislation, modifications and interpretation.\r Schedule 2 \rThe Committee considered the general exceptions and modifications to the 2013 Act that are set out in paragraphs 2 & 3 along with the table of specific exceptions and modifications to the 2013 Act that are set out under paragraph 4 of Schedule 2 of the Bill.\r A specific issue with Schedule 2 is that it makes reference to ‘dates of birth’ in relation to modification of 2013 Act Sch 2 para 51. This should be amended to refer to the ‘dates on which electors attain the age of 18’. \r On a more general level the Committee welcome the move to align the absent voting provisions for the referendum with those that apply in local government and parliamentary elections. The adoption of consistent rules with particular reference to application deadlines and criteria for emergency proxy voting would address a number of issues that were identified during the 2014 referendum. \r In relation to application deadlines, Schedule 2 paragraph 19 of the 2013 Act provides a ‘cut-off date’ of 5pm on the eleventh day before the date of the referendum. This provision was unique to the 2014 referendum and the Committee consider that this provision should be replaced with standard application deadlines for postal and proxy voting through further consideration of amendments to paragraphs 7 and 8 for Schedule 2 to the 2013 Act. \r Further, the current interpretation of the draft Bill suggests that applications to vote by proxy made after 5pm on the eleventh day and before 5pm on the sixth day ahead of the referendum will only be granted on the grounds of disability or occupation, service or employment that arose after 5pm on the eleventh day. This contrasts with the current rules for voting by proxy at other elections where applications to vote by proxy that are made before 5pm on the sixth day prior to the election are allowed as a matter of course where a voter cannot attend the polling station in person. It is also understood that the arrangements as set out in the current Bill would mean that standing list proxy voters would be entitled to appoint a proxy that is registered in Scotland, England or Wales whereas a voter that applied to vote by proxy for the referendum alone would be restricted to appointing a proxy who will be registered as a local government elector in Scotland.\r In the interests of absolute consistency in relation to the absent vote application process, including the application and attestation criteria for voters wishing to appoint a proxy, consideration should be given to replacing the 2013 Act provisions for absent voting with those that are provided in the Scottish Parliamentary (Elections etc.) Order 2015. \r The Committee appreciates that the Bill sets out to amend the existing 2013 Act. In doing so, it is seeking to amend legislation that was introduced to deliver a single electoral event. The 2014 referendum was a unique electoral event that for a number of reasons entailed a number of atypical electoral arrangements such as the polling list, register of young voters and the absence of initial or interim updates. Further, by seeking to amend such single electoral event specific legislation there is a danger that it will add to the general complexity of legislation that was identified by Gould in 2007 and the Scottish Law Commission more recently as a matter that required to be addressed. As such the Committee would welcome a move towards consolidation and further standardisation of legislation that concerns electoral administration as a whole. \r Representatives of the SAA Electoral Registration Committee would be happy to meet with the Scottish Government to discuss any of those lessons in the context of this draft bill and the responses.
6798	148455220	Chris Highcock	Individual	Individual	THE SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE REFERENDUM 2014\r The Convener of the EMB had specific responsibilities as CCO for the delivery of the Scottish Independence Referendum in 2014. That Referendum on 18 September 2014 was the largest electoral event ever undertaken in Scotland in terms of its scale, the participation of the electors and its profile nationally and internationally. The electorate of 4,283,938 was Scotland’s largest ever. 792,621 of these voters, 18% of the electorate, were postal voters, more than at any previous poll.\r The turnout for the referendum was unprecedented at 84.6% (3,623,344 votes counted), with 93.7% of postal voters returning their ballot papers (20% of all votes cast were postal votes.) There were very few rejected papers. Only 3,429 (0.095%) ballots were rejected at the count. There were no queues at Polling Places at the close of poll but polling was busy all day, with queues at 7am when the polls opened reflecting the engagement of the electorate. The final result was accepted by both campaigns and the delivery of the referendum was widely praised by campaigners, international observers and media. There were no challenges to the result or process.\r The Electoral Commission’s Report on the Referendum, published in December 2014 recognised the role of the CCO, supported by the EMB and the broader electoral community in Scotland in the successful management of the referendum. The report noted that “The referendum was well-run by the CCO and her CO and ERO colleagues because of careful planning (in part possible because of existing administrative structures in Scotland), sufficient resourcing and careful delivery of the administrative process through much hard work by all those involved.”\r As CCO for the Referendum the Convener of the EMB delivered the event as a carefully planned project with a clear governance structure, a number of discrete workstreams, a clear performance management framework and a robust set of contingency arrangements all designed to achieve a clear defined objective: that the Scottish Independence Referendum will deliver a result that will be trusted as accurate.\r THE DRAFT REFERENDUM BILL – OVERALL STRUCTURES\r In reviewing the draft referendum bill that has been offered for consultation, the EMB notes that it proposes a governance structure that repeats that applied in 2014. That is with the Convener of the EMB as CCO, the Electoral Commission taking responsibility for reporting and campaigners and the familiar arrangement of recognised Counting Officers (COs) and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs). These are well-established Scottish electoral structures which delivered the 2014 referendum so successfully.\r The consultation paper and draft Bill set out proposed arrangements for managing the referendum. These include the appointment of a Chief Counting Officer (CCO) and a specific role for the Electoral Commission in monitoring, regulating and reporting on the referendum.\r While the selection of CCO for a referendum is a policy decision and outwith the direct remit of the EMB, the Board would note that this arrangement delivered a referendum in 2014 which was assessed as a successful event by all observers and by the Electoral Commission. As such the EMB would support these proposed management arrangements.\r However, the EMB would also note that governance structures alone do not provide for a sound, effective and accessible electoral event. Such an event requires adequate resource and sufficient time to plan for and procure the various elements that are needed in order to deliver such a major event which would undoubtedly be subject to intense scrutiny by electors, campaigners, the media and other stakeholders. Project Management, the collation of a national result, the drafting/publication of guidance and support materials and the promotion of a national count event are all workstreams that require sufficient funding and resource.\r OTHER COMMENTS AND OBSERVATIONS\r The CCO’s Approach to the Referendum\r In 2014 the CCO appointed under the Scottish Independence Referendum Act (2013) was the Convener of the EMB. As such the CCO was embedded in and familiar with the electoral structures of Scotland and those who play the key roles in supporting and delivering democracy in the country. She explicitly adopted an approach to that Referendum that had a clear objective: the Scottish Independence Referendum will deliver a result that will be trusted as accurate. This was supported by four explicit principles:\r •\tAccessibility - there should be no barriers to any voter taking part; \r•\tConsistency - voters should have the same experience wherever they are in Scotland; \r•\tEfficiency - the referendum will be administered efficiently; and \r•\tIntegrity - the referendum will produce results that are accepted as accurate. \r In working towards that objective and to those principles, the CCO supported by the EMB endeavoured to work on the basis of \r •\tConsensus: where possible, building on experience and established relationships;\r•\tGuidance: where needed, based on the familiar models usually provided by the Electoral Commission; and \r•\tDirection: issued where appropriate and only following consultation with key stakeholders.\r This concern with consistency, contingency and integrity was intended to promote a clear confidence in the process which would in turn promote a confidence in the result. If appointed as CCO for a future Referendum on Independence the Convener of the EMB would look to restate this objective, reiterate these principles and adopt the same overall approach again to promote confidence in the voters in what would again be a major event subject to extreme scrutiny and emotion.\r Timing of a Referendum\r There are no specific questions in the consultation with respect to the timing of a referendum. However this is a fundamental concern in the delivery of a sound electoral event. The EMB would endorse the comments made by the Electoral Commission in their response to the consultation on the draft bill in terms of \r •\tDate – ensuring that referendums are not normally be held on the same day as other significant or scheduled polls;\r•\tLegislation – ensuring that legislation for future referendums (including any secondary legislation containing detailed rules for the administration of the referendum poll and regulatory controls) is clear at least six months before it is required to be implemented. \r The first point helps to prevent voter confusion, promotes turnout and gives appropriate priority to the referendum and the issue it addresses, the second is a practical concern that allows administrators carefully and comprehensively to plan and prepare for the event. \r Technical Issues with respect to Registration\r The EMB notes that the Electoral Registration Committee of the Scottish Assessors Association has made a separate response to this consultation. In it they welcome the overall proposals with respect to the management of a future referendum under this draft legislation. However they also highlight a number of technical issues particularly around registration which should be addressed in any final legislation. The EMB would endorse the position of the SAA in that the focus should be on applying a consistent set of registration rules to all electoral events including referendums. This would reduce voter confusion around rules and procedures and the danger of electors being unable to participate in a poll.\r Further discussion\r There are many lessons to be drawn from the experience of the 2014 Referendum and these should all inform the planning, resourcing and delivery of any future referendum. The Convener and other members of the EMB would be happy to meet with the Scottish Government to discuss any of those lessons in the context of this draft bill and the responses above to the specific questions in the consultation.	The consultation paper proposes that the detailed rules governing the conduct of the poll would be based on those applying to the normal conduct of elections, subject to some specific technical changes.\r The EMB endorses the Electoral Commission’s response to this question, agreeing that “the rules for the conduct of the referendum poll and count should be based on those applying to the conduct of elections. They should be updated to reflect changes to the conduct of elections which have been made since the 2014 referendum.”\r Such consistency with normal regular electoral events offers a number of benefits primarily for the voter but also for those charged with planning and delivering the referendum. A consistency of approach in terms of timetable, polling, postal voting and count all help to avoid voter confusion and should promote the participation of an informed electorate. Electoral administrators would also benefit from an approach that, wherever possible, follows usual and familiar rules for the delivery of sound elections in Scotland, as it minimises the additional risk and work associated with novel processes.	The CCO would have responsibility for the delivery of the referendum in terms of polling, postal voting and the count. The regulation of campaigners would be outwith the remit of the CCO for a future referendum on the basis of this draft bill, as it was in the 2014 Referendum. The EMB therefore has no specific position with respect to the proposed changes to the rules on permissible participants.\r In this area the CCO’s key concern would be a clarity with respect to the designation of permissible participants so that COs are able easily to engage with them as appropriate during the campaign at polling and at the counts. \r The Board would however endorse the general comments of the Electoral Commission in this are as contained in their response of 24 November 2016.
6799	569655681	Elaine McLeod	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I am writing this submission primarily to express my disgust at the SNP's plan to hold a second referendum on separation from the rest of the UK – my participation in the consultation should not be seen as an acceptance of the concept of such a referendum.\r I have only found out about this consultation at the last minute and I suspect that the public has not been informed so that only hardcore nationalists have the chance to register their support. Indeed, I have also been informed that the SNP conducted a survey last year, with the intention of reaching 2 million Scottish people; I was not asked my opinion and, while I am relieved not to be doorstepped by separatists, I would point out that such a survey is wholly invalid, as it would be self-selecting because the polling would almost certainly be put to people who were supportive of nationalism.\r The main thrust of my submission is that the proposal for a second referendum is totally lacking in legitimacy. It is just over 2 years since there was a referendum on Scottish independence, where the nationalist vision was rejected by 55 per cent of those who voted.\r The Edinburgh Agreement, signed by Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond, stated that the referendum would “deliver a fair test and a decisive expression of the views of people in Scotland and a result that everyone will respect.” Ms Sturgeon stated that the referendum was a “once in a lifetime opportunity” for nationalists.\r It should be pointed out that the Scottish government does not have the right to call a second referendum, as constitutional powers are reserved to Westminster. Ms Sturgeon should concentrate on her day job, using the additional powers granted to the Scottish Parliament under the Scotland Act 2016.\r Ms Sturgeon claimed “improving Scotland's education system should be the number one priority of the next Scottish government” but it is clear that independence is her only priority. Polling suggests that independence remains unpopular (49 per cent were opposed to separatism, in the latest poll) so the SNP is trying to use Brexit as an excuse for another referendum, despite the fact that the largest group of Scots who voted to leave the EU were SNP supporters (29 per cent of whom voted to leave, according to a Survation poll).\r I voted to remain in the EU - just as I voted to remain in the UK – but I am appalled by Ms Sturgeon's deceitfulness over the EU issue. It was quite obvious that Ms Sturgeon hoped Brexit would happen so she could seek a second referendum.\r Ms Sturgeon and Mr Salmond deliberately undermined the Remain campaign by calling its economic warnings “scaremongering” and “Project Fear” (just as they did in 2014, prior to the oil price crash). It is absurd for Ms Sturgeon to now argue that Scotland's economy is at risk from Brexit, having denied that during the campaign.\r Moreover, Ms Sturgeon's plan for Scotland to leave the UK is economic madness, as the UK accounts for £48bn of Scottish exports. The EU only accounts for £11bn of Scottish exports, not to mention the fact that Scotland would become independent outside the EU and would then have to seek to rejoin the EU.\r Scotland's economy is in a very weak position, without the trauma of separating from our largest market and losing our currency. Scotland has a budget deficit of £14.9 billion – this is currently ameliorated by the fact that we are part of the UK but, as an independent country with no currency, it would be a disaster.\r To rejoin the EU, Scotland would need to have a budget deficit of less than 3 per cent, rather than the current level of 10.1 per cent. In other words, Scotland would have to undertake austerity more severe than that afflicting Greece in the hope of re-entering the EU.\r Of course, it is extremely unlikely that that EU Council would welcome a breakaway country, as it might encourage separatist movements in other EU countries. This is worth noting, given the fact that Ms Sturgeon and Mr Salmond have previously lied about having definitive legal advice on a separate Scotland's ability to join the EU.\r As Professor Christine Bell has pointed out, were the SNP to breach the Edinburgh Agreement by ignoring the decisive result of the 2014 referendum, that would make the EU look very unfavourably upon Scotland's potential trustworthiness as a potential accession country (quite apart from its dire financial position).\r The EU member countries must also be aware of Ms Sturgeon's Machiavellian plot to undermine the remain case – which was probably suggested to her by her ultimate boss, Rupert Murdoch, when they met in New York in 2015. Moreover, voters should be aware that Ms Sturgeon wanted the Conservatives to win the 2015 General Election, thus allowing the Brexit referendum to take place (as confirmed by the Cabinet Office enquiry into the leaked memo).\r Ms Sturgeon seeks to mislead Scottish voters by claiming that Scotland is not being treated as an “equal partner” in the Brexit referendum but it was a UK-wide referendum, in which everyone's vote counted equally. It was not a first-past-the-post election, with Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland as four constituencies.\r Ms Sturgeon's ludicrous suggestion that Scotland could remain within the EU single market, were the rest of the UK to leave, suggests that she is seeking to demand the impossible and then claim that Scotland has been cheated. A 'soft Brexit', where the UK remained inside the EU single market, would be no use to her, as Scotland would still have to vote to leave the UK and then apply to rejoin the EU as a new state so Ms Sturgeon is clearly seeking to antagonise the Conservative government into pursuing a 'hard Brexit', in order to use that to try to rally support for a second Scottish referendum.\r I do not want Brexit at all but voters in Scotland should be aware that an independent Scotland would be left outside the UK and the EU. As I understand it, in order to rejoin the EU, we would need a new currency for a transitional period of at least two years and an independent central bank, prior to joining the Euro.\r Turning to the proposed referendum itself, I would make four points. Firstly, the question should not be “Yes”/”No” to Scottish independence but, rather, “remain” in the UK or “leave” the UK – complying with the Electoral Commission's research into framing bias, which resulted in a change to the proposed question in the EU referendum.\r In terms of the proposed electorate, it is good that armed forces overseas are now being considered for inclusion but surely expatriot Scots should also have the right to vote on such an important issue? I believe there was a 15 year limit for expatriots to vote in the EU referendum.\r Meanwhile, I do not think children under 18 should be allowed to vote, as that would open up the possibility of brainwashing by teachers. We have already seen the dumbing down of the Scottish education system by the SNP, with nationalist songs and made-up 'Scots language' taught in schools, not to mention the revolting attempts by nationalist teachers to impose their views on pupils. As a teacher myself, I am horrified by such unprofessionalism and the perversion of the educational process.\r Finally, there should be strict monitoring of registered bodies in any referendum. The 2014 referendum saw the supposedly-independent Yes Scotland campaign bailed out to the tune of £825,000 by the SNP, while the phoney 'Labour For Independence' group (including SNP MP Owen Thompson!) was later fined over its misleading declarations.
6800	651530669	Peter Murrell	Individual	Individual	Comments on Chapter 1: Introduction and Context\r Re-test the Existing Question?\r1. We note the Scottish Government’s expectation that the same question would be used in a future referendum, but that if the Scottish Government is minded to propose a variation it would submit the proposal to the Electoral Commission for testing. We do not see a need to vary the question, but agree that if it is varied it should be subject to independent testing of the intelligibility of the question by the Electoral Commission.\r 2. The Commission concluded in its advice on the question proposed for the referendum in 2014 that:\rThe question is easy to understand. Our research showed conclusively that the language used was easily understood by people and seen as concise, clear and simple. That was the case for people across all age groups, including 16 and 17 year olds, from different backgrounds and in different parts of Scotland. In general people were relatively well-informed about the subject of the referendum compared with other, similar assessments we have carried out, and they understood clearly what decision they were being asked to make.1\r 3. In Paragraph 9 of its response to the consultation, the Electoral Commission agrees with the Scottish Government that it should be asked to report on the intelligibility of the question, but adds that this should be “whether the wording is the same or different to that used for the 2014 independence referendum.” This aspect of reporting on the question, even if it has not changed, appears to be an afterthought by the Commission because their rationale for this is not contained in the response. Instead, it appears in its Press Release dated 24 November 2016, which states that “This is so that the Scottish Parliament’s scrutiny of any referendum bill can be informed by any relevant or new factors they should consider at the point the Bill is being debated”.\r 4. It was observed by respected commentators at the time that the actual wording of the referendum question becomes rather irrelevant by the time a referendum approaches, because it is then two propositions with two sets of arguments, not a question. That process was gone through in 2014 and, if the wording is unchanged, it is difficult to see why that whole matter should be put into reverse and the same question tested again.\r 5. Although the Scottish Government went beyond the provisions of the Edinburgh Agreement and sought the views of the Commission both on “wording” and “intelligibility”, the statutory requirement mentioned by the Commission under PPERA is restricted to reporting on the issue of “intelligibility”.2 A report on the question based on PPERA grounds for testing would therefore correctly be on a more restricted basis than the report for the 2014 referendum. The Commission’s research showed conclusively that the language used was easily understood. If a second referendum is held within this Scottish Parliamentary term, then the overwhelming number of voters at the referendum will have been voters at the 2014 referendum.3 It is difficult to see what “new factors” could make an easily understood question, one which could not be regarded as “intelligible”. No factors are actually suggested by the Electoral Commission.\r Referendum Responsibilities\r6. The divisions of responsibility in relation to the previous referendum appeared to work well. We agree that the same model is appropriate for a future referendum.\r Freedom of Information\r7. The integrity of the referendum was questioned after 18 September 2014, although not by either Yes Scotland Limited or the Scottish National Party in any official capacity. It would assist in ameliorating some of the general concerns about processes if the Electoral Management Board for Scotland and the Chief Counting Officer in relation to the referendum were added to the list of public authorities subject to the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. That is not something which would require to be pursued through the Draft Bill as Scottish Ministers already have the powers to designate bodies under secondary legislation after consultation and subject to approval by resolution of the Scottish Parliament. In practice, the Electoral Management Board does voluntarily provide information, but it would be best if it was formally within the FOI regime. It is not clear why the Electoral Commission should be subject to Freedom of Information, while the Electoral Management Board is not.	8. These amendments are all supported for the reasons given in the consultation paper.\r Verification Statement\r9. The proposed change requiring the verification statement under Rule 30 of Schedule 3 to the 2013 Act to be made available is supported. It is noted that the wording of this provision is based on a request being made by any counting agent. A better wording would be “The counting officer must make available copies of the verification statement to the counting agents present at the count.” This puts a more positive obligation on the counting officer – rather than it being dependent on a request being made by a counting agent for the verification statement. It also better reflects good practice at counts. In addition, for transparency the verification statement should be published by the counting officer on the local authority website within 24 hours after the referendum.\r 10. We do not see the need for the proposed change in relation to emergency proxy applications. The comparison between the European Elections in 2014 and the Independence Referendum in the same year is a comparison between low turnout and exceptionally high turnout electoral events.\r 11. The primary question here should be what can be done to make sure that electors who want to vote in any future referendum do not have needless barriers put in their way, not the pursuit of consistency with rules adopted for other elections by other legislatures. We consider that the rules on emergency proxies could be usefully expanded from the existing 2013 Act provisions. The provision on when the circumstances arose could be put back by a small number of days. Otherwise, if a voter has a heart attack ten minutes before the deadline for normal proxy applications, they will require to have an application completed and sent to the ERO within that time-frame to be able to appoint someone to vote on their behalf. It is in the nature of a medical emergency that voting will not be uppermost in the minds of electors – although we did genuinely hear at the last referendum about a voter asking about what they needed to do to ensure their vote as they were rushed into an ambulance. For the first time, we received telephone calls from hospital staff who reported on the number of patients enquiring about voting. These are not things which generally happen at elections. They did happen at the last referendum.\r 12. The issue of the volume of applications is partly a question of public education, not rule change. Most members of the public never need to make an application for an emergency proxy. In lesser order electoral events, most people who find a barrier in the way of attendance in person at a polling station to vote do not try to find out if there is a way that someone else can vote on their behalf. In the highest order electoral events, a much greater number of people in the same position do make that effort. An increase in the number of application should therefore be expected and managed, rather than the rules changed to restrict the grounds for applying for an emergency proxy and therefore removing a mechanism to vote for people who would have been able to exercise it had their circumstances arisen in the run up to the 2014 referendum.\r Proxy – Requirement that on the Register\r13. Regulation 2 of The Representation of the People (Provision of Information Regarding Proxies) Regulations 2014 SI 3199, allows a registration officer to require another registration officer to provide information about whether a person whom an elector wishes to be appointed as their proxy is registered to vote. This applies for the appointment of a proxy under Paragraphs 6(7) or (8) of the Representation of the People Act 2000. The 2014 Regulations, which provide the mechanism for the registration officer to be satisfied that the person to be appointed as proxy is registered when they reside outwith the officer’s registration area, are therefore only applicable to UK Parliament elections and local government elections. If proxies are to be restricted to those on the register, then it is suggested that the provisions in the 2014 regulations are applied for the purposes of the referendum. The draft does not currently do that.	Royal Charter Companies\r14. A company registered under the Companies Act 2006 must comply with obligations under Chapter 14 (Control of political donations and expenditure). These include the requirement for authorisation of political donations and expenditure from members and remedies against directors where authorisation has not been sought, including repayment of money to the company with interest. There are also requirements to report donations and expenditure in the Company Director’s Reports. No such obligations exist for a Royal Charter Company, unless it is formed for the purpose of carrying on business that has for its object the acquisition of gain by the body or its individual members.4 A Royal Charter Company is authorised to register under Section 1040(1)(a) or (b)(ii) of the Companies Act 2006 either on the basis that it was in existence on 2 November 1862 or as one formed after that date in pursuance of letters patent (the form of incorporation for Royal Charter Companies). If it registers, then it will be subject to the normal company rules on authorisation and reporting. It will also become both a permissible donor and a qualifying body provided that it is carrying on business in the same way an ordinary company. It is unclear why a body which has not taken the step of registering and becoming subject to the normal political financing regime should nevertheless be allowed to participate in the referendum.\r Rules on Local Government Publicity\r15. We agree with the Electoral Commission that further consideration needs to be given to the rules on local government publicity. There is a balance to be struck at a future referendum and it would be best if this could be done consistently across authorities. In 2014, there were local government employees who were told that they could not park their car in authority car parks because their car had a small sticker supporting one of the outcomes at the referendum. There were instances where, despite political parties being allowed stalls at fairs in local government parks for years, that all stopped for the referendum. The decision of the Hearing Panel of the Standards Commission for Scotland in the Aberdeen City Councillors case dated 6 May 2015 puts into question the applicability of existing rules on local government publicity to referendums as multi-party events. A wider discussion would therefore be welcome as part of the Bill process.
6801	819512580	Craig Herbert Raeside	Individual	Individual	The referendum is stated to be necessary due to a material shift caused by the result of the UK referendum on EU membership, ie to protect the rights of Scottish (EU) citizens. Therefore, it is essential that non-resident Scottish citizens that are resident in other EU countries should also have a vote on our future. It would be perverse to allow EU citizens resident in Scotland a vote, when Scottish citizens resident in other EU countries are denied a vote.	None.	All Scottish (EU) citizens should be eligible to vote, regardless of their residency. As a Scottish man resident in France with my British / Burundaise son and Burundaise spouse and Burundaise daughter; our whole right of residence is ‘up in the air’ due to Brexit. It would be perverse if my view were not to be considered relevant (eligible to vote), especially if Indy2 was a negative result, and ‘hard’ Brexit went ahead as looks increasingly likely. NOTE: I was not able to vote in the EU referendum despite being registered correctly. The electoral commission has investigated and stated that my postal voting papers were correctly sent to me in France. They never arrived. As it stands, I see no legal obligation to comply with any of the decisions that are being made by others without any possibility for me to vote.
6802	821097163	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I have a few comments which I would like to make on the proposed referendum bill.\rFirstly I note that the voting rights follows the normal electoral rules. This is understandable as it is the only practical solution, but I do wonder whether any thought has been given to the Hunan rights of Scottish people who live outside of Scotland, as it will impact upon them if the vote is in favour of independence.\rSecondly lessons must be learnt from the EU referendum and there should be a published clear and understandable costed plan in place prior to any referendum, so that if there is a vote in favour of independence, everyone is very clear as to what happens next.\rThirdly during the EU referendum there were statements made by both sides which were factually incorrect. It is inevitable during campaigns that statements are made which are not necessarily backed by fact, but it would be helpful prior to any referendum if guidance could be drawn up as to what is and isn't acceptable.\rFourthly, the legal framework on decision making, should there be a Yes vote, needs to be in place, so that any result is not subjected to legal challenges as with the EU referendum.\rFifth the bill proposes a simple majority result. The turnout was high last time but there is no guarantee it will be next time. Given that the government seem keen to widen participation, should consideration given to mandatory voting with the option to abstain?
6803	112681513	Howard League Scotland	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	We welcome this opportunity to comment on the draft Scottish Independence Referendum Bill . Our comments are about the proposal (as set out in Section 3 of the draft Bill) to ban convicted prisoners from taking part in a future referendum on Scottish independence.\r Summary of our position \r •\tThis Bill represents the third opportunity for the Scottish Parliament to legislate on the franchise. Amendments to both the Scottish Independence Referendum (Franchise) Act 2013 and the Scottish Elections (Reduction of Voting Age) Act 2015 that would have extended voting rights to some convicted prisoners were rejected by the Scottish Government. \r •\tOnce again, instead of simply reproducing the Westminster blanket ban on convicted prisoners’ voting rights, there is an opportunity for the Scottish Parliament to put down a marker about the value placed on democratic rights and social justice in Scotland. \r •\tWe wish to highlight that almost all other European democracies recognise that voting is too hard-won a fundamental right to be lost automatically on imprisonment. \r •\tWe welcome the Scottish Government’s recognition that too many people are sent to prison in Scotland. We also welcome recent statements by the First Minister and other members of the Cabinet about the importance of human rights and their commitment to international human rights standards and protocols, including the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).\r •\tWe therefore ask the Scottish Government why it believes that imprisonment on one particular date should be enough in all cases to prevent citizens from taking part in a vote which will determine the constitutional future of their country. We would welcome a broad debate on whether to follow the model of many other developed democracies, and allow some or all convicted prisoners to vote.\r Why voting matters\r “The universality of the franchise is important not only for nationhood and democracy. The vote of each and every citizen is a badge of dignity and personhood. Quite literally, it says that everybody counts.”\r The constitutional court of South Africa in a decision on prisoners’ voting rights (1999)\r The creation of a universal franchise is one of the great political achievements of the past 150 years: we should never take it for granted. How much care we exercise when we decide to remove voting rights is a token not just of how we value fellow citizens, but of how much we value voting itself. \r In many countries, the vote is seen as an inalienable right that cannot be taken away as a punishment. We think that is a powerful position which better represents the values of a modern democracy than the current position in the UK, which has its roots in the mid-nineteenth century relationship between voting and property ownership, and the forfeiture of property for certain crimes. \r We would like the Scottish Government to give a fuller explanation of its decision to follow the UK blanket ban on voting by convicted prisoners. \r The European Context\r The UK is unusual in Europe in implementing a blanket ban on voting by all convicted prisoners. On the best available recent research (Briefing Note SN/PC/01764, from the House of Commons Library, February 2015 ):\r •\tAt least eighteen European nations, including Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, have no form of electoral ban for imprisoned offenders. Norway has provision for removing voting rights from certain offenders, but this appears never to have been used.\r•\tIn other countries electoral disqualification depends on the crime committed or the length of the sentence. In France, certain crimes are identified which carry automatic forfeiture of political rights and Germany’s ban extends only to prisoners whose crimes target the integrity of the state or the democratic order, such as political insurgents. \r•\tAmong the Council of Europe countries, those with which the UK keeps company in not allowing any convicted prisoners the right to vote are Armenia, Bulgaria, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Liechtenstein, San Marino and Russia: in at least two of these, consideration is being given to change.\rThe ban is often defended on the basis that those sentenced to prison have broken their contract with society, in a substantially different way from the many other offenders who are given non-custodial sentences or fines, and that this must mean that all convicted prisoners should lose their vote while they are held in prison. When so many of our fellow democracies reject that logic, we should stop and consider it again.\rEven at Westminster, a cross-party Joint Committee of both Houses recommended in December 2013 that all prisoners serving sentences of 12 months or less should be entitled to vote in all UK parliamentary, local and European elections; and moreover that prisoners should be entitled to apply, up to 6 months before their scheduled release date, to be registered to vote in the constituency into which they are due to be released. Although no proposals have yet been brought forward.\rThe international position underlines that respecting the rights of victims, as we should, does not require the removal of the vote. We are not aware of any evidence that it functions as a deterrent. Indeed, we find the idea that prison should automatically carry a penalty of “civic death” at odds with the agendas for rehabilitation and reintegration that have been a welcome part of Scottish political debate in recent years. We believe effective rehabilitation is central to addressing the needs of victims of crime.\r The way we use prisons \rAs a society, we expect the criminal justice system to punish offenders appropriately and reduce the risk of reoffending. Prisons will always be an essential part of that system. \rDecisions about imprisonment are often not clear-cut, however: there is not a straightforward divide between the types of offences that attract imprisonment and those that do not. As we noted in our original submission on the Scottish Independence Referendum (Franchise) Bill, in 2011-12, 28 per cent of shoplifting convictions, 54 per cent of housebreaking convictions, and 61 per cent of convictions for serious assault and attempted murder ended in a custodial sentence (Source: Criminal Proceedings in Scotland 2011-12 ). The remaining cases were dealt with using non-custodial measures. Using their discretion, sentencers take many issues into account, including the welfare of the offender him or herself and what particular community sentencing options are available in the local area. \rScotland's rate of imprisonment is one of the highest in Western Europe and over twice as high as the prison populations of the Nordic countries. The prison population rose by 17% between 2004/05 and 2013/14 (Source: Prison statistics and population projections Scotland: 2013-2014 ). We applaud the commitment of the Scottish Government to reducing the use of imprisonment and support the view of the Cabinet Secretary for Justice delivering the Apex Scotland Annual Lecture in September 2015 : \r “I truly believe that there is no good reason why Scotland should have such a high prison population… my vision for penal reform in Scotland is one which I believe reflects the values of a modern and progressive nation, in which prison - and in particular short-term imprisonment - is used less frequently as a disposal”\rInquiries into prisons and offending commissioned by the Scottish Government in recent years tell a consistent story about the over-use of imprisonment in Scotland, in particular for those from the most deprived and vulnerable backgrounds. This is not a new issue: similar points have been made by earlier inquiries.\rFrom Scotland’s Choice: The Report of the Scottish Prisons Commission (2008) established by the Scottish Government and chaired by the Rt Hon Henry McLeish [our emphasis]:\rOur review shows that we are not using prisons mainly to tackle serious crime …. [the] breakdown of data shows we use prison for a very different purpose. Instead of investing in a system that can secure stronger, safer communities, a series of problematic and largely unnecessary uses of prison are revealed….[including]\r•\tThe short sentences problem - people who are more troubling than dangerous: Eighty-three percent of prison sentences in 2005/06 were for 6 months or less (and 57% of all prison sentences were for 90 days or less)…\r•\tThe warehousing problem - a place to hold the damaged and traumatised: Ninety percent of women in prison have drug and alcohol problems, and 75% have a history of abuse and major health problems. The picture for male offenders and young people is similar…. \rResearch has demonstrated and defence lawyers are well aware that similar cases are sentenced very differently in different courts - and even by different judges in the same courts…\rWe calculate that it would be possible to reduce the prison population by as many as three to four thousand offenders who have not committed serious crimes and do not constitute a danger to the public…\rFrom the Report of the Commission on Women Offenders (2012) established by the Scottish Government and chaired by Dame Elish Angiolini [our emphasis]:\r There are women who should be in prison to protect the public and to mark the seriousness of their crimes. Even for these women, opportunities for rehabilitation should be available to reduce the likelihood they will reoffend and help reintegrate them back into the community…. For other women who have been repeatedly convicted of committing lower level offences, their offending is often the result of significant underlying issues, such as drug or alcohol addiction and mental health problems, that could be better addressed in the community…. 75 per cent of custodial sentences imposed on women are for periods of six months or less…. … further analysis is required to gather the information which will help to explain the reasoning behind sentencers’ decisions.\r Female prisoners have higher lifetime incidences of trauma, including severe and repeated physical and sexual victimisation, than either male prisoners or women in the general population.\rThe evidence is compelling that being sentenced to imprisonment alone should not be regarded as providing a strong enough justification for removing a person’s right to vote and that the current ban impacts disproportionately on the most deprived and vulnerable. As in other developed European democracies, if we are to remove the vote at all, we should set a higher bar.\rVoting and rehabilitation\r We welcomed the 2013 inquiry by the Scottish Parliament’s Justice Committee into purposeful activity in prisons and in particular the former Cabinet Secretary for Justice’s statement to the Committee that: \r the Scottish Government believes that offenders should be sent to prison as punishment, but that our prisons should also be about the rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders back into society as contributing citizens. \r We do not want to suggest that voting by itself will make a large difference but we do believe that participation in democratic decision-making could contribute to the process of rehabilitation and send a strong message to prisoners that they remain part of wider society and have a stake in its future. \r Arbitrary effects\r Including those on short sentences in the ban on voting will create some unusually acute anomalies in the specific case of a referendum. \r •\tPrisoners on short sentences are regularly released soon after conviction, due to the time they have already spent on remand. They suffer little or no impact on their voting rights. Others, where the courts have been content to grant bail, serve their whole sentence as convicted prisoners. Of two people convicted side by side and given the same sentence in the run-up to September 2014, the one granted bail could lose their only opportunity to vote on the issue of independence, while the other does not.\r•\tIn 2013-14, 9,362 people received a custodial sentence of less than 6 months . On an average day only 419 of these were actually in prison serving their sentence, due to: the rapid turn-over of these prisoners; time already spent on remand; and early release (including on Home Detention Curfew; we understand prisoners on early release would be eligible to vote). On this pattern, there will be a significant element of arbitrary disenfranchisement among those serving short sentences during the year surrounding the referendum.\rPractical issues\r Arrangements have to be made for prisoners on remand by electoral administrators and the Scottish Prison Service. Remand prisoners already make up around one-fifth of the prison population and can vote by post. At first sight, there is not an obvious reason why, for example, prisoners on short-term sentences at least could not be treated in the same way. \r At a minimum, the practicalities of extending the vote to those on short-term sentences, which are defined in law as being less than 4 years, should be tested with the organisations involved and it should not simply be assumed that it would be unachievable. \r On an average day in 2013-14, in addition to the 419 serving sentences of less than 6 months, 1715 prisoners were serving sentences from 6 months up to less than two years, and 1077 were serving sentences between two years and less than four years. (Source: Prison statistics and population projections Scotland: 2013-14 )\r There is also a case for seeking to include those nearing the end of a sentence and being prepared for release, although we realise that they may be harder to identify in law and would bring into the debate prisoners who have committed more serious crimes.\r The relevance of ECHR\r We recognise that ECHR compliance is a more significant matter for Scottish legislation than UK legislation, because of the limitations on legislative competence in section 29(2)(d) of the Scotland Act 1998, and that the Scottish Government has previously stated that it does not believe that the ECHR applies to voting in referendums. While recognising that it will be important for the government and the Parliament to satisfy themselves on the legal issues, we want to make this as a moral case, not a legal one.\r Conclusion\r We hope that the Scottish Government will reconsider its proposed ban on voting by convicted prisoners in a future independence referendum.\r We take encouragement from the words of the First Minister , at an event on 23 September 2015, in response to a question from Howard League Scotland about prisoner voting rights:\r "As we get more responsibility for the franchise more generally of course we will have to consider the issue of prisoner voting. We haven't got any proposals to put forward at this stage but that is something that we will continue to consider.\r"Clearly it's incumbent on all governments not just to talk the language of human rights, but not just on this issue but on all issues to make sure that that's reflected in our decision-making as well."\rThere is an opportunity with this Bill for Scotland to strike a distinctive course which brings us closer to the practice in other developed European democracies, rather than automatically following the model set by Westminster. We believe the question of voting rights for prisoners in a referendum is more, rather than less, acute than in general elections. \r We hope that, as part of any consideration of this legislation, this issue would be fully debated, in a way which reflects positively on Scotland as a country which values democratic rights and social justice.
6804	79279915	Anonymous	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	I am of the opinion that the question should be one of whether the voter wishes to remain in the EU rather than whether or not they want independence. In reality, the two may not be separate but the emphasis should not be on independence. We have already done that and the majority voted no.\r If we simply voted for independence, the government of the day need not apply to remain in the EU, the two need to be inseperably linked to validate the reasons for yet another referendum.
6805	747546691	David Henderson	Individual	Individual	No Answered	No Answered	My comments on this consultation are not answering the specific questions asked, but about what I believe is an urgent need for an impartial , uncoruptable source of objective, accurate, accessible, balanced, appropriate, sufficient information on the facts and issues of any future referendum and an independent body of unquestionable integrity to facilitate this. I answer this consultation with this suggestion as I believe that it must be a fundamental part of any referendum for it to truly deliver the true choice of the people for the people.\r(I apologise for the poorly written nature and editing as I am somewhat I'll and have had limited personal resources to complete this but thought it important enough to try)\r The referendum consultation states\r "1.5 The decision on Scotland’s future should be taken through a process that is beyond reproach. The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that the highest standards of fairness, transparency and propriety are maintained". \r For any future referendum to be carried out under these principles, then besides legal and administrative procedures and structures fit for purpose and beyond reproach, citizens taking part must not only be able to participate with justifiable faith with systems and overview of the process, but must also be practically enabled and empowered to play their part exercising their rational choice and practical preference for an answer to any referendum question where they are as fully aware of the facts, issues and scenarios as is practically possible, or at least that these resources are available to them.\r For a number of recent referendums and elections there has been a growing feeling that there has been at best a lack or scarcity of clear, objective, detailed, diverse, impartial facts on the issues or scenarios being discussed or decided upon and at worst poor quality, biased or even misrepresentative or false "facts" or scenarios are presented to participants.\r However well organized or administered a referendum is, without proper, sufficient, appropriate and accessible information, participants will not really be able to knowingly make the choice that will result with the state of affairs they would practically prefer or support, whatever that might be.\r Ironically in this age of rolling news, near universal access to an extensive Internet and constant social media there has never been more information available. However quantity is not quality.\r Although there are clear guidelines for campaigning participants on how much they can spend, and free mail shots etc this is no guarantee of the quality, appropriateness or sufficiency of such information available either individually or as a whole for the referendum.\r I would suggest that for the next referendum there needs to be a recognised, independent, impartial, objective, highly transparent, heavily scrutinised and audited body set up to be a receptacle, collator and disseminator of information about the facts, issues and scenarios of the referendum for all "sides" and possible outcomes and this should be structured and operated to be beyond reproach and doubt for providing clear, objective, factually accurate, unbiased, detailed information which is appropriate, sufficient and as required by all participants whatever their preferences or standpoints might be.\r The fundamental ethos, principle, standpoint and goal of this organisation MUST be provision of objective truth and it must be set up, operated and demonstratedly shown and perceived to be thus.\r It will almost certainly have to be independent of government, or any other organisations (public or private) who may have interests (or standpoints) for one specific outcome.\r it may benefit from having significant dialogue with government (or other relevant organisations, or opposition) that have a significant role in Civic life,and or have relevant resources or roles that might contribute to its core aims, but only if this is practically possible without any significant risks to its independence or impartial integrity, or of the perception of it as being thus.\r I would not at this time be wishing to spell out a specific structure or even its constituent parts and this should be discussed at length, and fully consulted upon and the difficulty of the goal to get such a pure, uncorrupted organisation, function and practical operation should not be underestimated, however I believe such a resource has never been more needed and should be attempted.\r Some initial thoughts of who might be part of the design and/ or governance, management and operations could be as follows.\rPhilosophers (or representatives of the Philosophical Community) could play a key role as being trained, experienced and dedicated to objective truth, and aware of the many difficulties there can be obtaining and maintaining such a state of affairs and modus operandi.\r(I would declare that while I am qualified as a philosopher, and continue to practice (though not part of any official body) I only suggest this from what my understanding allows me to perceive as need and practical solution, as an engineer might suggest his profession as been suitable for a body concerned with safety of physical structures.)\rOther academic disciplines might also contribute including (though not necessarily exhaustively) Psychology (particularly concerning learning, information processing and social and cultural bias and effects); Sociology and Anthropology might also contribute understanding of cultural issues in providing truly objective information, practically useable by different types of people and how to avoid pitfalls. Historians may also be able to contribute.\r I would assume the legal profession would have a place.\r Journalism , as a professional ideal, could also contribute (although it might be argued that this is dangerous given that the worst examples of those trading under its name may have done little to advance objective unbiased facts).\r Obviously those skilled in research would be essential to its operation as well as those skilled at IT.\r There could also be representatives from other areas of Civic society that could be part of such a body.\r It would also be essential to have Community Representatives as part of such an organisation.\r For every individual,, organisation, sector, profession or discipline involved from the design and management to operations and scrutiny of such a body, they must have, above all else, as a primary, overarching, uncompromising, demonstratively incorruptible goal, complete devotion to objective truth and impartial facts-total integrity. They must also be able to meet that objective unerringly.\r No matter what other skills and knowledge an individual, organisation, sector, profession or discipline might offer they can have no part of it if it risks this absolute integrity.\r Any individuals representing discplines or organisations thought to be useful for a balanced team to design and/or manage such a body will need to be accountable somehow, particularly as regards integrity and impartiality as even highly learned and skilled individuals can have personal preference and bias, which can have no place here.\r As well as people there is a wealth of resources concerning Community engagement and empowerment from various organisations, parts of which might be used in how to engage referendum participants and how to best produce and make information accessible to them including the recently updated Community Engagement Standards (and the skills from the organisation that produced them, among others)\r As for the structure, again this will require delicate consideration to ensure it is functional and totally unable to be compromised or influenced by outside interests, as will a scrutiny regime.\r I would suggest that there would also have to be local level bodies, as well as a central body and that there should be a significant dialogue between them.\r Operationally the body might decide (through it's delicately balanced management structure) what appropriate, balanced information was required for various issues and scenarios of different standpoints, but it might also consider requests from outside bodies or even the campaigning organisations to investigate and present research and information, and to make sure that each part, and the whole, is balanced and impartial.\r This suggestion has not meant to give a final design, structure or operating system or practices, but too suggest the urgent need for such a resource as a starting point for further discussions and refinement, and while I do not underestimate the high level of difficulty designing , constructing and operating such a resource equal to its aims and objectives I do not believe it is impossible, for all practical purposes, and the benefits to further truly enlightened choice for a referendum are hugely significant and worth the effort.